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I open my eyes, with the feeling that I heard someone's voice.
It's dark. Nighttime, maybe? But not pitch black. There are lights. Flickering flames lined on the walls. Candles, maybe? No, torches. What they are is no more than trivial at this point. It's just clear that they stretch as far as the eye can see.
Where is this place…?
Why am I having trouble breathing…?
Reaching towards the wall, I'm greeted by a rocky surface. No, it isn't a wall, it's just a rock. Which kind of answers the question as to why my back is sore. My butt feels numb too.
Is this a cave…? A cave? Why the hell would I be in a cave?
The torches are pretty high up too. Even if I stood up, I doubt that I could reach them. Despite that, they didn't even give enough light for me to see my hands or feet.
A lingering feeling loomed in the back of his mind. A feeling of fear. Not of nature, but a sense of unknowingly not being alone.
Are they human? If they're not, I know I'm in trouble, but the elaborate setting of the torches makes it hard for me to think of it as anything else. Plus, they all sounded human, somehow…
"Is anyone there?" I hesitantly ask.
"Uh, yeah." a man's voice shoots back.
"I'm here…" another follows, likely that of a woman.
Another man's voice gave a short, "Yeah."
"I figured as much." another person adds.
"How many of us are here?"
"And… where are we anyway?"
"Dunno…"
"What? Doesn't anyone know where we are?"
"What's going on?"
"What is this?"
Seriously. What the hell is this? What am I doing in a place like this? And why? How long have I been here?
Clutching at my chest as if to claw something off it, I struggling to steady my thoughts.
Why don't I know what's going on…? Why don't I know how long I've been here..? And why don't I know where I am…?
Considering the situation, something begins to tug at my memory. But it slips into thin air just before it's in my grasp.
I don't know. I don't know anything. I have no other choice except to sit here in a complete and utter loss.
"Sitting here won't solve anything," said one man in a low, husky voice.
A sound found its way to my ears. It sounded like someone stepping on pebbles as if they're getting up.
"Going somewhere…?" a woman's voice asks.
"Following the wall," the man answers. "Going to try heading towards the light." the man's tone was surprisingly calm, considering the complete loss of a situation we're in.
Isn't he scared? Why isn't her shaken up by this?
The man was now beneath the second torch from him, and he looked to be fairly tall. Other than that, the light only tells me that he has black hair; is he Asian perhaps?
"I'm going too," the woman states.
"Me too, I guess," a man's voice adds.
"H-hold on, guys! I'm coming, too, then!" another man calls out.
"There's the other direction too," yet another person states. The voice sounds slightly high-pitched, but was probably another male. "We can probably go that way. There's no torches though."
The black-haired man only says, "If you want to go that way, be my guest," as he starts to walk.
From the looks of it, everyone is following him. With the thought that I better go too, I trail behind the large group. I don't know why I'm choosing to follow them, but anything is better than being left there alone. No, maybe it's the hope that we'll come across something if we leave this place.
Nervously stepping forward, I refuse to lift my hand from the rock walls. The ground wasn't smooth either. It was uneven but easy enough to walk on.
Along with the wall, I follow the sound of the voices. Judging from the sounds, no one here is that old. However, I can't depict one that I can recognize through this crowd. Being in this big of an area, I was sure that I'd know at least one person.
Wait… Who are the people that I know? Acquaintances. Friends. Family. I can't remember a single one of these people that I should know.
It's strange, I can't think of anyone. No, it's not that I can't think of anyone, it's more like whenever I try to remember a face; it vanishes from my mind before I can complete the picture. It's odd, but I'm slowly realizing that I know and don't know are merely trivial compared to the problem that I'm unaware of just where I am.
I don't know.
Sighing, "Maybe it's better to just not think about it."
"Did you…" a girl asks from behind. "Did you just say something?"
"No. No, it was nothing, nothing important." I reply. Nothing important, who am I kidding? Really, if this isn't important, than what is?
I shake my head to clear my thoughts. However, somewhere along the way, I stopped walking. I don't know why, but my legs stopped along with my thoughts along the way. Pushing through, I decide keep on walking. I've come to realize the more that I try to remember, the less that I actually know.
How long have we been walking anyway? I can't tell if we've been at this for a while or not. Did I lose my sense of time? No, maybe I just don't know what time it is to compare it to.
"There's something here," someone ahead says. "It's bright. There are… lamps?"
The black-haired man replies, "It's an iron grate."
"D-do you think it's the exit?!" another man exclaims, his voice shrills with excitement.
The sounds of the heavy footfalls lighten. Even through the dark, it's easy to tell that everyone's hurrying ahead.
In just a few more steps, the source of light becomes visible. Whatever it is, it's brighter than these dim torches in the cave. Sighing, I catch up with the rest of the group.
The black-haired man grabs onto the iron grate. His hair is black, but he also looks like a thug. He shakes the grate violently, much like that of a thug. It's slowly becoming clearer as to how he was indifferent to the entire situation. Through his shaking of the grate, it slowly moved.
"Oh…!" several people cry in unison.
"Can we get out?" exclaims a woman wearing what seems to be somewhat fancy clothes from what little I can remember. Maybe it's not memory, but just an abstract judgement of the clothing.
The black-haired man walks through the door. "There are stairs. We can go up."
The door's cramped. The corridor is moldy too. However, just beyond the mold there are stone steps. There's no light in the stairwell, but light peeked through from above. Single file, one step at a time, we ascend to the top.
Yet again, there's another iron grate. Just like before, he slid it open. In the distance, I manage to catch something along the lines of a light pitter-patter of feet. It's odd, I can tell they're not human, but I also can't sense any malice from them either. They're not rushed, but a calm soothing pace.
Nothing seems too out of place all things considered. "Took you guys long enough, I wasn't sure how long you were going to keep us waiting." a voice beyond the grate sigh. It's calm and almost masculine, but still soothing.
What do they mean by "us" better yet, what's even here? I can hear a voice, but nothing is registering.
A man chimes in, "A cat…?"
What does he mean a cat? Nothing is making any sense here. No, not a single thing is coming together. So matter how I try to think about it, nothing is piecing together. The more I think about my situation, the more detached I feel from the real world.
Wait… what is the real world anyways?
No matter what, I can't figure out what it is that I'm missing, but despite that, I make an attempt to clear my head. Rather than sitting and pondering over what I don't know, I'm slowly realizing that the situation before us is more important. However, I can't help but wonder. I wonder what it is that I that I'm… no, that we're missing.
"Hey, I have a name, and it's Coco. Anyways, I think all of you would be better off gathering around."
"What the hell do you want with us!?" someone yells.
"I'm going to explain everything is you all will just be quiet for a moment." Coco says. "All one-hundred-and-five of you mages are here on your own terms and agreement. There's something out there that you want so badly that you'd be willing to kill for it."
"Bull shit!" a man yells.
"Yeah, you fucking cat, if any of us were dumb enough to believe that. Why wouldn't we remember it?! Like hell we'd be willing to kill for something we can't even remember!"
"Oh, contraire. I would certainly like to state otherwise. It's illegal to take someone against their will. Seriously, we wiped your memories, but you should all have enough common sense to realize that abduction is a bad thing. Now, as I was saying. All one-hundred-and-five of you are here on your own accord. Whether it is for your own personal gain to save someone you love, you mages have gathered here to fight to the death in a war fought with heroes from the past, present, or future. Are you following along so far?"
Listen to this cat spew nonsense. He's lying, he has to be, there's no possible way that I'd be willing to kill someone. No, not in a million years, I wouldn't kill a person. I know I wouldn't… Would I…? Would I really be willing to kill someone for my own personal gain, was I really that selfish? I don't know, I don't know if this cat is telling the truth or not, but I can't argue against what I don't know. It's fruitless to even try to create a counterpoint.
The people around me spiral into an uproar. Like me, they don't want to accept the hard truth that's being laid before them. If I can't refute it, it has to be the truth, right? There's nothing else it could be. Nothing that's considered normal would even consider making something as crazy as this up, it just doesn't make sense, not in the slightest…
Despite the noise, I refuse to join the crowd. No matter what, I want to know, I want to know the truth behind this all. I want to know why we're all here, and I want to know who I am.
"Quiet, I'm still explaining here!" Coco exclaims. "Seriously, you people lack all tact. Anyways, let's get to the point. You lot are lucky enough to partake in a segment of history never once recorded in a normal history book. The Holy Grail War, a fight that your ancestors once fought and now you will. All of you will summon these heroes that I mentioned earlier. They will be your Servants; they will be your sword and your shield, your life line during this fight. Without a Servant, a Master, or any of you lot will be valuable. However, no need to worry if you lose your Servant. Also long as you remain, you can form a pact with any Servant that has lost its Master during a battle. I know, how generous of us."
No matter how many times I hear these words, only nonsense in registering. I can't figure out what any of this means. Masters… Servants… nothing makes sense. I don't remember signing up for this, what normal person would be willing to do something as dumb as throw their life on the line for something as trivial as a desire? It just doesn't make a lick of sense to me.
Before I can open my mouth, someone speaks for me, "Is there a way we can go home?" a girl asks.
"There most certainly is. All you have to do is collect seven terminals from other Master, and you're free to leave."
Terminals, what does he mean…?
"Sorry everyone must have forgotten about that… My bad… Please, all of you check your pockets; in there should be a device with basic information. In there, a map of the island and some personal information are held."
Scattering through my pockets, I grab a device. It's small enough for me to hold in one hand. Coco keeps talking, but along with everyone else, I'm caught up in my terminal.
The screen lights up. With a welcome, a face, my face becomes visible. Next to the image, a name, Firo Aldini along with other basic information like height and weight are visible. However, there is still some information that's unknown. Things listed as Servant Class, and True Name is unknown. Maybe the cat wasn't lying.
After staring at my reassurance of identity, I slide over to the map. Zooming out as far as I can, the only landmass in this island we're on, plastered in the center of the island is the word "AVALON" I can only assume that it's the name of this battle field. Looking throughout the island, areas which look to be cities or towns with structures and pathways are scattered. It's almost like this place was made just for us.
"Now," Coco meows. "That concludes my introduction of the island. All you have to do is collect seven terminals, and you get your wish granted along with a way off this island. Sound simple, good. Well you lot, I wish you luck."
Firo Aldini, I have a name. I couldn't be happier by that trivial fact. The very fact is that I'm no longer a stranger to myself. I know who I am. I feel content with just knowing that, but slowly people are falling, one by one, they're falling to the ground. Screams loud enough to burst lungs erupt from these people.
Even if I cover my ear, the echoes find a way to ruin my peace. I know who I am, but I don't know what to do. I don't need to remember anymore, I need to figure out what it is that I want to do. I want to get away from this place, but I don't want to kill anyone.
Looking around the moon casts its gaze upon us. It's comforting, almost to the point where I'm willing to forget about this game I'm in. For some reason, just staring at the moon leaves me with a sense of nostalgia. It's like I've looked at it for hours before I came here, but I don't recall it being orange. I can't remember much of anything, but I remember a creamy white moon that would always bring the night upon us. It's not orange; at least, I don't think so.
Looking around, I can see the number of people slowly dwindling down. The voices slowly fade into the distance as they're replaced with nonsensical mutters. I can't depict the words coming from their mouths, but I rather not think about anything at this point. I don't know what there is to think about when my own memory betrays me.
Sighing, I don't look away from the sky. Reaching towards the stars, I close my hand as if I can hold the universe in my hands. As if the starts are no more than arm's length away. It's not the case, but it's a pleasant thought.
If what Coco said is true, what is it that I wanted? Is there really something out there that I want that's worth killing for? In a sense, I suppose every person has something that's worth killing for, but it's depressing when you can't remember something that's worth putting your life on the line for. It's as if my past taunts with me as my memory is held as collateral for partaking in this game.
"Hey," a soft voice says, ruining my chain of thought. Looking away from the sky, emerald eyes and braided auburn hair captivates my eyes. Her fair skin glistens in the moonlight. It's almost as if staring into the eyes of an angel. "The night sky is nice, isn't it?"
Struggling to find the words, I only nod.
"You're not much for words, are you? It's crazy, isn't it? This game I mean. They seriously think we're going to kill each other…"
"It's naive to think everyone here is going to abide by a manner of thought to preserve life when their life is also risked." I sigh, but shocked at my own words, I try to take back what I said. However, I don't know where they came from; I wanted to agree with her.
"Yeah," she sighs. "You're right; it's dumb to think that everyone's okay with being on this island forever. I'm sure there are people out there that are worried about us. Everyone wants to see those people, even though we can't remember them."
"What are you going to do?"
"Dunno. Honestly, I wish I had an answer to that question, but I don't."
I don't know what to say to her. Somehow, she just doesn't seem fazed by the situation, but I can't really tell. I can't tell if she's a good person, or if she's faking really well. Then again, I suppose we're all in the same boat when it comes to that. I'm not too sure who I am, let alone who I was.
"I-I see. I suppose you and I are in the same boat."
She giggles, "That seems to be the case, doesn't it?"
Getting up, I look towards the exit, no one other than the two of us are around. It's safe to assume that everyone left, but it's just odd to me. I don't understand why they're all ready to kill. It's a matter of how much a human life is actually worth at that point. Then again, if it's survival, I suppose that one's own life is priority when faced against all else. The death of six is trivial when it's in comparison to one's own survival.
Looking over my shoulder, I see that the girl is on her feet too. Maybe she'll leave? I rather not have to worry about anyone other than myself here. I don't want to be responsible for someone else.
"Hey," she starts, drawing my attention. "What do you plan to do?"
"Dunno."
"You're sounding like me…" she sighs. "Are you going to play this game, or are you just going to sit around and do nothing?"
"Once again, I don't have an answer for you. I don't know what I plan to do."
"Are you okay with dying?"
She's insane, isn't she? Who would be okay with dying…? No normal person would be willing to die if living is a choice.
"What do you mean am I okay with dying?! Seriously, how do you even view a life if you can ask a question like that?"
"Everything you gain in life will eventually rot and fall apart. It remains true for physical possessions, along with relationships. Everything will crumble, but it's only a matter of when and where at that point."
"You mean to say that it's pointless…"
"No, I mean to say that it's short, and we need to cherish the bonds and items we have until they rot. If you want to live, I believe that in this situation, there's a safety in numbers."
"Are you suggesting an alliance?"
"Precisely. I'm not sure how these Servant things are summoned completely, but I'm sure that we'll find that out along the way. I believe that two of these Servants will prove to be more efficient for getting away from here. It normally wouldn't make sense to create an alliance when only fifteen of us can escape. So, I believe that the two of us working together would be able to collect twelve terminals fast enough before any one catches on to the plan."
What she's saying makes sense… to a degree… However, no matter what I think, it's impossible to refute her. It's logical with safety in numbers, but other than that, it's all trivial. It's a trivial matter of teaming with her or not teaming. Working together isn't against the rules as far as I know. Also, if it's only two of us, we could win…
Wait, I don't want to kill. I don't want to become one of those people. I don't want to lose the little bit of identity I created for myself if I become like them. I don't want to be just like the next person. I want the name of Firo Aldini to be the name that goes to an individual rather than any other person on Avalon.
She's nuts, complete bonkers, but other than ideals, I have no reason to deny her. I don't want to die, but I don't want to kill. I want to leave here, but I don't want to kill to do it. To get what I want I have to go against the beliefs that I have, it isn't fair.
Looking her in the eyes, I can only nod. I don't want to die. I want to at least know who I am before I keel over to this world.
"I'm glad you made the right choice. Alice Jager."
"Firo Aldini."
Pulling out her terminal, she slides towards the map. Zooming in on the surrounding area, where areas that contain buildings become more vivid. Pointing towards an unmarked area, "I think we should go here, and we should make it there by morning. I don't think anyone went that way, so we should be safe, at least for the next day or so."
The place she's pointing towards is out of the way, but rather than being out in the open, any form of shelter is welcomed. She leads the way, holding her terminal in hand. Silently, I follow behind her. She doesn't seem fazed by the situation, and I can't help, but question if that's normal. Then again, there was the black-haired man earlier… I wonder where he went.
Holding some small talk along the way, I watch the stars. It's like the sea of the abyss; I wouldn't mind getting lost in. The shimmering stars above are more than enough to keep me calm. They're the only thing that I can consider normal from memory, because, I don't care what anyone says, the moon's not orange, it's supposed to be a creamy white.
"Firo, you like the stars, don't you?"
Her question catches me off guard. "To be honest, I don't know what I like or dislike. If I had to say, looking at them is almost therapeutic."
"You're an odd one," Alice giggles.
I can only force a smile at her words. It's odd. No, maybe I'm the one who's odd. Maybe she's right. Maybe I'm thinking too much about this and should relax.
"Anyways, Firo, what do you think we were like before we came here?"
"Um… I don't really know. I'm not comfortable with creating a lie just to appease you, but I like to think that I was a good person. I don't want to kill anyone for this game so-"
"I don't think killing makes someone a bad guy."
"What do you mean?"
"Even heroes kill, don't they?"
"I'm… still not following…"
"Like, sometimes killing might be the right thing to do. I don't think anyone would consider you a monster or beast if you went back home having known you killed in order to protect your own life. I personally couldn't blame you for doing that either," she says turning towards me with a wry smile. "Because, I want to live."
She's different. She doesn't want to die, and she's willing to kill in order to ensure that she doesn't. It's almost respectable, but I can't help but feel uneasy about this whole situation. It's just not normal in my opinion, I don't want to play this damned game.
Turning back around, she continues to lead the way. I've lost all judgement of time. I'm sure if we've been walking for hours or minutes at this point. It doesn't really matter how long I've been walking, but I only feel like I'm walking away from myself with each step I take. Who am I?
Sure, a simple answer would be Firo Aldini, but other than that, what else? What do I like? What do I hate? What did I use to be like before coming here? There's a lot that I want to know, but no way to figure out what it is.
We walk through the night. My legs feel as if they're tied in chains. I don't want to move anymore, I rather just stop, but despite my legs telling to rest, I continue to walk.
"Alice…" I say though our march.
"Hm?"
"Do you know how much longer we'll be walking, my legs are going to give out on me soon."
"It shouldn't be that much longer. I don't know the scale of the map, but I think we're close… Wait, look it's just over this hill!" she chants as she points towards the horizon behind the hill. It's as if god has blessed this wonderful world and answered my prayers.
However, when we get to the town, it's dead. It's nothing what I expected. Vegetation has started to grow around the buildings with shattered windows. It reeks. It's unpleasant. The sight and scent don't contradict each other, it's like there's here.
Without a second thought, Alice leads the way to the town. There's no way she could miss a scent as evident as this. I don't want to go, but I can't just leave her in a place like this alone.
I follow the sound of her tracks, but once I'm at the beginning of the town's road, she's nowhere to be seen. My stomach is twisting into knots that I don't know how to undo. My legs feel as though they're willing to give out on me at any moment. Despite this, the obvious pain, I take each step with purpose. I want to find, her I don't feel comfortable with having her wander here alone.
Wandering in to the first building, flies revolve around the area like a carcass is in the area. The seats are torn and faded like a war has happened. It's unsightly. I don't want to, but I walk towards the counter. Running my fingers across the marble surface, a fair amount of dust coats them.
Sighing, I continue to investigate. I don't want to be here, but I have to know. I feel as though there's something here that can be useful. Hopping the countertop, I gently plant my feet on the ground. With a slight push, the doors open. The checkered-pattern on the floor is the same in this room. However, the flies are more prevalent here. Pots and pans line the walls as I walk through this place. But just like the area before, it's covered in dust.
Walking towards the colony of flies, my stomach sinks. Remains, not even a corpse. The pure disgust replaces any strength I have in my legs. I want to scream, but my voice betrays me. Falling to my knees, I can't get back to my feet. My body won't listen to me, it won't work the way I want it to.
Deep breaths. In and out. In and out. In and out.
I close my eyes in hopes that this nightmare will end. I don't want to see this anymore. I don't want to be here. If I have to look at the remains of a human covered in flies, I don't want to be here if this is the end people seek. If this is how death comes, I don't want it to happen here.
Something. Something protruding from these remains catch my eye. Reluctantly, I reach for the handle of the knife snugged between the ribs. It's rusted. Blood may be the cause. Thinking about it, the area the white tile in this area is stained brown. Scratching the tile, the brown peels off like bad paint. Rubbing it between my fingers, it's reduced to a metallic powder. It's blood, can't be anything else. Despite the twists and turns in my stomach, I refuse to vomit. The unseemly sight isn't something I want to look upon, but it's here. It's here, and I can't disrespect that.
Placing the knife on the ground, and just looking at the chips and scratches on this person's bones, I can tell they had a rough death. I want to bury them, at least giving them some sort of dignity in their death, but I can't dig them a grave. Plus, I think their remains should remain as whole as possible.
Looking around, I try to find something that'll cover them. Anything really, just to show some respect. However, I think I'm doing this more for me and less for them. Something to remind me of a so-called human dignity which I like to think I have. It's a long shot because I don't know what I had, but it's all I can do.
Scavenging through the room, I come across a dusty apron. Walking back to the remains, I gently tarp it over them, as the flies leave due to the oncoming coat. Giving my last respects to the body, I leave the room. However, before I can leave the building, a strange circle. It's pitched black, and it visible through the circle of dust. Though, I still need to find Alice despite getting side tracked.
Going back to the rundown town, a rustling within a building catches my attention. It's too quiet to miss even the faintest of sounds here.
"Alice!" I call out. It only takes a few seconds before I hear a reply.
"Here!" she yells. Like I figured, her voice came from the same building I heard the sound from. Walking towards the building, a bell tolls as I pass the door. It's not set up in the same way as the other place. Also, unlike the other place, there's a distinct lack of flies in the area. It's dusty in here, but the other than that and the rotting wooden floors, it seems normal.
The wood and paint in the area is chipped. It's almost hard to tell the original color of the doors and décor since the color has since faded. This place has really been left alone. I wonder for how long though? I feel compelled to clean this place, but I lack the energy.
However, walking through the building, I hear Alice's scream. My pace quicken, and I run through the door. With each step, the boards creak, as if they're going to collapse at any moment.
Looking around, Alice is breathing heavily in the corner of the room, as a brown cat walking on its hind legs stands on the counter.
"W-why is the cat here…?"
Showing its claws, "I told you before, I'm not the cat, I'm Coco!"
"R-right…" I sigh. "Anyways, what are you doing here? You're not here to kill us are you?"
"No, not at all. I just had to give Jager a present. Plus, killing you guys right here would go against the rule. They're in the terminal, so you should be able to see them. I'm not allowed to directly harm any mage in the competition, It's a dumb rule, I know, but sometimes watching a play is better than acting in it."
"What are you on about?"
"It's nothing, nothing at all, but lemme ask you something Aldini, why are you here?"
"Something tells me you know more about that than I do myself…"
"Ding-ding, we have a genius in our hands folks." Coco sneers. "Anyways, Jager. Whatever you do with that gift is up to you. But judging from your reaction, I have a decent idea of what's going to happen. Anyways, it's been fun kiddos, but I gotta go." he adds, hopping behind the desk.
"Wait!" I call out, but by the time I reach the desk to check, Coco has already vanished into thin air. I suppose all that talk about there being magic and us mages is true. Then again, he is a talking cat, so I shouldn't expect anything "ordinary" coming from him.
Within moments, my attention diverts towards the horrified Alice shivering in the corner. Color has depleted from her face. The closer I walk towards her, the more she cowers. What exactly did that cat give her?
"Alice… are you… okay…?"
These words are only greeted with silence, and more horrified glances. She was normal just a moment ago. I'm not sure if she ran into the remains of a person like I did, but I don't think she'd get this twisted about seeing bones. It's just something that I don't see her doing, not after that conversation we had on the way here.
Clenching my fists, I force my way forward, I can't be reluctant, no, I won't be reluctant. She tries to push past me, but I manage to grab ahold of her wrist before she can get any farther.
"Let go of me!" she flails. She's struggling to get loose, as she takes my hand on a rodeo ride. I manage hold on. "I said let go!"
"No, I can't do that," I deject, forcing a smile. "If I let go here, I won't be able to help you. I get that the damn cat gave you something that's making you act like this, and I won't pry into it. I know it's not my problem, and I can see that you don't want to talk about it either. However, I want you to know, we're a team."
The color slowly begins to return to her face from my words. "Firo, I…"
"I don't need you to say anything. Really, I can tell that you're holding a heavy burden, but from the looks of it, you've got pretty frail shoulders."
She doesn't reply, instead, I get a confirming nod. Smiling, the two of us walk out of the building. It's a dead down we settled upon. Looking up, the sun is beaming down on us.
"We've been up for a bit, haven't we?" Alice asks.
"I think so, yeah. I'm kinda getting tired myself."
"You too, huh? Why don't we hold up in a building for the rest of the day?" Alice asks. After my silent nod, grabbing my hand, she leads the way to building at the far end of the town.
Like all of the other buildings, this one is coated with a layer of dust. Every step leaves an imprint of our feet as a trail. Covering my mouth with part of my shirt as to not breathe in any of the dust, Alice leads me to the back room.
"What… is this?" escapes from my mouth as the room isn't nearly as dusty or torn as the previous. I can't make heads or tails of this, but I figure that it's easier to not think about it. "How'd you find this place?"
"Oh… um… I kinda found it before we ran into Coco in that one house. When I first left, I figured that starting from the back and moving towards the front would be easiest, and I came across this place, pretty neat, right?"
"It's unexpected… after seeing what I seen back there…"
"What was there?"
"I-it's nothing…" I quickly reply in hopes to get the image of the flies and the remains from my head. In a failure of an attempt, the image still lingers in the back of my mind.
"If you say so, I'll take it that it's something you think I'm better off not seeing." Alice asks. If this is women's intuition, it's on the same level as mind reading. "Whatever," she sighs. "We should get some sleep, we're going to be out of it if we don't get any." she adds, laying on the bed.
Walking to the couch in the corner, I begin to lay down. It's not as nice as the bed, but it's better than the floor. I'm just happy I won't have to wake up against a stone wall. Before I can get situated, Alice calls out to me. "Why are you sleeping over there?"
"Kinda assumed that you didn't want to sleep in the same area as a guy… so, I kinda just went over here…"
"I'm fine with it…" Alice says, rolling over. Before I can get up, my conscious gets the better of my instincts.
"Well, that makes one of us." I reply, situating myself on the couch.
"Thank you... good night."
A light droplet hits my face, waking me up. It's dark, I can easily assume that it's night time, the shattered, uncovered windows are more than enough to confirm my suspicions. Water, perhaps? No, that's not it, it smells like iron. A silhouette of a person hovers above me. It's like a lucid dream, but I can't move a thing. My body shuts down, I can't move. No, it's not that my body can't move, it's that it won't move. Trying to reach out, my hands are tied.
"Oh, you've woken up?" a familiar voice says. I can't make out the person, but I know that it's Alice.
"Alice, what's going on!? Untie me! It's a joke, right!?" I struggle for freedom, and say anything that comes to mind to reason with Alice.
"You see Firo, I can't do that."
"Why are you doing this!?"
"Why am I doing this? You're seriously asking why I'm doing this. Are you serious? You should know damn well why I'm doing this, this is a fight for survival! You said so yourself that you'd help me!" looking at her face, her manner of speech, I don't know who this person is. The Alice that I remember is kind and caring. This person… is a monster.
"Is it because of what Coco gave you…?"
"Wow, you really are a genius."
"Master, someone is approaching, they're arrive at the town shortly." an unknown voice says.
"Were you detected, Assassin?"
"No, they did not sense my presence. However, this person had a Servant with them."
"Do you know what class?"
"I could not confirm. The Servant was in spirit form, but they're strong."
"Then, I suppose we should get this over with here soon. Sorry, Firo, but I'm going to need you to die for me." Alice says, jabbing something into my hand. Gritting my teeth, I manage to hold back the screams. Picking up her weapon, she jabs it into my leg, this time, I can't hold back the pain. With a cynical laugh, she continue to stab me, it hurts. It hurts so much, I want to cry, I'm pretty sure I am.
Each time she stabs me, the less of a grip I have on reality. I feel my conscious slowly fading from me, but before I can call it quits, she stops.
"The glass broke…" she sighs. "Assassin, give me your knife. I wanna kill him."
She's cruel. Who knew evil girls had the prettiest faces. I'm going to die here. I don't want to die. I want to live. I want to scream for my life, but my voice betrays me mid-shout. I can't form words, but I can only taste iron, as it fills my mouth.
"Well Firo, I guess this is goodbye."
With those words, my reality fades of black.
Author's Notes: Heyo everyone, for those of you who don't know me, I'm SaberAoi. I've kinda been on a break from writing until recently but that's because of... real world issues... Heading into University and graduating high school... Tests, or exams whatever you wanna call em'... Essays because that's apparently a graduation requirement... I recently graduated like really recently graduated high school and had some time since things finally began to slow down during the end of the year, I've been sitting on the idea for this story for maybe a couple months now, and I managed to just recently get my thoughts out on paper... Or computer screen, or keyboard... I don't really know the correct way of phrasing this due to the circumstance...
For those of you who are loyal to my Fate/Series fics, I appreciate you! I've written Luna and Fate/Academia along with Le Quinzième, and FateExtra: The World Only SERAPH Knows for those of you who don't know. Some are better than the others, and I like to think that Avalon is a higher tier piece of work compared to my others.
Umm... what else. Oh yeah! I'd like to thank King Keith for editing this for me, you should check him out! He's pretty good at what he does! Legit, like we play Rainbow Six Siege sometimes which isn't his strong suit, but writing kinda is! He's a real one and gotta appreciate him for working with someone as unpredictable as myself when it comes to writing because I kinda need to feel the vibe to keep going.
Anyways, that's all I have for now, until next time!
~SaberAoi.