Across The Multiverse
Chapter 1
Another World
My name is Kouhei Takeda. I happen to be the latest and quite possibly doomed apprentice of the grand magician, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. I'm a second-rate magus, and my master wants to take me on a road trip across the multiverse... Just my luck...
An OC AU Nasuverse Fanfiction.
It involves Zelretch, so the above is to be expected. I'm surprised we don't see many fics regarding the man, his canon existence basically green-lights most AUs. But then again, he doesn't have much of a presence in Fate/Stay Night other than the Heaven's Feel route, and he shows up a slight bit more in Tsukihime.
Throughout this project of mine, my OC, Kouhei Takeda, will travel with his new master to various places in the multiverse, which means various alternate realities where things will not be the same. In the process, there shall be copious amounts of character development, humor, swearing is to be expected, fanservice, action, and whatever a road trip across the multiverse can bring.
Each trip will end up with Kouhei and Zelretch returning to Kouhei's home world, where they'll review their trip, reflect, and brush up on extra character development for his relationships with various characters.
The universes they visit are primarily of Fate/Stay Night and its related games, but there will be some chapters dedicated to other parts of the Nasuverse. I'm currently debating whether to keep it here, or move it to the crossover section.
So for the first chapter…
Welcome to Possible Nasuverse Universe #7692.
Please enjoy your stay.
Beware of various spoilers.
"Kouhei. Wake up." A woman's voice murmured to me.
"Mommy?"
"Put on a jacket. We have to go." Her voice seemed urgent.
"Where's Daddy?"
"Daddy can't come with us." Now her voice seemed afraid.
"Why?"
There was a thrashing sound. "YURIKO! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"
"Just stay quiet, Kouhei." Mother pleaded.
The sound of the door smashing open… The screams and wails of a dying woman… The feeling of fear pouring through my soul. And the feeling of shock as my assailant, my father, died with a knife in hand and a sword in his chest.
"Are you okay son?" An aged face smiled at me, as if relieved that I was okay.
"W-Who are you?"
A wrinkled hand gripped my shoulder, helping me up.
"Risei. Kotomine Risei."
I felt my nose crinkle, as the smell of something snaps me back into consciousness. That dream… That memory… I haven't experienced that in a long, long time. Wait… That smell… It was familiar…
Something burning?
My eyes snap open, as I push myself up from where I had slept. I had decided to take a short nap, while waiting for the results of my alchemical experiment. My experiment was on fire. The stubby little test tube was up in flames, randomly colored puffs of smoke rising from the opening of the volatile little tube. Oh fuck.
I grab a fire extinguisher from the wall, various runes activating to protect my notes and other work. I spray the miniature blaze with the extinguisher, sending foam flying all over the place. This was the third accident this week! At this rate, I'll never master alchemy well enough to make a homunculus!
"Kouhei, did you set something on fire again?" A voice called to me.
"Um… No?"
"Kouhei, God doesn't like liars."
"… Okay, I did."
I hear a sigh. "Just get ready for school."
I mutter incomprehensively as I work on cleaning up my workshop. It's not so big, just a few shelves, a table used for various experiments, and a storage room for stuff. Once I get enough money, I'll order a specimen tube from Clock Tower and start creating my homunculus. It's probably going to be a guy.
I don't want to have to explain to my father and sister why I have a naked girl floating in tube in my workshop. Actually, it's going to be as equally awkward if it's a naked guy. So maybe I'll make it an animal based homunculus. A dog would be nice.
After cleaning away all the foam, I sit down or the table amongst my experiments. This isn't going so well. I've got my father's notes regarding the subject, and I've managed to handle other the branches of thaumaturgy well enough, or at least decently. I just suck at contemporary alchemy.
That wounds my pride a bit.
I walk over to one side of the wall, pressing on the wood. It gives way, and swings open. I squint my eyes as the morning light seeps into my eyes, from a grate. I'm in the ventilation system. I crawl into the vent, moving forward. Soon, I reach another grate. I swing it open.
And I'm inside a bedroom. I sigh, giving a stretch. I need to modify the vent a little. I'm getting a bit too big for it. My eyes swing left and right, looking through my room. Nothing much is in here, just a bed, my desk, a closet, a TV, and a very well used computer. My sister keeps coming in here to use it.
She says it's to check if I have any porn in it, but I know she just likes to read stories and send emails. Her favorite hobby is sending chain letters about our religion. It's quirky, weird at times, but she doesn't seem like she wants to stop. She acts like an angel one second, then a devil during the other.
I walk over to my closet, opening it. I pull out my school uniform, quickly dressing myself with an eye on the clock. Brown eyes meet brown eyes in the mirror. I look myself over once, taking note of all my features. Brownish-black hair, still rather messy, check. Weary expression due to the result of failed experiments, check. Eyebags. Check.
Okay, self motivational speech time.
"I, Kouhei Takeda, am not a failure." I say with pride, chest puffed out. "I am not a failure." I repeat, forcing a smile to my face. "I'm going to be a master of thaumaturgy." I grin.
Self motivational speech. Check.
Cue slouched shoulders and depressed feeling. Check.
"I'm a failure of an alchemist." I groan, rapping my head against the glass.
Assuring I'm a failure as an alchemist. Check.
"You're no failure."
My eyes meet golden ones. A fair face grins at me, framed by grey hair. She's dressed in her uniform, specifically of the Saint Paulo Miki Private Middle School. With crossed arms, she rests against the doorway of my room. With the black skirt, and other clothing, she kind of looks like a nun.
"You're an epic failure." She chimes. She doesn't act like one though.
I rap my head against the glass. I don't want to break it though, that would be seven more years of bad luck to my already unluckily (yet relatively decent) life.
"Caren, what the hell?" I groan.
She pouts. "That's no way to talk to your imouto."
"Caren Ortensia Kotomine. Get out."
She sticks her nose into the air, with a "Hmph." Then she leaves my room. I don't know why I put up with her. Oh wait, we live together. Damn it.
I peek out my window, looking at the shed connected to the house with a vent. My workshop is pathetic compared to my father's. But it's good enough for my experiments. Though I probably need to renovate it a bit to fit a specimen tube in there. I want to be a great alchemist. Maybe I'll try to get a copy of the Einzbern alchemy notes that they've published. But barely anything ships all the way out here!
Maybe I can ask another magus in town to order some stuff for me.
"Hurry up!" I hear Caren call for me.
"Got it!"
I grab my bag from my bed, and run out the door. I weave through the hallways of our home, running for the door. Caren's there waiting for me, bag in hand and a sandwich in the other. Wait, that's not a sandwich. Is that my cell phone?
"You don't have many girls on this thing, do you?"
I palm my forehead. Angelic my ass.
"Caren. Stop teasing your brother. You're going to be late for class." A gruff voice calls out to us.
I turn around to see the dark brown eyes of my father. He yawns, a cup of coffee in one hand, a newspaper tucked under the other. This is the man I've practically idolized since I was a child learning about magecraft. One of the last men standing in the Fourth Grail War, and an excellent magus in his own right. Such a great man.
His greatness is dampened by the fact he's in pajamas and fuzzy bunny slippers, courtesy of Caren.
Kotomine Kirei, one of the greatest magi in our time, wears fuzzy bunny slippers.
…
Never got over that fact.
"Don't forget this." He tosses something to me. I catch it with one hand, grinning a bit. It's was a leather bracelet with a metal cross on it. I strap it around my left hand, the metal cross facing out on my wrist.
"I doubt I'm going to face Dead Apostles on the way to school."
"Always be prepared Kouhei. Always be prepared." He advises. "Now, get to class."
I walk down the road with Caren by my side after getting off the train, fiddling with the bracelet on my wrist. Caren stares at it pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "I doubt we'll be facing vampires any time soon."
"You're just jealous that Father lets me carry around Black Keys."
She pouts. "As if. I'm not going to be one of those Executors, I'm going to be an Exorcist."
"Says the girl who can't stand to watch horror movies." I chuckle, dodging a hand as it tries to hit me one over the head. I continue walking down the street, grinning as Caren fumed behind me.
"I can stand horror movies!" She cried.
"Right." I whistle. "Followers of the Eighth Sacrament don't hide behind blankets and cry "Daddy", do they?"
"We were kids! You did the same!" She near-shouted at me, waving her arms about in frustration.
"No I didn't." I reply. I had gripped a Black Key and nearly sliced the TV in half until Father came in, took the blade from my hand and comforted a traumatized Caren. Not my best moment, I agree.
Caren continues to fume, as the school comes up in the distance. It looks like most high schools in Fuyuki, except with the large church on school grounds. But unlike most high schools, there's a small population of magi attending. I'm fairly sure about that. The number of magi attending Saint Paulo Miki Private School is limited down to about I guess 5. That's quite a bit in my standards.
Let's see, that's me, Caren, the local priest, and about two other prana signals I haven't managed to pinpoint. Though it could just be Caren using thaumaturgy to screw with people. Father (and I mean the one at home and at another parish) doesn't like it when she does that. Apparently it reminds him too much of the Grail War. Or at least, that's what I think.
I believe Caren's mother played around like that as well. I don't know if she was a magus or not, but it seems that Caren is more like her than she thinks. I pity father in his early years. To be honest, I'll pity anyone to get to know Caren who hasn't known her before.
I raise an eyebrow at my younger sister, as she bows lightly. "See you later, Onii-chan!" She chimes with a happy smile. She's already immersed in her angelic persona, ready to face the world with a mask made to troll certain people. Well, that's my sister. I learned to live with her.
I wave goodbye with a free hand, the other slinging my bag around my shoulder.
Oh crap, she still has my cell phone. I know I'm a magus and all, but when I sent my phone number to the people at Clock Tower, half of the people there didn't know what it was. My letter had gone back and forth between about 20 people until someone knew what it really was. And then they still used an ancient phone, and called me at awkward hours of the day to see how my research was going and if I needed anything.
They're all intelligent magi! Don't they know anything about time zones?-!
I sigh, making my way to my classroom.
I feel my body work through the motions, hearing my voice speak the morning prayers as I paid little mind. What really was on my mind, was the ringing of the church bells. I could feel the pulse of the sound work it's way through me, shaking me with some sort of feeling to my core.
I could feel my prana pulse and flow at the deep beat. My prana always seemed to react with the urge to come to life and enact in the outer world whenever I heard the sound of church bells ringing. When I thought about those bells ringing, I could reign my prana in and enact all sorts of magecraft. But it felt weird at school.
I may feel relaxed in body, but in prana… I can feel it pulse within me, because I can't ignore the sound of the mental trigger that allowed me to utilize thaumaturgy. It's taking quite a bit of effort to just not let out a burst of prana. This is good training, I guess. Just another step in my path towards being a great magus.
It's a long, long trail ahead of me to reach my goal. Oh well, I can bear with it. I've got trail mix and shotguns. And about 8 long pointy swords that have the ability to smite horrendous insults to God.
…
I'll deal.
I spent the day absentmindedly finishing homework and listening to lectures, drawing various designs and future plans for upgrades to my workshop on the side. My current plans include Anti-Caren Bounded Fields, extending the height of the roof to fit a specimen tube in, and when I have the time to take advantage of the wood sale at the hardware store.
Oh, and get my hands on that new takoyaki machine I saw on TV last night.
Unlike most magi, I'm half-half in my outlook. Half of my magecraft is centered around practical application, while the other half is strictly devoted to research. I need to shift my priorities around if I want to become an Executor though. I still transmute some scrap paper into lead when my pencil runs out, and I put a small bounded field up that makes people ignore my papers when I write tests for an example of practical uses of thaumaturgy.
They're very simple applications. Though I've had to convince Father Tsurugi in the past, telling him that I don't use it to cheat. I've never really needed to for that matter. Except that one time when Caren kept me up all night with her antics, and never even leaving me alone even when I needed to study.
I won't talk about that.
Once I've become an Executor, I can fight for my beliefs as a primary reason, and on the side, I can earn money to fund my own research. The people at Clock Tower refuse to do so, since I'm affiliated with the Church. I wonder how they would have reacted if I stuck Kotomine to the end of my name? I'm Kouhei Kotomine, legally anyway. It's not like Clock Tower delves into the mundane legal system. It's not like they interfere much with the mundane world at all.
I will still always refer to myself as Kouhei Takeda. Or Kouhei Takeda-Kotomine at times.
I still wonder what would have happened though. How they would have reacted, what would have been done, would they have been with me or against me? I severely doubt they would ally with me or help me in anyway.
After all, I doubt they'd want anything to do with the son of the man who helped destroy the Holy Grail.
I eat lunch quietly inside my classroom, still thinking about how my life is going to work out from the moment I step outside. I put quite a lot of thought into planning, and I'm known to be very ambitious. If I can rise through the Church's ranks, I wonder if I can somehow manage to go and visit Atlas one day. It'll take a long time, but The Giant's Pit is too great a call for any self respecting alchemist.
That, or I take a visit to the Prague Association. Though if I involve myself with one, I won't be able to even involve myself with the other… Choices, choices. They're so difficult, but they're there to be made with caution and dignity.
Speaking of dignity, haven't heard much from Tohsaka Tokiomi in a while. Father never speaks with him much, but I had found his contact information in an old folder in his bedroom. He sent me instructions on how to build a decent workshop and the runes I needed to help keep it relatively functional. He's a nice man.
But he rambles in his letters with a flourish that only a member of his family could even possibly (or humanely) achieve. Akasha interests me, like it does with the man. It's not something the Church deals with. And I doubt I'll be as fanatical about reaching it.
But something about it interests me, like the way the Five True Magics do.
I spot a flash of grey hair, and the sparkle of golden eyes. Outside the window, I spot Caren surrounded by a bunch of her friends and quite a few girls of other grades. She's always been such a popular girl, due to her angelic personality. Or her "public" angelic personality.
"Kotomine, your sister seems popular."
A flash of brown hair appears before me. A grin appears on a young man's face, as the very same young man hops into the seat beside mine.
"I wish she wasn't…" I grumble.
"Don't worry about it!" The young man's hand pats my back.
"Yeah, yeah, Mackenzie."
Christopher Mackenzie, a young Canadian transfer student who I quickly made friends with back when he transferred here. His family didn't like it here, leaving years prior, but he decided to board with his grandparents and continue his education abroad.
"Besides, we're going to graduate soon! You'll have plenty of time to stalk her when that happens! I'm pretty sure you'll need to! After all, something as pretty as that will need something strong like you to protect her from the raving masses of men that await her in the thralls of high school."
I smack him one up across the head.
If any boys take a fancy to her… That's what alchemy, eight swords that are the bane of undead existence, various guns, and laxative filled trail mix are for. I take extra care to avoid my special laxative trail mix. It's the one bag on the right on the shelf. Don't forget it, Kouhei.
Caren is a rather attractive girl, no incest implied of course. Hell, we're not even related. Not that I partake in incest. It's against our religion.
…
Yeah, I have no sister complex. Dare to imply such things, and you'll get the same treatment as anyone to come after my sister. Which involved disembowelment and laxative trail mix. Or being used as zombie bait when vampire hunting.
Either one.
I sit on a bench outside, waiting for Caren to show up. School's finished early today; the teachers were meeting for something, probably a complication in the curriculum or about the upcoming sports festival.
"Hi Onii-chan!"
I turn my head, to see Caren bouncing up and down beside me with a soft smile on her face. Hm, seems like she had fun today. I stand, looking down on her. She's still shorter than me by about a head.
I feel something smack me between the eyes.
"Here you go!"
I blink, staring almost cross eyed at the object. It appears to be my phone. Damn it. I swat it out of her hands, catching it in the air. I flick it open, to see if anything had happened to it.
Okay, my contacts list is intact. Clock Tower and my contacts in the Church haven't been contacted. Phew. I doubt I could handle the backlash if it was found out that I left a library of contact info that belongs to very influential and dangerous people, out in the open. That was a great relief.
…
…
…
Okay, I'm fairly sure I've never met this girl. Or this girl. Or that girl. Who the hell are these random girls that appeared in my contact list?
…
"Caren, did you pawn my phone number?"
"Yes."
…
Crap.
"And what you get in return?" I ask without hesitation, frowning.
"Lunch money and bragging rights." She smiled innocently.
"… You pimped me out." I gape.
"Aw, you're welcome, Onii-chan."
Father will never let her get away with this.
"Hm. Any of them make a good future wife?"
Damn it.
I stare down Father as we square off in the backyard of our home. He's got a book in one hand, a Black Key in the other.
"I don't know." I repeat for the fourteenth time.
"Hm." He flips the page of his book, switching between the throwing and stabbing positions with the blade in his hand. A small smirk graces his face, as he snorts at something on the pages. Then he closes the book and turns to me.
"Now, shall we begin?"
I nod, reaching out with my left hand. I focus prana into the metal bracelet strapped to my wrist, feeling it come to life. The cross on the bracelet shines with a white light, forcing me to squint my eyes as I try to look past it. With my right hand, I reach into the brightness. This artifact was just a little thing from grandfather's early days as an Executor, and now it was practically mine.
There. I feel it. My hand grasps a handle, somewhere within the light. And then I pull.
A Black Key of my own is in my hand, ready to be used.
I barely have enough time to react, as my father's sword sweeps down for my head. I brace my feet, bringing my own blade up to deflect his. A faint smile is on his face, as he draws back. This…
I am fucked.
But for the sake of time and less pain, I decide to fight back. I prime the sword in my hand ready to throw it. My feet draw back as my hand does. And with a swing of my hand, I let the blade fly.
"Too predictable."
A twirl of his sword sends my sword sinking into the ground behind him. In another short flash of light, I have another blade in my hand, running towards him to strike again. I'm down one, but I have 7 left in my current arsenal. I slide low.
And I choose to sweep up with an upward slash.
However, it's useless. Father's foot smacked down on the base of my sword's grip, ripping the sword out of my grip and sending it flying. I jump back, pulling another key from the void attached to my wrist. 6 left.
To conserve my amount of weapons, I only use one Key and hold it like a sword, rather than the popular claw grip.
I throw sword in my hand as a distraction, drawing another blade from my wrist quickly after. Father's sword quickly deflects the other, as I lash out for his neck. His elbow digs into my chest as I jumped for the chance to strike, sending me flying back. I roll to the side, dodging as his weapon stabs the ground where my leg once was.
"Fight smarter." He advises.
Sometimes, I swear he's ruthless in my training, perhaps even as ruthless as his time in the Fourth Grail War. But if he actually was… I doubt I'd last a minute. I doubt I'd still be alive.
5 Black Keys left.
I pick up my recently dropped blade with my left hand, stabbing out at his foot in a reverse grip. He sidesteps, right as I draw another sword from my wrist. With the weight of momentum, I roll about and with a wide swing I strike at his chest. He kicks at the sword still stuck in the ground.
The blade gives way, causing me to lose my balance. I fall to the ground, landing on my shoulder with my attack only hitting air. He kicks out once again, taking away another Key.
3 swords left.
I'm learning how to fight I guess. Hopefully not how to fight losing battles. Because that was what was happening to me right now… I roll away from my father, and he didn't strike down on me.
"You make too many useless motions. It may work against the Undead, but against a magus or a vampire, you'll be dead before the first strike." He told me as I got up.
I draw two Keys with one sweep of my hand. With another sweep, both keys are sent flying towards my father, each aimed for his shoulders. Primarily, I'm used to throwing one, but two or more, and my aim gets off target…
One almost skins his right shoulder, and the left just sinks into the fence further behind him, having missed completely. Just my luck. One Key left, and I'm feeling exhausted. One Key left, and I haven't even managed to scratch my "enemy".
Even though my opponent is of the highest tier in combat prowess, it still wounds my pride to lose. Even with the times I've lost to continuously to Caren, due to not finding the heart in myself to even raise my blade against her, this still hurts. Though that might just be my ego and my bruised and battered body talking... I draw my last sword.
I sprint with all my might forward, hoping to close the distance as quickly as possible. Father does nothing but stand there, as I jump up with my sword aimed straight for his stomach. I can make it! I'm going to win!
Oh fuck it.
He had pivoted with the littlest of motions, the point of my weapon soaring past him. He grabs my wrist, planting an elbow into my back. And I hit the ground hard with a groan. My sword clatters in the distance.
"Try harder next time." Father tells me, grabbing onto my collar to pull me up. He lets me stand, and brush myself off. "Focus on the points I told you. Utilize motions and attacks that don't needlessly waste energy and time. Be less predictable, and try to use your other abilities."
"But-" I start off, but he raises a hand to interrupt me.
"The Black Keys are useful against vampires and the unholy darkness, I agree. But they are not the only weapon in your arsenal. Surprise is often the key in battle. But be efficient with your skills. Needless waste is needless."
He pats me on the head once, and walks towards our small house.
I stretch sore and worn out muscles, going through the labourous task of finding and recollecting my Black Keys.
I groan, as Caren prods the black mark in the crook of my neck. I hadn't gotten that fighting, I had tripped on the gardening hose and landed on the handle of a Black Key. That… That wounded my already slowly-being-crippled pride once more.
"Whatcha doin now?" Caren asked, as I pored over a book.
Trying to figure out how to Caren-proof my workshop. So far, my research hasn't been going well. The Bounded Fields didn't work. Even after all my research. You know how I know?
I bow my head solemnly, as I set the book into a shelf in the very same mentioned workshop as Caren prods around again once more. I grab a tape measure, and start measuring the distance from the roof to the floor. The specimen tube will need a few more feet of space to fit in here. I go amongst my work, while thinking about how to explain this to Caren and Father.
I need to explain why I want to create a homunculus, and why there's a need to have a naked person floating in a tube for private company.
…
Decisions, decisions. Don't know how to make them, and at the rate of my current sources of income, I doubt I'll be making them soon. That depresses me a bit, but it just goes to show how much I need to work. I prod Caren with an iron rod, trying to steer her away from my experiments that have caught her interest.
"Shoo." I tell her, pointing at the "door" with the rod of metal in my hand.
"Nuh-uh." She tells me, shaking her head with her cutest little pout yet. It just makes me want to pinch her cheeks! And I choose to do so.
It's fun watching her squirm in my grip.
She squirms out of said grip, and moves towards the door-flap-thing. She sticks her tongue at me, and shouts, "Meanie!" And crawls away through the vent.
I sigh, returning to my job.
Ring. Ring.
I blink, as the phone I have in here rings. It's hooked up to the one in the main house. We have two phones in the main house, one in Caren's room and one in Father's office (surprising for a magus family, isn't it?). The last one is here in my workshop, and Father doesn't know about it. I use it to intercept and listen to calls between my father and his contacts. It's useful for finding out where he's going, what he's doing, and why he's doing it.
It pluck the phone from its base, holding it to my ear. From what I can tell, it's Father Tsurugi.
"Kotomine, he's back again!"
"Who's back?" I hear my father ask in his trademark gruff voice.
"You know! He comes back every year! I'm afraid for the students' safety! You know about his infamous reputation!"
"I can go help you deal with him, if you'd like."
"That would be very welcome, Kotomine. The last thing we need is a Dead Apostle running about Fuyuki, much less an Ancestor of all things."
"I shall take care of it tonight. I will meet you at your parish at eleven."
I barely managed to scrawl down the location they were talking about going to. When I had finally put the phone down when their conversation had ended, I sat on my worktable, reflecting. It couldn't be possible. What were the odds?
Dead Apostle Ancestor.
I could feel my heart sink into my stomach.
One of the most powerful beings known to exist was here in Fuyuki. My father and his comrade priest were going to fight him. My father was going to fight a Dead Apostle Ancestor. I'm confident in his skills, but…
A Dead Apostle Ancestor? He could die. And he seemed to be planning to leave without us. What if he did die?
What would I tell Caren?
I break into a run for the door-flap-thing (I'm calling it a doorflap now) and scramble through the vent. I come out in my bedroom, and my eyes drift to the clock. It's only 10 now. I have to prepare for the fight of my life in only a few dozen minutes.
I may or may not die. But I can't let my father and his friend go on their own, they might not be enough for a Dead Apostle Ancestor. I run to my closet, throwing it open and reaching behind my clothes. I grab onto a wooden panel, sliding it away.
I press the button of a nightlight, and I'm greeted with the sheen of metal. A small armory of airsoft guns. I know what you may be thinking, that plastic pellets will do nothing against a vampire unless he was made of paper. But I know a little trick.
Courtesy of the late Emiya Kiritsugu.
Channeling prana into my hand, I grab a shotgun from the formerly hidden rack, and balance it between my palms. It's a full metal replica of a SPAS-12. Through the process of Alteration and Transmutation, I feel the insides of it shift into something different. Thank you, Emiya Kiritsugu, for teaching me the basics about how firearms work.
And thank you too internet.
Never would have made it this far in the world without you.
And so, I hefted my altered weapon into the air proudly. The process had worked. Now I had a bona fide shotgun. And instead of tiny little plastic pellets…
This thing now pumped lead.
I put the shotgun down on my bed, reaching into my closet again. I pull out two letters, looking them over.
One was dedicated to myself and Caren, and it had, "If I don't come home..." written in fine handwriting.
The other was dedicated to Caren and my father, "Open if something happened.", written in my awkward chicken-scratch-like writing.
Mine contains a final letter and a will. I don't know what's in my father's.
I grab the shotgun, and stuff it under my jacket. I dress in comfortable clothing, previously having Kevlar transmuted and intertwined with it. I have my fully loaded bracelet strapped to my hand, and a bandoleer of shotgun shells wrapped around my waist and under my jacket. I'm ready.
I'm relaxed, I can use my magecraft, and I am armed. I'm ready for a battle. I'm ready to give war. I held the letters in my hand, and leave my room for what may have been the final time.
I give it one last look, and close the door.
"Where're you going?"
I turn, spotting Caren leaning against her bedroom door.
"I'm going out."
"Father says you can't go with him."
Damn it, he must have heard my breath over the phone.
"Why would I follow Father?"
"I don't know why. He just said we should stay home."
"Sorry, but I really need to go." I turn around, already weaving through the house to get to the door. Caren runs up to me, and grabs my wrist.
"Where are you going?" She asks me, an eyebrow raised.
"… I can't tell you." I tell her.
"Why?"
This reminds me of a few years ago, when I went to go eliminate some Undead on the outskirts of the city. She was still a little, innocent if not a bit mischievous little girl. Her eyes widen a bit at the letters in my hand. "Is it an order?" She asks. I shake my head.
I hand the letters to her. Her eyes widen further.
"You're going to fight something, aren't you?"
I nod.
"… And you don't think you're a match for it. I know that face. You don't think you can win. You think you might die. "
…
Hesitantly, I nod. My hand's already on the doorknob, turning it slightly. I freeze, as I watch her shudder. I have to go, I have to get to Father.
I throw open the door, running out onto the Bounded Field enclosed front yard.
"Noli me tangere."
I fall to the ground as a red cloth encloses my legs. I try to pull away with my arms, but the cloth holds firm. My head turns to see Caren gripping onto one end of the cloth, keeping me still.
"I can't let you go." She says, a determined expression on her face as the cloth around my legs began to tighten.
"I can't let Father and Father Tsurugi go alone."
Her eyes widen again as I draw a Black Key. I sever the cloth with the sword, the cloth around my legs falling loose as they were severed from the connection to her prana. I yank off the cloth from my legs, and stare into Caren's eyes.
"I'm going Caren. You can't stop me."
Her eyes grow teary.
OH DAMN IT. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry-
"WAAAAAAAAAH!"
I barely have time to brace myself as Caren flies towards me, grappling me in a tight hug.
"I won't let you go Onii-chan!" She cried, tears falling from her eyes.
I stood there in her tight grip, unmoving as she held onto my chest.
"Remember when we were kids Caren? When Father promised he'd protect us? That he'd help us when we needed it?"
She continued crying.
"Father never broke his promise. But now it's my turn to do the same for him."
I peel her from my body, looking into her watery eyes. "I'll come home Caren."
I give her a tight hug, as I made a promise I didn't know I could keep. I was going to fight a battle I couldn't possibly win. A Dead Apostle Ancestor. The mere mention of what my enemy was scared the crap out of me. But I'm going anyway.
"I'm going to come home Caren. And I'm Father's coming back with me."
I hug her once, feeling her feebly hug me back. She was so small, so frail. She was my little sister, the girl my father and I had to shield from the world. Or shield the world against her.
My little sister… I might die in this battle.
I feel a tear cascade down my cheek. My hug is a bit tighter now, more desperate. I might die. Father and Father Tsurugi probably aren't strong enough to take on an Ancestor.
Servants can't back them up now. Gilgamesh probably could, but he's too full of himself to even help. The Assassins were long gone. Against such an unholy being like the Ancestor they were going to face…
They really might die. I don't want to sound like I have little confidence in their abilities… But when talking about a being of unspeakable evils, it pays to be pessimistic. I'm stupidly running into my death.
But Father has saved me many times. I can't help but want to do the same, just once, for him. If this Ancestor can come and go to Fuyuki, every year, without no one stopping it, he or she or it must be insanely powerful. I let go of Caren, wiping away her tears with my sleeve.
I let her go, and I start walking.
And I can hear her cry, knowing that her teary eyes are watching me leave.
Father and Father Tsurugi had left a while ago. I stared down the location of the Ancestor. It seemed to be a rather modern, simple home, compared to the luxurious abodes of various vampires and their familiars. And unlike those vampires, no Undead seemed to crawl or hobble around.
The house was surrounded by a variety of gardens, each having a myriad of flowers and strange stone pedestals. Each of the pedestals seemed to reach my waist, having a red jewel protruding from the center. This is surprisingly similar to something in my memories…
Ah, I remember! Those were the detection barriers that were powered by jewels! I remember those from the Tohsaka Manor. They're an excellent example of the power of Jewel Magecraft.
…
But how does this Ancestor know about it? I doubt he or she would know the well kept secrets of the Tohsaka family. I can sense the prana flowing about, as the individual parts of the detection flow and move in their elaborate motions. I don't have the flexibility of an Assassin to move right through it.
My eyes notice something amongst the maze of flowers and stone pedestals. Some of the jewels are cracked. Father and Father Tsurugi must have come through that way. From my vantage point in the tree, I jump down, and make my way towards the first broken jewel.
I take a gentle step forward into what I believed to be the circumference of detection. Nothing happened.
I spot the path of broken jewels to the house. The battle was going to start soon. I run amongst the flowers, moving towards the house while avoiding the rest of the still active detection fields. I have to get there.
As soon as I reach the house, I hit my first dead end. I look for a sign of both priests entrance, but couldn't find a single thing. Father might have used some sort of magic to break in, I guess. But I couldn't do the same magic. So I guess I have to do it the old fashioned way.
I pluck a pebble from the ground, and toss it towards the wall. It simply bounces off, nothing happening to it. I touch a single finger to it, taking a gamble. Nothing happened to my finger, it wasn't eaten up by a portal, nor electrocuted, or anything.
The wall was clean. I couldn't sense prana or mana from it either. I could probably scale this to get to a balcony I see in the distance, and then shimmy to a window. I run into the ledge, using leg strength gained from years running the track at school, pushing up halfway across the wall.
I grip the edge of the ledge, and pull myself up. With very unstable balance, I slowly, VERY SLOWLY, make my path, shimmying across the ledge to get to my destination. As I climb over the rail into the balcony, I notice only a door leading into the house. No windows to give me a hint on what was inside, nothing.
I walk to the door, feeling around for prana or mana. Nothing. The door was clean. It seems that the primary defense seemed to be reliant on the jewel fields.
The vampire must be very cocky, since the door was already unlocked. The two of them might have entered in here. I take a deep breath. And I open the door.
The inside was more akin to a castle then the outside. There was red carpet, flowers sitting on dainty tables, and fancy paintings lining the walls along with candle holders and chandeliers. I could hear no sound. And frankly, that scared me.
I walk down the ornate hall, looking about. I pull out my shotgun, ready for anything. I was practically planning to shoot at whatever moved. The eyes of people in the pieces of art followed me everywhere. For a second, I berated myself, knowing that something was already probably watching me, something was waiting for me.
I had probably walked into a trap. That can be blamed on my inexperience. I had walked into my very possible death. DAMN.
Now I was probably going to die here, in a very gruesome way. I won't be able to fulfill my dreams, nor experience life. But I won't go down without a fight. I learned to fight with experience, no matter how badly those experiences went.
I have been battered, bruised, and utterly broken at times. But I am no longer ending up like so, after all the things I've done up to today. Today, I was going to shine. I was going to fight a Dead Apostle, and I was going to do my damn hardest to win alongside my Father and Father Tsurugi.
I'm going to prove I'm not a half-assed little magus, and I'm going to prove I'm ready to be an Executor. I'm ready to fight in the name of my family and faith. I stop, looking around. I am ready to fight.
"Come out. I know you're there." I say into the candlelit hall.
…
No one was there. And I had probably screwed up by alerting things to my position.
I sigh, turning and walking. Where were they?
I pause at the end of the hall, looking about the portraits. They all seemed so genuine. They're probably knock-offs of famous paintings, made down to the slightest detail. So I can't help but tilt my head at the painting of the Mona Lisa.
"Nice, huh? Had it imported."
My head swings around, shotgun at the ready. Nothing was there in the hall. Basic firearms training came at the forefront of my mind. A few tips from Hisau Maiya and common doctrine from various airsoft matches repeated themselves in my thoughts.
"Oi, careful with that thing. You might poke someone's eye out."
"What are you?" I breathe.
"Just a tired old man. Now, won't you kindly come here?"
My gun weaves left and right as I speed down the hall. I bump against another wall, gun swinging in all directions as I try to find my target. He's here. A Dead Apostle Ancestor was targeting me. If I had ate something for dinner, I would have shit my pants there and then.
Lord, please save my soul.
My neck brushes against something, apparently the frame of a painting.
I turn around.
I feel my heart sink into my stomach and boil in its acid. I know which Dead Apostle Ancestor lived here. I know whose voice it was. And out of all my damned luck, I chose to pick a fight with the most dangerous magus known to man.
A man in a magus's cloak stood in the painting. Grey hair adorned his head, and a similarly colored grizzled beard dressed his face. Red eyes looked down on me, with such strength I was sure they pierced my soul. His mere identity scared the crap out of me.
I knew who he was.
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. The Master of the Second Magic, Kaleidoscope.
A deity-like being amongst magi. The wielder of a miracle that transcended time and space. A Dead Apostle who was the only being of his kind to ally as a savior of humanity, heralded with reverence amongst his fellow magi and even the Church. A man so great, once he died, if he ever died, would become one of the greatest legends known in ETERNITY.
And I had broken into his house.
A hand grips on my shoulder. My heart practically stopped as my head turned around.
Red eyes met mine.
"Hello there boy! How's it going? I was just joining your father and his friend for tea-"
My eyes rolled back into my head, and I fell to the ground.
Blackness overtook me.
POV: Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
I couldn't help but try to stifle a chuckle, as Kotomine Kirei unceremoniously dumped his son on a couch.
"Idiot boy." I hear him mutter, as he takes a seat across from me.
I turn to his friend, another priest. He had huge glasses, and anxiously carried a katana in his hand. He clumsily wiped away longish black hair from his young face, bluish brown eyes staring at me with a hint of fear and respect. Ah, I missed that look, quite a lot to be honest.
"Your son's an interesting kid, Kotomine." I smile at him, then sip from a goblet. The taste of quality wine is divine, no matter where you go. "There's something about him… What's the word?"
"Brash? Foolish?" Kotomine suggests.
"No. More like determined. Headstrong. Independent. Selfless. Brave. Not a hint of cowardice. But not a shred of any major self-confidence either."
Kotomine blinks. "That's… A rather accurate description, if I say so myself."
"I read people well." I sigh, setting my goblet down. "So how may I be of service to you two?"
"Why are you here again?" His friend, Tsurugi, asks. "You're dangerous. Unpredictable."
I raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Can't a man simply enjoy a vacation once in a while? I enjoy taking trips like these. Isn't such a thing normal?"
"Maybe if you took a plane. Not tear a hole in space-time and jump in." Kotomine adds his two cents.
But it wouldn't be as fun or mystifying if I didn't take vacations like the way I do. I'm a master of a Magic, might as well take advantage of it when I can. While I still can. I chuckle a bit, leaning back in my velvet seat.
"So would you care to explain why you're here?" I ask them.
"Orders." Tsurugi said. "From the higher ups."
Makes sense.
"Answers." Kotomine answered my question. "Curiosity in my case."
"Well, there's not much to say to you. Welcome to my vacation home in this universe. Nothing much. This universe is one of my favorites." I admit.
Frankly, it is one of my absolute favorites. No major conflicts, nothing threatening to tear apart innocent lives, no egocentrically inclined maniacs running all over the place. There's just peace and quiet, allowing me to enjoy the wonders of Fuyuki without the craziness of the Grail War like in other universes. I can relax for a change here.
I just need to put up with everyone knowledgeable about thaumaturgy jumping out of their pants upon sight of me.
I offer the two wine, which they accept gladly.
"T-There's no blood in this, r-right?" Tsurugi asks, a bit pale.
Kotomine and I give him a pointed look as an answer.
"R-Right, g-got it." He stammered.
It's hard to believe all the changes in this universe. They're amazingly profound from the others. And they all seemed to stem from one choice, one little change in personality and disposition of a certain man. It's hard to believe that such a small yet profound difference could change the entire reality.
I smile fondly at the first time I had learned the fact. It still surprised me to this day. Just a simple little thing. But it as simple as it was, it was just simply amazing.
In this world, Kotomine Kirei had the ability to love.
I smile along with Kotomine as his son drifts awake.
"Wha…?"
"Good morning boy. Rise and shine."
"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screams at the sight of me, pointing wildly in my direction with shock draped across his face.
My smile grows to a grin. That will never get old. The boy clutches at his chest, breathing heavily with his skin as pale as snow. "OH MY-" He freezes as he notices the fact that he was about to use his Lord's name in vain, in the presence of two priests one of whom is his father.
"Hello, Kouhei Takeda-Kotomine." I tell him.
"How-"
"I'm a friend of your father." I tell him. Well, a friend of his father in this universe. I have lost count of the various Kotomine Kirei's that have tried to kill me, but in vain. I like this Kotomine better.
He's not homicidal, sadistic, nor tortures children. He does make for an excellent father though. As evidenced by how his daughter Caren lives with him, along with his adopted son. They've grown up amazingly.
I have an interest in Kouhei though. Something about him just garners my attention. It's not in any weird sense of course, but it still draws me to think of the potential this boy has. The boy sits now before me, back arched and head bowed in respect.
"Sit up straight." I tell him.
He snaps up with immense speed.
"What're you good at?" I ask him.
"Excuse me?"
"You know, what magecraft are you proficient in?" I make a gesture.
"Um… I aspire to be an alchemist, and I'm decent at Gradation Air, which you obviously know as Projection. I rely on artifacts that I can channel my prana into, and from what I remember as a kid, I was slightly good at Jewel Magecraft. I don't use, and refuse to use, anything heretical or sacrilegious."
I nod at his reply. Interesting. A little more self confidence, and this boy could grow into something amazing. His magic circuits are nothing special, but they radiate such energy… Haven't felt something like this since the day of Tohsaka Nagato...
A failure, nothing even worth noticing in most magi's eyes, but what he grew up to be… He was one of my greatest apprentices, and I do not regret meeting the young man. I like working through life off my gut feeling. It hasn't done me wrong once.
It's done about a few hundred random apprentices wrong, but I have a good feeling about this boy. I have rarely met any members of the Church so deeply entwined in magic, since meeting the Kotomine Family, and that Ciel woman from Misaki. He could grow to be a great magus, or a powerful member of the Burial Agency. It's all a matter of his outlook.
I don't remember if I have ever met a Kouhei Takeda in another universe. I'm surprised I haven't. I've met many variations of people before. But I doubt I've met Kouhei Takeda.
He's not a prominent person in many realities. But I think that's soon to change.
"Do you want to be great, Kouhei?" I ask him.
Brown eyes meet mine.
"Do you want to be great? Grand, powerful, famous, whatever... Do you want to be something in your future?" I ask once again.
He nods.
"I can't hear you." I lean forward.
"I want to be..." He mumbles incoherently.
"Still can't hear you."
"I want to be..."
"A little louder." I urge him.
"I, Kouhei Takeda-Kotomine, want to be… I want to be a great alchemist. I want to be a great magi. I want to be a great member of the Holy Church. I want to be a great person. " He says with such determination, giving me an answer that I did not expect.
That's it. I'm choosing to make another decision on a whim again. But I'm fairly confident that this turn will be different from all the others. I am going to make it different.
Like Tohsaka Nagato, I will make this boy great beyond comparison.
"Do you want to be my apprentice?"
Kotomine Kirei, and his friend Tsurugi, gape at me.
Kouhei's jaw hit the floor. Literally, as he had fallen out of his seat.
"Do you want to be my apprentice?"
Kotomine's mouth opens to object, but I waved my hand at him absentmindedly to interrupt him. It's all down to Kouhei's choice. His eyes show great conflict as he sits himself straight, his mind probably waging a mental war. My fame/infamy seems to follow me wherever I go.
It's understandable that he would decline. Knowing what happened to my previous apprentices, it's completely understandable. But it's his decision, completely up to him to make. This boy's potential could make him anything, he's essentially a blank canvas.
And he's just waiting for the right artist to paint on him. His father's done the line work, and it looks amazing. His sister's done the shading, and it's fleshed him out. Life has done the dimensions, and they're at perfect scale.
And all he needs is just a bit of color. Colors that I know how to use.
"Can I have some time to think?"
"Certainly."
It's all a matter of time.
I set another ruby into another stone pedestal, flowing prana into it. Another bounded field comes to life, the detection barriers rising once more. I turn to my possible apprentice, as he watches me work.
"Is there anything you're interested in learning?
"Um… I guess I'd love to learn more about Alchemy, and some basic elemental magic. Maybe some runes, or magic that would work with the artifacts I own." He tells me, falling into step behind me. The two priests watch us from the balcony, Kotomine eyeing me.
I know he's shocked, afraid, angry, or some other emotion regarding my decision to attempt to get Kouhei as an apprentice. I don't blame him for bearing such feelings; it's his right a father to do so. I regret the circumstances of my previous apprentices, but they couldn't handle the strains of my expectations. And most of them were stuck up rich brats with ten foot stakes up their asses.
Most couldn't handle the fact that my training relied on physical turmoil. They got traumatized by experiencing things they weren't used to. That or they got crippled due to their own naiveté, or mere carelessness. Or they couldn't stand that they had to get their carefully manicured hands dirty.
It was that again, or most of the declines of my earlier students were due to the utter mind fucking experienced by doing things and seeing things in the other universes.
I didn't know that taking a young man to a world where clothes were never invented would make him nearly die of blood loss! It was an interesting trip. Like the time I visited Clock Tower in the reality that magecraft was known throughout the planet. I knew I shouldn't have lent Waver Velvet the Kaleidostick to show an example of magecraft to his students for a broadcasted lesson.
I did not expect the miniskirt. Or the kinky corset. Nor did I expect the bunny ears… Oh damn it, I did not need the mental image right now.
I finish settling in the last ruby, activating its magic.
I turn to the boy who may be my future apprentice, and sit upon the stone pedestal. His state as a magus is small right now, but he has all the skills of a proper killer of magus. If he chose to train a little bit more in his practical applications of magic, and improve upon his skill with Black Keys… He could be quite a formidable foe for anyone.
The Church of this world might see him perfect agent for the Burial Agency.
I find him to be the perfect material for an apprentice. I won't force him to go do things against his beliefs, but you could count it a hobby of mine to watch promising young students rise to greatness or to be traumatized and/or crippled during the attempt. I won't tell that to his father though. Some people are born with greatness; others have it thrust upon them.
I wonder which one of these groups of people Kouhei Takeda belongs with.
"Is that all you want to learn? Then if so, what do you want to do with your life?"
"Er…"
I can tell he hasn't given much thought about this. Very indecisive. Those habits need to stop in the future, because if he can't properly make a decision or think quickly on his feet, he's going to end up dying in a real battle. If I was a more violent vampire…
I think I could have easily slaughtered the poor boy where he stood.
"So, you have no real decision yet on what to make of your future?"
He nods.
"But you feel like you could do anything with it, if you just put your mind to it?"
He nods again.
"You want to do great things." I muse. "And you seem willing to do great things to get there."
"I do." He answers. "I'm willing to do anything."
"Even making such a sacrifice? You could leave your family and friends, and go months, maybe years without seeing them. Are you sure upon yourself that you want to make such a decision?"
"I… I don't know."
Exactly, indecisive. But he has the right to do so, what I'm proposing is not something one can decide in an instant. A few of my previous students were forced into it because of their families.
The others came for their own self benefit.
Tohsaka Nagato… He was an odd case. But he saw his dreams clearly, and made it his lifelong mission to walk the path he saw would lead to his destination.
He was foolhardy, brash.
You know, I see a bit of a young Nagato in this young man.
So as I watched the father, son, and random other priest walk away from my home, I gave it a bit of thought. Reincarnation was possible. Kouhei could be the reincarnation of this world's Tohsaka Nagato. Probably not, it could just be a coincidence.
But both had given off a… What was it?
Both had given off a determined fire. One that burned so vibrantly, it would be near impossible to blow it out…
POV: Kouhei Takeda-Kotomine.
I walk quietly beside my father down the street towards our home. I feel embarrassed beyond… Everything I've ever known. I turn to my father as he turns to me.
He pats me on the shoulder. "Thanks for coming."
I rub the back of my head with a free hand, smiling softly. "And about the apprenticeship…?"
"It's your choice Kouhei. I'll fully support your decision."
I nod in understanding.
"OW!" I groan as he smacks me one over the head.
"That was for deciding to possibly run into your death. While the notion was appreciated, I don't need you making stupid decisions in the future." He tells me in his gruff voice. "So how did Caren react? I forgot to call home."
"Eh… Look for yourself."
We spot a disheveled Caren standing at the entrance to our one floor home. Her chest huffed and puffed. Tears ran down her eyes, falling to the ground. Our letters, already opened, were crunched up in her hand.
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDY!" She sobbed, running toward our father.
With a hearty jump, she was in his arms, clinging to him for dear life. She cried into his shoulder, as his arms wrapped around her. "There, there." He murmured as he nestled his cheek through her hair.
His mouth creased into a soft, soft smile, as he comforted his daughter, my sister, as she cried away her worries and sorrows.
I couldn't imagine life without them.
I walked down the streets of Fuyuki, Christopher Mackenzie by my side.
"Kotomine, lighten up!" He grinned at me. "Live a bit! You look too much like your father with that expression on your face!"
"Yeah, yeah Mackenzie." I mutter.
"Something on your mind?" He asks.
"I guess…" I answer, looking at him. His eyes are already turned away to a bunch of schoolgirls walking by. I smack him one over the head.
Girls are always on his mind.
"We're going for Karaoke later, you coming?" He asked, his attention still focused on the schoolgirls, who squealing about the "cute foreigner" and his friend.
"Yeah, sure. Who else is going?"
"Kotone's going, and Ayaka. A few more girls and guys you know from our class." He grins.
I sigh. The guy's working towards a harem, and quite a few girls allow him to use their first names. Though it could just be because he's a foreigner who doesn't use honorifics often other than when he thinks about it, or that they really are interested in him. I remember when he transferred here, he tried his hardest to get his life to work like a visual novel.
He managed to slowly succeed.
Hence Kotone and Ayaka, best friends who both are interested in him. I don't have much luck with women. I've learned that quite a few of Caren's friends have crushes on me. I really shouldn't have brought her lunch in her room that one day, after I had trained with Father.
And I should have known she had friends over. And I should have worn a shirt.
I sat on a seat, laughing my ass off as Mackenzie attempted to sing with the best of his ability. The rest of us clap as he finished, and he took an elaborate blow. I swear, Ayaka blushed and Kotone swooned.
They're interested in him, alright.
After everyone had taken their turn with the microphone (I had declined, this is yet another thing I suck at), we had gone to a restaurant for dinner.
I smile, as Mackenzie laughed and talked with two of the most important girls in his life. Friends of mine butt shoulders with me, and I can't help but delve in to their conversations. I've known these people for years. Some I've known since my first day attending Saint Paulo Miki Private School.
"Hey, Kotomine. You sure nothing's wrong?" Makenzie asks.
All eyes are on me.
"It's nothing." I tell them.
"You seem down!"
"Come on, tell us?"
"Is it a girl?"
"Oh, a secret lover!"
"Is something going on at home?"
I hang my head, thinking of a way to explain.
"Listen, guys…" I start off. "Due to reasons I can't afford to explain, I might have to go on a trip… And I don't know when I'll be back."
Silence.
"So… You're leaving?"
"No, I'm not leaving forever… But yeah, for… Um…" I really don't know.
"Is something going on?"
"It's not that, it's just… I've got something I want to do. And I have permission to go through with it. But I really don't know when I'll be back."
"So?" Mackenzie grins at me. "We can wait." He pats me on the shoulder.
"Just make sure you're back before graduation." He smiles, this one sincere.
"And bring us souvenirs!"
"Bring back a girlfriend!"
"Make sure you have lots of fun!"
I can't help but smile as they encourage me to go. I wouldn't have made it this far without their help. I think I know a decision. But I can't help but regret the possibility, the choice of possibly leaving them behind.
Why do some decisions have to be so hard to make?
I lay down in my bed that night, giving great thought to this. This shall be the biggest choice of my life. I can accomplish all my dreams. But is accomplishing my dreams worth leaving all this behind?
I'm leaving my father, my sister, my friends, my schooling. I don't really need my schooling with my intelligence, but everything else… I don't want to give up the people I care about. But the things I can do…
With the help of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, I can learn how to change the world.
And that both amazes me, and frightens the crap out of me. I know a lot about Zelretch, and tales that have reached this far away from the Clock Tower. I know about his various apprentices that end up traumatized, broken, and even dead in gruesome ways. But…
He could teach me a lot. More than I probably would know without his help. If I went with him, I could learn more then I possibly could in this lifetime. It's quite literally an once-in-a-lifetime chance.
I can't afford to give something like this up.
So… I think I have a basic decision.
I sit across from the aged man inside his home. This time, I was welcome.
"Will I be able to return here?"
"Whenever we've finished a segment of your training."
"And about the time-"
He raises a hand to interrupt me. "When we return, we shall come back about a few days before we departed. It could be months or maybe years on a trip, but only days, maybe weeks for your family. The time difference is no obstacle. It is more malleable, flexible than one might think."
"…" I can make it to graduation.
I'm giving this a lot of thought.
The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but the risks of a faulty gamble still glare out to me. I'm worried. I'm scared. I'm absolutely shit-my-pants frightened.
But to achieve my dreams, something has to give.
The Law of Equivalent Exchange. In order to create, something must be given. In order to make my dreams reality… I shall pay the appropriate price.
I will make my decision.
I am probably going to regret this sometime soon.
But this is my decision.
I am ready.
"I will be your apprentice."
"Do I tell Caren about this?" I ask my father as I pack my bags.
"Hm. It's up to you." He answers.
I'm planning on telling Caren I'm going on a trip with friends. But in reality, I'm going to be hopping across reality with my new Master. I'm still shocked. This doesn't feel real.
Of all strange circumstances I've experienced... This all has to be some elaborate dream.
I understand that Zelretch picks people like me on a whim, but… This is out of nowhere. Random beyond my understanding. Beyond human understanding.
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg isn't human.
But maybe that gives him a better understanding of how our world works.
I sling my bag over my shoulder, stepping towards the window and taking a deep breath of morning air. I walk into the hall after, pausing before Caren's door. "Caren?" I say, knocking on the wood.
The door creaks open. "Onii-chan?" She blinks, rubbing her eyes. "You haven't gone on your trip yet?"
I smile. "Not yet. Just stopping by to say bye..."
I pat her on the head, and she grumbles.
I am about to embark on a trip, where I'll finally be able to seek after my dreams, and make them reality. And I'm leaving Caren and Father behind. I won't be seeing them for a long time.
So what do I say to her?
I didn't know what to say. I was a very emotive person when amongst people I trust. So I did what I felt. And what I felt was…
I just hugged her, lifting her into the air, and I cried.
"Onii-chan!" She squeals.
"I'll miss you Caren..." My voice is more solemn.
"You're such a softie! You'll never be an Executor at this rate!"
That's my Caren. Always pushing me to move forward in life...
"I'll miss you…"
"Onii-chan?"
I settle her on the ground, patting her head. She sees my tears, eyes widening. I wipe them away, smiling fondly.
"I'll see you soon, Caren."
And with another, final ruffle of her hair, I turn around.
And with Caren's golden eyes boring into my back, I find the heart to force myself to walk away.
It'll only be days, maybe weeks for her.
And I am ready for the months, maybe years to come to me.
I stand with Father and Zelretch in his vast, barrier laden garden. The still blooming, yet-to-die flowers sway softly in the autumn wind.
"Are you ready, Kouhei?" Father asks me.
I smile, nodding eagerly. I hold out my hand. He nods himself, and takes it without a word. And much to my surprise…
He had pulled me into a tight hug.
"Take care, Kouhei." He said to me.
"I will, Father."
When we part, I feel him slip something into my bag.
"Just a gift." He assures me. A confident smile is on his face. I bow in thanks.
"Ready to go, my apprentice?"
I stare into the red eyes of my master. A wrinkled face grins down upon me, nodding in acknowledgement. I stand proud and tall. I kind of feel confident now, I feel like I have control over the way my life shall go for now on.
I am no longer powerless, like I was as a child.
I take a respectful bow.
"I am ready, Master."
He nods.
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg raises his hand out towards the flowers. The wind blows a bit faster now, sending a flurry of petals flying around us. He begins to mutter a chant, something I can't understand. The faster he spoke, the faster the wind around us began to soar.
I was witnessing the Second Magic. I was seeing the Kaleidoscope with my own two eyes. I am seeing the scientifically impossible. I am seeing a miracle in its work.
"Open."
As if a zipper had slid down in mid air, a rip in reality had appeared before us. It seemed to be an uneven tear, as if someone had ripped apart fabric with a knife. I watched my master smile, peering into the tear.
"Follow me."
And then he just walks into it.
I turn back to my father, shaking his hand. And then with a bit of hesitation, I walk towards the tear in reality. I take a deep breath. And then I peer inside.
All breath left my lungs as my eyes fell upon the sights.
I could see the universe. I saw stars. I saw planets. I saw galaxies.
I saw THOUSANDS of rifts, similar to the one I used as a window.
I was looking at the multiverse. And I felt something grab me… Not by a limb, not on my body… I felt something grab my soul, and tug on it in a direction.
I, Kouhei Takeda-Kotomine, took my jump into a new life.
I literally jumped. I soared through space, enclosed by the myriad of lights.
And I began to fall.
CHAPTER 1 COMPLETE!
Finally I've gotten here. Not much to say to you guys.
I have quite a detailed plan for how the story is going to play out. The prime differences in this universe compared to canon will be elaborated upon over the course of the following chapters. A major part of Kouhei's character development will come from interacting with various peoples in the multiverse, and coming to terms with things he refuses to accept.
Pairings are the prime issue.
I have not yet decided on pairings except for one.
And if I told you, that would be a spoiler, wouldn't it?
I've decided on what universe will come first in Kouhei's and his master's trip. But the next one, I'm not so sure where to go.
Should I go for a canon universe? Or should I make one?
Or do you guys have a suggestion on what kind of universe should be elaborated upon in this fic?
If so, please review. I appreciate praise, and positive, well-written criticism is ALWAYS welcome.
At this point, I have not much to say to you guys… So… So until next time, I guess. Not much to say to you people. So R/R, enjoy life, read great fiction, and let the creative juices flow. And not only for you lemon writers. Aw well. – EthernalRain