"What's the rush, Rin?"

Increasing his speed, the young man tried to keep pace with the girl.

"It's something important, Shirou, Zelretch wants both of us right away."

This puzzled Shirou, what would the Wizard Marshall want with a Clockwork Tower Magus and an apprentice? It had been a couple of months since the couple had joined, and they did nothing to stand out really, besides the general knowledge that the final Tohsaka and adopted Emiya were in London. Rin had continued her study of Jewelcraft and her father's notes, while Shirou continued to practice his Tracing and Reinforcement with swords from his Reality Marble. His hair and skin had even started to look like Archer's, which amused Rin.

"Who knows? It probably has to do with his Second Magic, that's all he works with anyways."

Shirou had heard little about the Second Magic, or Kaleidoscope, as others had mentioned. He knew it had to do with parallel worlds, but he didn't know what extent Zelretch had control over those alternate realities. It would be rather irksome to know that in another reality, you could be doing something drastically different than you are now.

He glanced at Rin's face and smiled. The third-rate magus could not imagine being anywhere without her. If Saber was able to stay, then perhaps things would be happier...

Shirou clamped down on those thoughts. There was no point in reminiscing about things that were out of his control. Besides, he liked to think that he did save her from her self-inflicted guilt.

He wondered if he could see her again someday.

"Hey, we're here."

Shirou looked up and noticed the ornate wooden door in front of him. This was his first time going to see Zelretch; he had rarely seen him outside his office ever.

Rin rapped on the door twice, and moments later, a grizzled man opened the door. It was a sight, to see the Wizard Marshall face-to-face. Despite his age, there was a twinkle in his eye that reminded him solely of Taiga. Shirou was glad that the Dead Apostle Ancestor wasn't like the rest Dead Apostles who preyed on others and committed inhumane crimes.

"Good good, come in." The magician ushered them in impatiently, bringing them closer within his quarters. It was a sight to see: some sort of equations written all over walls and blackboards as well as papers and pictures of other realities. As they were led around the office, Shirou glimpsed a word: Heaven's Feel.

They stopped in front of a hastily-crafted device of sorts with runic symbols drawn around it.

"What is this, Wizard Marshall?" Rin asked, her eyes scanning the runes.

"Well, in theory, this device will be able to send people to parallel realities without the use of Second Magic." Zelretch replied. "However, this prototype requires my magic to run, but once a specific reality is locked on, users are free to travel through freely...provided that they can find their way back."

Two pairs of eyes jerked toward the Dead Apostle Ancestor.

"What? I did mention that it was a prototype. Besides, I got Bartholemoi III's

approval anyways. You're officially my guinea pigs."

"Wait, are we going to be traveling to different realities with this hastily set up device that's only a prototype? Say something Shirou!"

"Rin, despite how crazy this sounds, the device is actually well-made."

Shirou's Structural Analysis was top-notch, so he had no doubt about the condition of the device. The materials used could be better, but there was no structural defects at all.

"Shirou!"

The Marshall clapped his hands. "Now that everything has been confirmed, let's get this started!" Holding his hands out in front of him, the Wizard Marshal shut his eyes and channeled his magic. Suddenly, a swirling portal appeared out of the device, expanding until it showed a deep black void.

"There, that should do it."

"Where does this lead to?"

"How would I know? I don't know everything, and there's infinite numbers of realities. That's the great thing though, because now I'll have two workers helping me out!"

"Aren't just being lazy?!"

"Well, I can get my work done at double the rate, theoretically, and the both of you can improve your skills on your travels. Did you think you would be able to get anything done in the Clocktower given your current status?"

Rin grit her teeth. It was true, despite her family name, she was looked down upon by most of her fellow peers and seniors.

"Fine, I'll do your busy work. What's the catch? You're basically an all-seeing God anyways."

"I won't interfere with you and your affairs unless you are at Death's door or you specifically ask for my help. I'll give you one of my prototypes to test on the other side to make communication easier. Hey, if this idea is successful, your apprentice may be able to see new weapons he hasn't seen before!"

"Huh?"

"Don't play the fool, I've seen you eye the coat of arms around this building a lot as well as your projections being mostly melee weapons."

The device started to blink green.

"Oh! There's the signal that travel is safe now."

Rin and Shirou stood in front of the portal.

"So what did you want us to do again?"

"I don't know, anything? Interact with the locals, make new friends, kill some enemies, destroy the world, do something. You're probably gonna be there a while anyway."

Rin looked a little surprised at that and sighed. "I guess we have a long road ahead of us then." She held Shirou's hand.

"You ready?"

Shirou looked at her eyes and after a moment, nodded.

"Yeah."

Both of them turned to the void, and without hesitation, they jumped in, with the portal closing behind them. Noting the magical signature of this particular reality, Zelretch chuckled.

"Maybe I should've mentioned that this trip only had a 10% chance of actually succeeding."