Code Magi Lyrical Rider: Fate of Zero
Chapter 1: The Day a Demon was Reborn
The man let out a sigh as he stood behind the sizzling stove and looked out into the dining area.
Thousands of girls of ages eight to sixteen were sitting in various tables of various sizes chatting amongst each other as they dined on the various dishes he made for them.
Of course it was physically impossible for him to make ALL the dishes for so many girls at once.
Which was why the kitchen he was in had enough room to fit at least a hundred people as they worked at cutting boards, other stoves, pots and sinks.
They too were all girls of similar ages.
But that really didn't matter to him.
What mattered was that his "work" was becoming monotonous.
Day in, day out, it was a life he felt that he couldn't really fit into, trapped forever in a fragment between worlds. Whether it would have been better to remain with the billions of other souls passed on from the true world, he wasn't sure, but he was sure if that had been the case, he wouldn't be conscious of his predicament.
Thus when he heard a voice in the distance calling out to him, he reached out and answered it.
And so...he will be reborn anew.
"Well then..." the man sighed as he looked around his surroundings. "This is interesting..."
He was in a pure black space with only a light shining through what seems to be a doorway, casting a path toward it.
"Is this a summoning?" the man wondered as he walked forward. "Let's see...looks like it's the Grail War then. Class is...Caster? Damn, I was hoping to be Rider...I guess it's because of the little show I put on against the Rebels when I was alive and the fact that I have a link to Akasha in my head. Hah...I hope my 'Master' doesn't get any ideas..."
With nothing else, the man, now labeled Caster, walked toward the light.
Within seconds, he appeared in what seemed to be a living area of a fairly normal looking house. The lights were off but the glow of the TV in the corner illuminated the area well enough. Looking down at the summoning circle below him, he noted that it was a bright red color...paint most likely.
It was probably going to be a pain to clean up later but...well, that's his Master's problem, not his.
Looking down on himself, he recognized what his clothes were now. Pure white robes emblazoned with golden symbols and red circles along with a white hat with a emerald lanyard...the robes he wore when he was alive.
"I ask of you," he said as he closed his eyes. "You who called me, you who requested for me, summoning the Servant of the Caster class...are you to be my master?"
"It worked?" a small voice asked. "I can't believe it worked..."
That didn't sound good. It sounded like he either had a master with a very low self esteem...or someone who attempted the ritual without knowing what it did.
"Umm...you're a Servant, right?" the voice asked, causing him to bite his lip and sigh.
"Indeed. And thus I ask again. Are you to be my M-...ah...!"
He couldn't stop the gasp from escaping his throat as he opened his eyes.
In front of him was a girl, no older than ten, with short brown hair holding a strange book in her hands. She was sitting on a chair of sorts and her feet were resting on a stand connected to the chair. Wheels were attached to both sides of it.
"Y...you...how...?"
"Um...my name is Yagmi Hayate," the girl said with a small bow. "I'm eight years old. It's nice to meet you, Servant-san."
"How...did you summon me?"
"With this book."
She presented the old tattered book in her hands and Caster stepped forward and took it from her.
Flipping the tome open and examining the pages, he saw that it was indeed very old. Several of the pages were missing or damaged but one page had been marked and carefully reconstructed.
"You did this?" he asked, pointing to the page that contained information about the summoning. It had been marked all over with a pen with several furigana written over the harder kanji as well as dulled characters that have been filled in.
"Yes. I didn't understand a lot of the things but I did understand that you can summon a servant if you made a circle like the one in the book. Although...I didn't think it would actually work. Does this mean magic really exists?"
Those eyes. Those eyes full of hope and happiness that he hasn't seen in so long.
If only it were under better circumstances.
"Is your hand all right?" Caster ask as he knelt down in front of Hayate.
"My hand?" Hayate asked as she looked down. "Ah? When did it start bleeding?"
"Here..."A small handkerchief appeared in his hand and he used it to wipe the blood off of her hand. "As I thought...it's here..."
"What is this?"
A red mark had appeared on her hand. It was shaped like a a blade with a guard that had two prongs sticking out on both sides. It was too soft to be dried blood but rather it seems to have been engraved onto her very skin.
"Wow, it looks so pretty," Hayate said as she looked at it.
"This is called a command seal," Caster explained. "You have three of them. With them you can order me to do anything you want and I will be unable to refuse."
"Huh? You mean I can only have you do three things before you go away?"
"No, those three command seals allow you to command me to do something even if I refuse to do it. For example...if you use one to tell me to blow up a house, I will do so even though I do not want to."
"I would never do something like that!" Hayate shouted. "People live in houses!"
"I understand," Caster said quickly as he held up his hand. "It was just an example. You can also use them to have me do some physically impossible things. For example, say you see someone about to be hit by a car out in the city while I am waiting here, and you tell me to save them. I will immediately appear at your side and carry out that order."
"I think I get it..." Hayate nodded. "Then...what happens if I use all three?"
"Well...nothing really," Caster replied with a shrug. "You just can't have me do anything that I do not wish to do anymore. My life is tied to yours now, so as long as you live, I will as well. However, if I die, then that's it for me but you will still live."
"Please don't say something like that!"
"Well, I'm sure that time will be a long ways off," Caster said waving his hand. "But for now..." Sweeping his robe around his back he knelt down in front of Hayate with his hand across his chest. "Servant Caster heeds your summoning, Mistress Hayate. Order me as you see fit."
Hayate frowned at being called that for a moment before looking at her new Servant.
"Then, as your Mistress's first order..." Hayate muttered. "Stop calling me Mistress. Hayate is just fine, okay, Caster?"
"Hahaha, very well. But...I need to ask. Why did you summon me?"
"Well...I live alone in this house," Hayate said, looking around the room they were in. "Although my father's friend sends me money and pays the bills, it's pretty big to take care of by myself and...it's kind of lonely living in a big house alone..."
"Is that right? And...you are aware of what a Servant, is correct?"
"It's the English word for someone who takes care of the house with me, correct?"
Caster stared at her for a long moment before a small laugh escaped his lips.
"Hahaha...as I thought," Caster sighed.
"Is that wrong?" Hayate asked, tilting her head to the side.
"No...that's fine," Caster said as he shook his head. "Yeah...that's fine. There's no need to worry her about the war just yet. The same with the Book of Darkness...those are all a year away. But..."
"You wouldn't happen to have any other books like this, do you?" Caster asked as he tapped the summoning book. "A magical looking book?"
"I don't think so...ah, I think there is another one, but I never have been able to open the lock."
"May I take a look at it? I might be able to figure out how to open it," Caster said as his eyes flashed.
"Of course, it's in my room..."
Hayate moved the joystick of her wheelchair and the machine moved forward with Caster following close behind. He was tempted to just push the girl towards it but he had to act like he didn't know anything about this place.
Luckily, the fact that he was looking around in nostalgia could be interpreted as someone interested in seeing something for the first time.
But...without her Knights...this place from his memories that was filled with life warmth...felt empty and dead.
"It's in here," Hayate said as she opened a door and the two of them entered.
Caster's eyes quickly scanned the room before spotting his target.
"It's this, correct?" he asked as he picked up the Book of Darkness, which had been sitting on top of a small dresser on a stand.
"Yes. I was told that it was a family heirloom but I've never been able to open the lock."
"I see..."
Caster examined the book carefully.
When he saw the book before, it didn't have such a strange golden lock on it.
"Perhaps it was still inactive? No, if it was then her legs wouldn't be crippled. It must be in a passive state so the Wolkenritter need not be out yet. If I remember correctly, Hayate said that the Wolkenritter came out for about half a year before we met...let's see..."
"Obey my orders," Caster said, his vision tinting red.
Second passed but the book didn't react at all.
"Is something wrong with it?" Hayate asked when he didn't do anything more after that.
"No," Caster replied. "I'm just thinking about a few things. This book is certainly magic, but there is no conventional way of opening it without damaging the knowledge inside. But it will open eventually...perhaps in a year or so."
"And what happens then?"
"What happens then...well...perhaps you'll be able to use the magic inside it yourself."
"Really?"
"It will take a lot of work though. How good are you at math?"
"Umm...what does math have to do with magic?"
"It has everything to do with magic...I guess by that reaction, the answer is 'no?'"
"Ugu..."
"Well, we all have to start somewhere my dear little Mistress. Are you going to school?"
"No...I'm not..." Hayate replied, lowering her head slightly.
"That damned Admiral..." Caster growled silently. "Would you like to?"
"Can I?"
"It'll take a little work, but I believe we'll be able to get you going eventually...ah, but first we have to do something about the command seals. It will be bad if people thought that your guardians let you get a tattoo at such a young age...how about we have you wear a glove and say that you are covering up a scar you got? Are you left handed?"
"No, I'm right handed."
"Good thing the seals are on your left then. What time is it anyway?"
"Umm...almost midnight, I believe."
"Then it's time for good little girls to go to sleep." Caster set the book back on its stand and turned toward his mistress. "Do you need help getting to bed?"
"I don't need help...but I would like it," Hayate replied with a smile.
Caster also cracked a smile as he carefully lifted the girl up and into bed.
"Umm...Caster-san?" Hayate began as she peeked over her covers.
"Yes?"
"Will you be here when I wake up? You're not a dream, right?"
"I will always be there if you need me."
"You promise?"
"Of course. Even if I'm not beside you in person, I will always watch over you. That is a promise."
"Even though we've only just met?"
"Our bond is one that surpasses time and space. Whatever you need, should it be within my power, I shall give it to you. Provided, of course, I do not find the order morally questionable."
"Muu...what kind of person do you think I am? I know the difference between right and wrong."
"Of course you do," Caster said as he ruffled her hair. "Now then, I will explore the house a bit while you sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Caster," Hayate nodded as she turned on her side.
Caster waited for a few minutes before dematerializing out the door and reappearing over his summoning circle.
"Well...I suppose I'll clean this up then," he sighed as he headed toward the kitchen. "Now where was that mop again?"
Yagami Hayate woke up feeling exhausted.
Looking around, she saw that she was in her bed with no one else in sight.
"Was it all a dream?" she wondered as she rubbed her eyes. As she pulled her hands away, she saw the three red markings on the back of her hand. "The...Command Seals? Caster...?"
"You call?"
Hayate jumped as the Servant Caster appeared out of thin air in front of her bed, still dressed in the white robes he had been summoned in. Ah, that's right, she would have to get him some clothes, wouldn't she?
"Would you like me to deliver your breakfast in bed or would you prefer to move to the dining room?"
"Breakfast?" Hayate repeated. "You cooked?"
"As a Servant, I do not need to sleep, therefore I spent my time wandering the house, the area around the house and a bit of the city before coming back to watch some TV. Once dawn arrived, I thought it would be a good time to get started on making your breakfast, like a good Servant. Or was it too much for me to do?"
"No, thank you," Hayate said quickly. "But...can we cook breakfast together next time?"
"I don't believe that will be efficient..."
"It's not about being efficient! It's about having fun."
"If that is what you wish, then of course."
"That's right. As for breakfast...can we eat together in the dining room...or do you not need to eat either?" she asked.
"I don't need to eat," Caster replied. "It is unnecessary for me to survive."
"Ohh..." Hayate said, a little dejected.
It must have shown on her face because Caster turned towards her for a moment before adding, "But, while I do not need to eat to survive doesn't mean I can't eat. I just haven't eaten anything in a long time so I do miss it..."
"Then let's eat together!"
"Haha, if that is what you wish."
Hayate never really ate much for breakfast. There wasn't much need to do so since she always ate alone. Usually a slice of toast and two eggs sufficed.
However, the dishes in front of her looked too delicious to simply pass up. Scrambled eggs with cheese, diced ham and bacon, two slices of toast, a small salad along with a slice of tomatoes.
"Is it too much?" Caster asked as he sat down in front of her.
"No!" Hayate shook her head quickly. "I just don't know where to start."
"Well, do start before it gets cold," Caster said as he spread some jam onto his toast.
Eventually, Hayate settled on starting with the eggs. She let out a small squeal after the first bite and quickly helped herself to another.
"I take it it is is to your liking?"
"It's so good! Can you teach me how to cook this well?"
"I'm not a very good teacher when it comes to cooking," Caster replied. "At most I could probably just watch over you while you practice but that's it."
"I don't mind. It will be fun either way."
Once the food was all cleared up, the two of them piled the dishes in the sink and started to wash them.
"Umm...Caster?" Hayate began as she dried one of the dishes that he handed her.
"Yes, Hayate?" Caster replied.
"What exactly are you?" she asked. "I mean...I know you are a Servant, but I don't really understand what you are. I never knew that something could live without eating or sleeping."
"Well...I suppose that's technically true," Caster admitted. "Needing to eat and sleep to live that is."
"I don't understand."
"All living creatures need to eat and sleep to live. That is an undeniable fact, Hayate."
"But what does...eh...?"
"Do you understand now?" Caster asked as he placed the last of the dirty dishes in front of her and turned off the faucet.
"You're...a zombie?"
It was a spectacular and exaggerated fall that Caster did, nearly falling headfirst into the wet sink.
"That's wrong?" Hayate asked as Caster slowly pulled himself upright.
"That is completely wrong..." Caster deadpanned. "Try again."
"Then..." Hayate tried to think of what else didn't need to eat to survive. Wait, didn't Caster suddenly appear in her room earlier? "A ghost?"
"That's closer," Caster nodded. "A Servant is a Heroic Spirit, someone who has accomplished something great while they were alive, that is summoned using the ritual you used and given a pseudo-physical form..."
"Oh...wait...you're a hero?" Hayate asked quickly as she stared at him. "Certainly your clothes don't look normal...they look very old fashioned too...who were you?"
"I am Caster," Caster replied. "That's all you need to know, right? A name is simply something someone uses to refer to another person and therefore that is my name now."
"Muu...why don't you want to tell me your old name?"
"Because it's no longer my name anymore. If you wish to know it, the only way to do so will be to force me to tell you with a Command Seal."
"Caster...do you not like your old name?"
"Yes. I changed my name constantly to avoid being related to that name in anyway. That is why I am Caster now as well."
Hayate fell silent at that.
"I'm sorry," Caster sighed. "It's probably too complicated for you to understand. Just know that my family was never really a 'family' to me. Nearly every last one of them were murderers or opportunists that stomped on the pride and lives of others for their own amusement. I think I've ever only truly liked two of my sisters and that was it."
"I see..." Hayate said quietly. "Being an adult is hard?"
"It is...very hard. As a child, good and evil are easy to see. As an adult, it becomes much harder."
"But...you're a hero aren't you?"
"I highly doubt people see me as a hero. A Heroic Spirit is merely someone who did something great and became well known throughout the world. A mysterious serial killer could also become a Heroic Spirit if his killing methods, his victims, and his ability to evade capture became known to the entire world...that's not to say I was a serial killer of course."
"How can such a person be called a Hero?" Hayate asked. "That's not heroic at all!"
"No, no it isn't," Caster agreed. "But that is how it works. You are lucky that you got me though. Imagine what would have happened had you gotten one of those monsters instead."
Yes, that would have been very bad wouldn't it?
"B-But I got you so everything is okay," Hayate said as she placed both hands on her hips and nodded before blinking in realization. "Wait...why would a hero be doing household chores?"
"Because I enjoy doing them?" Caster offered. "You wanted a Servant that could help you around the house and therefore you got a Hero who had enjoyed doing household chores when he was alive. It's really not that difficult to comprehend."
"Ah, that makes sense," Hayate nodded as she finished drying the last of the dishes.
"Of course. So what did you plan on doing today?"
"Well...I was thinking of getting you some normal clothes," Hayate said pointing towards Caster's outfit. "I don't think you should be wearing that outside. I don't think even the Britannian Empress wears clothes like that anymore."
"Indeed..." Caster nodded slowly. "Then I shall leave that up to you. I shall follow you like this."
As soon as he said so, Caster vanished without a trace. The water that had been on his hands hung in the air for the briefest of seconds before landing on the ground in a splash.
Even though Hayate could not see her Servant, she could "feel" that he was still around. More specifically, somewhere right in front of her.
"Are you in front of me right now?" Hayate asked as she waved her hand in the area where Caster had just been standing at.
"I am," came the reply. "As I said, I am something akin to a ghost now, therefore I can become invisible and move through walls and the like just like a ghost should. This way I can keep an eye on you and I won't be drawing attention to myself.
"That sounds very convenient."
"I suppose it is."
Caster followed his young Mistress by flying above her as she made her way through the streets.
"Why don't you take the bus?" he asked her.
"Because this way you can see the city during the day," Hayate replied.
"There's no need to go out of your way for my sake."
"It's fine. Besides, it's good to get out once in a while."
"Once in a while?" Caster replied, his invisible features narrowing.
"Oh nothing, don't mind me," Hayate said quickly. "Now stop talking or else someone will think I'm talking to myself like a crazy person."
Caster obeyed but his face remained dark, not that anyone could actually see it of course.
Come to think of it, he had never even thought about how Hayate had been dealing with the corruption of the Book of Darkness without the Wolkenritter around. How exactly was she getting to and from the hospital anyway? How in the hell could anyone expect a crippled eight year old girl to do that alone?
"I don't care if I bring down the Bureau on our heads a full year early. If I see either of those damn cats again I will go with the original plan in dealing with them. Geass with an extra helping of musket bullet into the skull and a grenade to-go and eat at home with their master."
One can't say his timeless existence with Emiya didn't affect him negatively in anyway. Though...it might have just inched him toward the Neutral side of Evil from the Lawful side.
He looked around idly as he read some of the signs and billboards on the streets,
"So instead of Umihara, we're in Uminari...or at least, the border between Uminari and Fuyuki? Guess that means the Puella aren't around...or do they even exist in this time? A quick check...yes...yes they do. Well...now...even Mami? Oh, looks like someone saved her family from the crash. You're a good kid, boy. While I'm here...hahaha...looks like everyone is doing well too. Kallen's still piloting Knightmares it seems. They seem to have hit a glass ceiling with the ninth generation Lancelot Albion and Guren SEITEN though. I suppose it's all theory now that there is no active reason to produce war machines. She's looking well though...for a fifty-one year old woman. Suzaku's still alive of course and still Zero. Nunnally's...still Empress. C.C.'s...around I guess. Same as always."
As he had planned, peace existed in the world as it was truly united under the United Federation of Nations with the occasional madman stirring up trouble. Crime lords, religious zealots, just plain crazy people...the normal non-world shattering troubles that would happen regardless.
"Well, I suppose it's my fault for not taking that into account," Caster shrugged. "Still, it's a good way to keep them on their toes...hmm...I wonder if I should...no, I'll leave them be. They've earned their peace. Though I do wonder why Jeremiah is working on an Orange Plantation when he was so adverse to the idea before. Irony? Or is it just his Orange fixation?"
"Caster? Are you there?" Hayate asked as she looked around.
"I'm always here," Caster replied. "Is this the store?"
"That's right," Hayate nodded and wheeled herself in.
"Everyday fashion doesn't seem to have changed all that much? What year is it?"
"2052 a.t.b.," Hayate replied before turning in his direction. "Umm...if you don't mind me asking. What year was it when you...you know?"
"2018 a.t.b."
"Oh...did you...during the World War?"
"I lived through several wars in my time. That was when Britannia was still under the reign of Charles zi Britannia and Japan was still Area 11. But that's all you're getting from me, Hayate."
Hayate simply nodded in defeat as they went over to the men's section.
"Do you see anything you like?" Hayate whispered as she wheeled herself through the aisle.
"Hmm...how about that jacket? That red one."
"This?"
"Yeah...ah, the gray one too...wait...how many clothes are you planning to get me?"
"Enough so that you don't wear the same one two days a week."
"It's your money."
"Would this even fit you?" Hayate asked as she held up the red jacket.
"One way to find out," Caster said. "Could you find an empty changing room? Carry the jacket and that pair of black slacks with you"
Hayate pulled a pair of pants off the rack and found an empty room.
"Is this okay?" she asked, only for a hand to stick out of the room and grab the clothes off her lap.
"I think they will work just fine," Caster said as he pulled back the curtain. "What do you think?"
"Wow, you look great!" Hayate said as she clapped her hands. "Wait, what did you do with the tags?"
"Got rid of them."
"That's stealing!"
"They're just clothes."
"It's still stealing!"
"Fine." Caster snapped his fingers and the tags reappeared on the clothing before closing the curtain and handing the clothes back to Hayate. "Hurry and pay for them then, Miss Lawful Good."
"What's wrong with being good?" Hayate let out a small huff as she headed toward the cashier to pay for the clothes before heading back towards Caster and handing him the clothes again.
"That was a wasted ten minutes," he said as he dressed and came out of the changing room.
"But it was a lawful ten minutes," Hayate countered.
Caster simply sighed and didn't bother arguing with her anymore as they continued their shopping.
An hour later, Caster was the proud owner of ten new shirts, seven new jackets, nine new pairs of pants, and two pairs of shoes. While Hayate had a pair of fingerless gloves around her hands.
"Burning money are we?" he asked as they walked out of the store. His purchases were hanging in a small basket on the back of Hayate's wheelchair as he pushed her along.
"I guess we did buy a little much, didn't we?" Hayate admitted. "But it was my first time shopping with and for someone else...so..."
"It's fine," Caster said. "Thank you for your generosity. Is there anything else you would like to do now that I can accompany you with?"
"Umm...can we go to the park?"
"You're the Mistress, not me. If you want to go then we go."
"Muuu...I don't want to force you to do anything though."
"You are clearly not understanding how this Master/Servant relationship is supposed to work, are you?"
"Sorry..." Hayate mumbled. "But...this is kind of...nice..."
Caster didn't say anything, having a good idea of what she was talking about as he wheeled her toward the nearby park.
"Did you just want to enjoy the sunshine?" he asked as he parked her beside a bench and sat down on it himself. "Because we could do that at your house as well."
"But the scenery is nice here and you could feel the breeze...ah..."
Caster turned toward toward the direction the girl was looking at. Two girls around Hayate's age had ran up to a man sitting on a bench with a notebook on his lap. He must have been working on something interesting because the girls quickly jump onto the bench with him and started looking at what he was doing.
"People you know?" Caster asked.
"No...not exactly," Hayate replied. "I just like people watching and I see those people often...that man seems to be a writer of some sort and those two girls often pulled him away to play. There mother is over there in the shade."
Caster looked to where Hayate was pointing. A woman with long black hair was looking over toward the man with an apologetic look on her face to which the man simply gestured that it was okay with his hand before setting his notebook to the side to play with the girls.
"That looks like it happens a lot," Caster noted.
"Yes, I think they pull him away every time he comes to write here," Hayate replied. "But...ah!"
Caster's hand quickly shot in front of Hayate's face, catching a wayward ball that had flew toward the girl's head, causing the girl to recoil in shock.
"Oi...be more careful," Caster said as he stood up as the children that have been playing with the ball to come up to them, including the girls from earlier. "You could hurt someone."
"We're sorry..." the two girls said, lowering their head head in apology.
Caster's eyes narrowed as he looked at the the girls from earlier. Now that they were right in front of him, he could feel a little bit of magic energy coming from both of them. He couldn't risk Hayate being found out with him around her.
"Just be more careful next time," Caster said as he held the ball out to them. "Let's go, Hayate."
"Uh...okay?" Hayate asked as she allowed herself to be wheeled away by her Servant. Once they were a good distance away, she spoke up again. "What's wrong?"
"Those girls were Magi," Caster replied. "The writer too."
"Magi?"
"People who can use magic. If we stay too long then there is a chance that they or someone they know will figure out what I am and attempt to take me from you."
"Eh? Can they do that?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't mean they won't try, even if it means ripping your arm off in an attempt to do so. I'm not saying that girl or her mother might do it, but it doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't so I am simply sliding on the side of caution."
"Does...that mean we can't go on walks like this anymore?" Hayate asked.
"No, it just means I will have to be more careful in the future. It is not like every single person we run into will be a Magus. I could probably find the location of every Magus in both cities within the next month if I devoted the time to search at every possible dwelling."
"Breaking and entering is a crime," Hayate said immediately.
"I would not be breaking and entering. I would simply be entering unannounced. Certainly it would be rude but I am not breaking the lock. Ghosts don't need doors after all."
"Caster...don't make me do it," Hayate warned as she raised her left hand.
"Fine...I will simply attempt to look from the outside."
"That's a good Servant," Hayate said as she turned around and patted his hand.
"Don't treat me like a dog..." Caster sighed. "I suppose I should be grateful that you aren't attempting to pat me on the head-"
"Help me!"
Caster spun around, his eyes wide with shock.
"Mami?" he thought. "Impossible...she isn't a Magical Girl in this world...!"
"Caster what was that?" Hayate asked.
"You heard it too?"He asked out loud.
"Yes...someone was calling for help..." Hayate said as she held a hand to her head. "It sounded like it was inside my head..."
"It was a telepathic message..." Caster explained. "A Mage is out there and is in trouble..."
"Caster, please look for them!"
"Are you sure? If they realize what I am..."
"Someone is in trouble! What's the point of having magic if you can't do some good with it?"
"Very well, my Mistress Hayate," Caster said as he gripped his hands on her wheelchair. "Then we will be moving quickly."
"Yes!"
Caster ran as he pushed Hayate's wheelchair across the sidewalk.
Luckily the sidewalk they were on was empty but they did get a few strange looks from the other pedestrians. A grown man pushing a young girl in a wheelchair at breakneck speed down a sidewalk was a bit out of the ordinary after all.
"Down here!" Caster shouted as he turned the corner down a dirt trail.
"This isn't a normal place that people go to," Hayate said, holding onto her chair as the path got a little bumpy. "Why would someone go down here?"
And then they saw it.
A small little ferret lying beat up on the ground.
"This is..." Caster mumbled as he stopped and picked the ferret up. It was wearing a small collar that had a red gemstone on it. "As I thought..."
"Excuse me!" a voice called out to them. "Did you call out for help?"
Both Master and Servant turned around and saw another young girl around Hayate's age wearing a white school uniform with her hair in two side tails.
"No, we didn't..." Caster replied, trying to sound as ignorant as possible as he turned his head toward her. "We didn't hear anyone else call for help either."
"I-is something wrong?" Hayate asked, seeming to catch on that they should play ignorant.
"Takamachi Nanoha...I see...so this is how she got dragged into it..."
"I was sure the call came from over here..." Nanoha said as she looked around.
"I don't know what to say," Caster continued. "I do know that this little guy was the only thing around here though."
Caster turned all the way around so that she could see the ferret in his arms.
"Ah...what happened to it?" Nanoha asked as she held her hands out to it.
"I don't know," Caster replied honestly as he handed Nanoha the ferret. "He might be someone's pet though. Maybe it got lost or escaped its carrier."
"Nanoha!"
Caster turned his eyes away from Nanoha toward the new voices to see the girl's friends, Tsukimura Suzuka and Alisa Bannings, coming up to them.
"What's that in your hands?" Alisa asked.
"An animal?" Suzuka asked.
"Yeah," Caster nodded as he looked behind him. "I found it lying on the path. For now let's take it to the vet...is there one near by?"
"I think there was one around here..." Alisa nodded.
"Let me call my my house and ask!" Suzuka said as she quickly pulled out her phone.
Thankfully there was a vet just at the other end of the forest so they were able to hurry there.
Nanoha gave the ferret to Hayate at Caster's suggestion since she had the lowest chance to drop him as Caster quickly pushed her across the dirt road with the other girls struggling to keep up with him.
"H-He's faster than he looks..." Alisa panted and the two girls agreed.
The vet didn't need to spend much time to treat the ferret.
"The wound isn't all that deep," she told them. "But it certainly looks pretty weak. It's probably been on its own for a while."
"Thank you for your help then, Doctor," Caster said with a small bow.
"Thank you very much!" the girls said as well.
"No need to thank me," the vet said. "It was no problem at all."
"But really..." Caster said as the girls crowded around the ferret. "I didn't think ferrets were native to Japan. You'd think it's owner would have kept a better eye on it. And this jewel..."
He poked the ferret in the side and it suddenly woke up and looked around in confusion.
"Ah, it woke up!" Hayate said.
The ferret looked at the people in the room, stopping for a second on Hayate and Nanoha before turning toward Caster and flinching away from him.
"Huh...it doesn't seem to like me," Caster sighed with an amused smile. "Even though I was the one who found him."
The ferret backed away slowly until it turned its gaze back at Nanoha as if begging her to take him away from Caster.
"It seems to like Nanoha though," Alisa noted.
Nanoha slowly lifted her hand up and held it towards the ferret's head. The ferret sniffed at it for a moment before it, to Caster's surprise, licked her finger.
The girls suddenly started cooing at it while Hayate turned to Caster.
"What's wrong? Your making a weird face," she said.
"Am I?" he asked as he placed a hand on his chin.
"Ah, are you jealous that the ferret likes Nanoha-chan but not you?"
"Not at all," Caster replied. "I'm just wondering why it was out there and what injured it. The only thing in the area was the ferret."
"In any case," the vet interrupted. "It would be best to let it get some rest now. So I'll watch over it overnight and you all can come visit it in the morning."
"We understand!" the girls said as Caster pushed himself off the wall.
"Then, let's get going, Hayate," he said as he placed his hands on her wheelchair.
"Okay," Hayate nodded before turning to the other three. "Then...goodbye you three."
"Goodbye!" the three of them said as they ran off.
"They seemed like nice girls didn't they?" Caster asked as he wheeled Hayate back to her house.
"Yeah," Hayate nodded. "I hope the ferret will be okay."
"I'm sure he will be just fine. Shall we go shopping for dinner?"
The bright smile on Hayate's face was all the answer he needed.
The rest of the day continued without incident. Hayate continued to believe that the ferret was a normal ferret and seems to have forgotten about the call for help. The same could not be said for Caster.
"Today contained nothing but new experiences didn't it?" Caster asked as he tucked his Master into bed. "Did you have fun?"
"Yep," Hayate nodded with a smile. "I'm glad we got to do it."
"So am I. Now, do you need anything? Any aches or pains before I leave you for sleep?"
"Hmm...no, I'm fine," Hayate replied as Caster pulled the covers over her. "Hey, Caster?"
"Hmm?"
"What is this...Servant Status thing I see sometimes when I look at you?"
"Oh, exactly what it sounds like," Caster said vaguely. "Like...a character's status screen from a game."
"Oh...that makes sense...I guess? So...why are all your stats E except for Luck?"
"Because...I'm not very strong compared to other Servants. I use magic for most things after all. As for luck...I suppose it simply means I am very very lucky."
"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me everything?"
"Because a magician never reveals his secrets," Caster replied with a smile as Hayate puffed her cheeks out at him. "Now now, don't make such a face..."
"You're mean, Caster," Hayate pouted as she turned her back on him.
"Hahahaha."
Caster simply laughed it off as he walked toward the door, casting a small glance at the Book of Darkness as he went.
"Then, goodnight, Hayate," he said as he stood at the doorway with his hand on the light switch.
"Good night, Caster."
Caster nodded as he flicked the switch and closed the door.
"Now then..."
Caster placed a hand on the girl's door and a small light shined in front of it.
"Good, the barrier is in place," he nodded. "She won't hear anything outside of this house. No car crashes, no explosions, no sirens...and no oncoming telepathic messages broadcasting on all frequencies. Yuuno...you really disappoint me."
He heard it again. The young mage calling for help.
"I can't believe I get to witness the moment where Nanoha becomes a mage," Caster said with a small smile. "Though of course...things will be a little different this time."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a large black belt buckle with a purple gem in the center of it and placed it in front of his waist. Instantly, a black belt shot out from one end of the buckle around his body and attached itself to the other side of the buckle as a large case appeared on the left side of his waist.
He opened the case and pulled out a card depicting a black armored figure with a blue visor.
"It's been a while, World!" Caster said as he stepped out of the house and into the darkness. "Are you prepared for the return of the Destroyer of Worlds? Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE! DARK DECADE!]
Nine shadowy figures shot out of the belt buckle, each of them identical save for a different symbol around their belts.
A sphere, a sword, a shield, a triangle, a hammer, a pair of cutlass, a spear, a gun, and an arrow.
Then, all nine of them shot back towards Caster, creating a monochrome armor around his body before ten black bars shot out form the belt and attached themselves to his helmet, causing some color to appear on the armor, making it look like the figure on the card.
"Kamen Rider...Dark Decade...has risen once again from the depths of hell!" Dark Decade declared as he turned and walked through a silvery curtain.
The curtain led him to a rooftop beside the Animal Clinic that the ferret was currently resting in.
"So...what exactly seems to be the problem? Hmm?" Dark Decade turned his head to the side as he spotted someone running down the street, stopping just in front of the clinic. "Nanoha?"
Suddenly, the world changed.
It was subtle but it was definitely there.
A faint rainbow glow now lit up the area as all other human presence in the world vanished.
"A barrier," Dark Decade noted as something shot out from the window of the clinic, crashing into a tree and bowling it over.
"That's...a creature created by the Jewel Seed?" Dark Decade asked as he pulled his case, the Ride Booker, off his waist and turned it into a gun with a flick of his wrist. "I should help them out...but then, I want to see Nanoha's first encounter."
Caster had been expecting something to happen. Anything to happen to cause Nanoha to use her magic against the black furry ball of shadows. What he didn't expect was for Nanoha to grab the ferret and run away from it.
"Perhaps I am thinking too stereotypically about Magical Girls," Caster sighed as he followed Nanoha from the rooftops. "Wait...why am I letting a nine year old girl getting involved in this anyway?"
As soon as he said that, the Shadow materialized above the girl and shot down at her. Caster aimed his gun at the mass of Shadows, blasting it out of the air as Nanoha let out a shriek at the loud noise as she dived behind a telephone pole.
"W-what was that just now?" she shouted. "Is there...someone else here? Did you have a friend?"
"Looks like he gave up the pretense of being a normal ferret," Dark Decade sighed as he aimed at the mass of Shadows again, firing at it to keep it from regenerating properly.
"No," a second voice said. "Whoever it is though, they're keeping the creature busy."
"Then hurry up and do your thing," Caster sighed as he stopped firing for a moment to see whether or not the creature was still moving or not.
It was. But just barely. But he didn't need to shoot it anymore as Nanoha and Yuuno finished the little contract of theirs.
"Raising Heart! Set up!" Nanoha shouted as she raised the red gem above her head.
"Hoh...the first transformation," Caster said as he watched the device shoot a large pink light towards the sky.
Pink feathers fell from the pillar of light as it slowly died away, leaving Nanoha in the white and blue Barrier Jacket as the girl looked around in confusion, with a staff in her hand.
He then pulled out a card, depicting a scepter identical to the one in Nanoha's hand save for the color. It had a black casing with a blue gem in the middle of it instead of a gold casing and a red gem. "Well then, perhaps I should get going too."
With a swift and well practiced movement, Dark Decade slipped the card into the slot in the buckle, the Decadriver, and slammed the two ends together.
[MAGICAL RIDE! RAGING SOUL DESTRUCTION!]
"What a mouthful..." Caster sighed as the staff depicted on the card appeared in his free hand. "Now then, Nanoha...show me what you can do..."
The black shadow leaped up into the air again and charged at Nanoha who shrunk back and held Raising Heart in front of her. The device sprung into action and deployed a barrier in front of the girl. The creature slammed into the barrier, only to explode, sending its pieces shooting off like bullets all around the street and into the sky.
"Oi..." Caster sighed, having switched the Ride Booker to sword mode and destroyed all the pieces that had flown in his direction. "What the heck is she doing?"
Nanoha picked Yuuno off the ground and started running down the street again while the creature slowly repaired itself by pulling its pieces out of the walls.
"She really was once an innocent little girl caught up in things she didn't understand, wasn't she?" Caster sighed, recalling how the girl he knew is now a crazy mage who's idea of a successful extraction was to fire a beam through several underground floors and out into the sky. "How quickly they fall off the deep end...ahh, it's moving again."
Caster kept up with the creature as it came up upon Nanoha, who was standing at an intersection with her eyes closed.
"That girl...what is she doing?" Caster shouted as he took aim with his Ride Booker again.
But it proved to be unnecessary as several pink ribbons shot out of the device and wrapped itself around the creature. The creature began to glow in a pink light before it vanished, leaving behind a small jewel on the ground.
"I see...rather than destroying the monster, they seal its power source," Dark Decade said as he rubbed his chin. "However, a magic source with limitless magic is too good to pass up, especially if I am going to have to fight in the Grail War..."
Dark Decade leaped from the roof and landed beside the jewel, causing Nanoha and Yuuno to gasp in shock, as he pointed the tip of Raging Soul toward the Jewel Seed.
[RECIEVED NUMBER XXI!] the device declared as the Jewel Seed floated into the gem.
"That was simple," Dark Decade said as he looked at his device.
"W-wait a minute!" Yuuno shouted as he and Nanoha ran up to Dark Decade. "That's a recently excavated Lost Logia! Please return it!"
"Lost Logia?" Dark Decade repeated. "These gems? Who would have thought. All I figured out was that this thing is a massive source of magical energy. If that is the case however, I'll be holding onto it. Or are you saying it will be safer in the hands of a child and a rodent?"
"R-rodent?" Yuuno repeated. "I'm the one in charge of delivering them to-"
"And the fact that they are now scattered across the country of a planet with a general populace largely ignorant of magic outside of storybooks and legends...tells me that you failed magnificently in your duty," Dark Decade said as he placed Raging Soul over his shoulder and pointed his gun at them. "You are free to try and take it back from me, if you can..."
Dark Decade turned toward Nanoha, who flinched a bit at his gaze.
"Although...the fact that you dragged a native girl...an extremely young girl at that...into this mess shows me that you are incapable of making proper judgments. This is not a game, boy. If I hadn't been keeping that thing pinned down, what would have happened?"
"T-that's..."
"Of course nothing would have happened," Dark Decade thought to himself as he smiled under his mask. "All I did was buy you more time to explain things. The fact of the matter is, you still brought a girl into a dangerous world...especially when the Grail War is so close at hand...she'll be a target."
"I don't know who you are or where you came from, but this is Earth," Dark Decade said. "And therefore, everything that happens here falls under the jurisdiction of Earth. Aliens have no right to interfere. I suggest you give it up. These...Lost Logia of yours will be mine soon enough.
"W-wait a minute!" Nanoha called out but Dark Decade's device sprung into action.
[HELL SHOOTER!]
Several black orbs appeared around him and shot towards Nanoha. The girl quickly swung her device in front of her, allowing it to deploy a barrier again and block his shots.
"Girl..." Dark Decade sighed. "You barely know how to deploy a barrier. As you are now, you'll only get hurt. A device is not a toy. It is a weapon, like a gun. A nine year old should not use it without any training or else they might hurt themselves...or people around them."
He turned to look at the ruined street around them as Nanoha and Yuuno did the same.
"I...but it didn't so it's okay isn't it?" Nanoha asked.
"Of course it's okay," Dark Decade said as the barrier vanished, removing most of the damage on the streets. "That's what magic is for after all."
"What are you planning to do with the Jewel Seeds?" Yuuno demanded.
"Would you believe me if I were to say that I wanted to heal a child?" Dark Decade asked and the two of them stared blankly at the Dark Rider as he placed the Ride Booker back on his waist. "No I suppose not...but there's no reason for me to talk to you anymore so I'll just be on my way."
Nanoha's hand shook as she held her device in front of her.
"This person was definitely a bad guy!" she thought. "He wears all black, his magic is black, his staff looks like an evil version of Raising Heart...and his mask looks like a skull!"
She then looked down at the street.
"If one of those Jewel Seeds can cause all this damage...I can't let him take them...but he's right. I only know how to defend myself..."
She then looked at the slowly retreating figure of the masked man.
"But...if that thing really is like an evil version of Raising Heart..."
She then pointed her device at the man's back as she tried to remember what the man did.
Then, several pink orbs appeared around her.
[DIVINE SHOOTER!] Raising Heart declared as they flew toward the man who came to a halt.
[HELL SHOOTER!]
Without even turning around, the man created the same amount of black orbs as Nanoha did and they fried back towards her, canceling her shots out.
"Girl..." the man said slowly. "What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with that attack?"
"I...uh..."
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear the first time," the man continued, flicking open the case that hung on his waist. "This is not a child's game..."
He then placed two fingers on the outer most card and flung it into the air, causing Nanoha's eyes to watch it spin before he caught it in front of his face. The card had a picture of what looked like the man's device except instead of a black ring around the gem it had five prongs around it, making it look like a metal hand was holding onto it.
He then turned the card so that the image was facing his face and slammed it into the belt on his waist.
[FORM RIDE! RAZING FORM!] the belt called out.
"Let me show you..." he said as the device in his hand took the shape of the image on the card as he took out yet another card. "...the difference between you and I..."
[ATTACK RIDE! HELL RAZER!] the belt declared.
[HELL RAZER!] the device repeated.
And the world in front of Nanoha seemed to explode in darkness.
Chapter's End Corner!
Harouki: Fate/Zero + Code Geass + Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha crossover! Also, Cliffhanger! Yarg!
Lelouch: What have you done this time...
Hayate: Lelouch-san is my servant~
Harouki: As you can see, this Lelouch vi Britannia has gone through the events of Code Magi Lyrical Rider but instead of returning back to the World of Magical Girls, this Lelouch stayed in Britannia and performed Zero Requiem! In short, he is the third "Movie Wars" Lelouch.
Lelouch: That's fine and all, so what's with the evil Raising Heart?
Harouki: Your legend is filled with evil and thus, your Noble Phantasms have changed to reflect them. All stored devices have been changed to an evil version to match Dark Decade, Mr Anti-Hero.
Hayate: There is no way my Hero can be this evil!
Lelouch: I'm okay with it. So when are you going to get back to your more important fics?
Harouki: I am having trouble in that regard. I really really really wanted to get something out on the 29th, which was my birthday but things happened and I couldn't get it out so I'm posting this up as a consolation. There are many butterflies in Fate/Zero as you can see, the most obvious one being that Sakura is not part of the Matou family. Here, Kariya never left and is a proper heir and magus, meaning Sakura never needed to be sent to the Matous. Kariya is also a novelist instead of a photographer. What he writes? Horror.
Lelouch: How fitting...
Harouki: Well, that's all for now. Maybe I'll leave behind the Servant Sheet for you all to mull over.
Servant: Caster
Master: Yagami Hayate
True Name: Lelouch vi Britannia, The Demon Emperor of Britannia
Sex: Male
Height/Weight: 178cm 55 kg
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Strength: E (B)
Endurance: E (B)
Mana: E (EX)
Agility: E(A)
Luck: EX
Class Skills:
Territory Creation: B
(Riding: B)
Personal Skills:
Akasha, The Root, The True Gaia Memory EX
As a member of Akasha's Anti-Demon Force, Caster gains the ability to access the memories of any human who has died within the span of the parallel worlds, allowing him to read the lines of time and predict which future will come to pass. Caster has achieved that what modern Magi strive for despite not being a Magus himself.
Mystic Eyes EX: Geass
As the name implies, the Mystic Eyes can bestow a geis upon the victim without the victim's consent, forcing them to obey whatever order Caster gives them until death or until the imposed time limit of the order is reached. However, the target must have a mind similar enough to a human's for it to work and must Caster must maintain eye contact that is not disrupted by any kind of colored glass like sunglasses or contacts. Geass can only work on an individual once, but once the victim is under the spell, not even a God is immune to its effects.
Noble Phantasm:
Zero's Mask: The Symbol of Miracles: Support B
Range: 1
Maximum number of targets: Self
One of Caster's identities when he was alive, the Man of Miracles, Zero. By donning this Mask, he gains the abilities: Eye of the Mind (True) Rank A, Charisma Rank A+, and Military Tactics Rank B. His Parameters in Strength, Agility, and Endurance also increased.
Apate Alethia: The Slayer of Demons and Kings: Anti-Unit C
Range: 1
Number of targets: 1
Functionally just a ceremonial sword Caster had forged for himself, but it was the very same blade that took his life, causing its legend to grow. It's legend has also been as the entire world saw the man who took Caster's life run at impossible speeds, making them believe the sword is enchanted.
Using it grants Caster a boost to his base parameters except Luck by two ranks, but as it was a blade that killed a king, it carries a curse that lowered the parameters of any who calls themselves a king as well as demons by one rank, including Caster himself, making the net boost he receives from it extremely small.
Dark Decadriver and Magical Ride Booker: The Destroyer of Worlds: Anti-Unit A
Range: 1-5
Maximum number of targets: 1-50 person
Through an extra contract with the World of C, Caster has become the Dark Rider. When donning the armor, Caster becomes Dark Decade, the embodiment of destruction of the world and increases his parameters except for luck to extremely high levels compared to normal and gives him the Riding Skill. The Ride Booker also transforms into a gun or a blade to Caster's will.
Dark Decade's powers come in the form of the Magical Girl Cards Caster had acquired in his life by copying their powers. He has ten sets in total. Nine Magical Girl sets and then the Dark Decade Set. However, because he bears the entire world's hatred, the weapons have become dark and corrupted versions of their former glory and suffered a rank down in several instances, requiring more prana to create and sustain their effects.
Stored Devices
Raging Soul Destruction – The Corrupted Divinity
Trident Thunder – The Corrupted Lightning
Mistilteinn – The Corrupted Flame
König Stahl – The Corrupted Lord
Storm Cutlass
Serpent Spear
Burst Musket
Sand Shield
Thorn Bow
Shinkiro: The Mirage of the Zero: Anti-Army A
Range: 10-50
Maximum number of targets: 100 people
Caster's Personal Knightmare Frame. It is a five meter tall humanoid war machine that can deploy an energy field that protects the machine and the pilot negating the damage received from any attack, magecraft, or Noble Phantasm that is B rank or lower. Its main weapon is a chest-mounted Diffusion Structure Phase Transition Cannon. When activated, a prism-like object is fired from the Shinkiro's chest. The Shinkiro then fires a powerful beam into the prism, which refracts the blast into dozens of devastating pinpoint lasers. The beam can be fired without launching the prism for a concentrated attack. The shields must be deactivated for the weapon to be fired. The Shinkiro also has a pair of Hadron blasters mounted on the underside of its wrists which fire sphere-shaped blasts, rather than continuous beams.
Damocles: The Fortress of the Demon Emperor: Anti-Fortress A++
Range 1-99
Maximum number of targets: 1000 people
The symbol of the tyrant, Lelouch vi Britannia's rule. It is a large fortress that can even ascend into space and outside Gaia's Supreme Reality Marble if he so desired. The fortress deploys a shield around it, protecting it and all inside from all forms of damage completely. However, it must lower the shield in order to attack with its FLEIA bombs which can level a capital city with ease.
Caster refuses to use this NP due to the extremely high upkeep cost and the fact that it would reveal his reappearance to the world.
Zero Requiem: A Life For a Small Wish that Created Hope: Support EX
Range: -
Maximum number of targets: -
The embodiment of a small wish that granted the light of hope that pierced the darkness. It is Caster's greatest noble phantasm. It is an ability akin to a Marble Phantasm for it forces Fate and the entire World to create the optimal conclusion for Caster. Things such as absolute victory under impossible conditions with no casualties are within the scope of this ability.
However, after using this Noble Phantasm, Caster will die.
Lelouch: I love it.
Harouki: I realize he may slightly overpowered...but meh...it's still subject to change. Considering all the other heroes he's up against...maybe he needs these NPs to even stand a chance. His heavy hitters are also defend or attack fortresses that can barely move and can't attack and defend at once...is this balance? Do you think Lancer's Gae Dearg would pierce through Puella created weapons?
Lelouch: Considering the fact that they are magically created and not simply alternate forms like Mage Devices or Physical Armor like Dark Decade...yes.
Hayate: Aww...But I was hoping for a scene where you fight both Lancer and Saber at once using Kyouko-san's spear in one hand and Signum's device in the other.
Harouki: Dual Wielding Chain Lance and Chain Sword too op! Nerf all the things! In any case. I swear I will get at least 2 more chapters of StrikerS done this month and at least 1 more chapter of PMMM! Why am I not getting any inspiration for my birthday damn it!