Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate Series or Kamen Rider Series except I own my OCs.
Chapter 2-1: Rest Before the Next Battle Part 1
(Shikisai- Sakamoto Maaya)
Instrumental
Several pages fly through the air and gather into a book before being closed by a hand covered in armor.
"The Will of History, Record. What will fate bring him to as the curtain of the Grand Order rises?"
A close up view showed the featureless masked face of the hand's owner, Record. He turns around as the scenery is covered by a various amount of symbols along with seven cards which each depicts a different type of hero. Then the titles forms on the screen:
Kamen Rider Record: The Will and Grand Order
/Hitori ni naru to kikoeru no/ - /When I'm alone, I can hear the words/
Aka is seen in a tube with several wires attached to his body with his eyes closed. Then he opens his eyes to find himself sitting in a battlefield filled with the corpses of several soldiers in mechanical armor, and he also wore similar armor. Noticeably some of the corpses have arrows pinning them to walls or in the ground. He stands up and soon the scene changes and twists before he stands in front of Archer in a city with gray clouds.
/kurushii nara yamete ii to/ - /"If it's painful, feel free to stop"/
The man smiles and turns away from the teen, causing Aka to chase after him. Next, Aka, in different clothing, which is a short-sleeved white shirt with baggy black pants, steps into a hall of Chaldea and he sees Yule give him a wave with his right hand. The redhead runs past the silver haired young man towards a different destination.
/Burakku hooru mitai ni fukaku/ - /Deep, almost like a black hole/
Then Yule turns around and follows the redhead until he passes a woman with long braided blond hair and a flag, catching his attention. The 48th Master potential turns around and the young woman faces him with a smile. Noticeably, the two are standing on a castle wall riddled with arrows.
/kowakute miryokuteki na amai koe ga/ - /from a sweet voice, frightening and tempting./
Standing in a grass meadow where rain fell is Emu who holds a yellow cartridge belonging to a late friend. The medical intern transitions into Kamen Rider Ex-Aid who turns to the arrival of Aka who continues running and passes him.
/Anata no kuchiguse wo manete/ - /I'll try mimicking the words you so often speak/
Ex-Aid turns around to follow the cyborg redhead, but then a blade covered in flames flew right at the pink Kamen Rider, forcing him to lean back as its edge moved above him. Ex-Aid rolls back and jumps onto a high brick block before taking out his Gashacon Breaker. Standing on the meadow is a young woman in a red dress who swings her flaming sword before readying herself to fight the Kamen Rider. Noticeably, she shares the same face as Saber, but she had a haughtier expression.
/nan demo nai to itte miru/ - /and say that it's nothing./
Aka continues running and enters on the deck of a ship where it rocks a bit, putting him in a stumble but not stopping his pace. On the deck is Takeru who is staring at a sphere which is a dull grey before he transitions into Ghost. Then Olga Marie floats in near the Kamen Rider to point at the running redhead. The two try to greet him only that he ignores them and sprints past them. The two try to follow him only that they nearly run into a light pink-haired woman in a purple and red kimono.
/Sore ga uso demo kamawanai/ - /It doesn't matter if that's a lie/
The two turn around to look at the woman who smiles in response to their attention on her. Then another Kamen Rider Ghost shows up from behind the woman except he has red armor with a metal eye on the chest, jacket, and a flame-like mask. Alongside them was a man in Japanese samurai clothing with a long katana resting on his shoulder. Unnoticed, the sphere that Takeru was looking at earlier has its back change color into a scarlet red.
Aka is now seen running through a green meadow at night, then he stops before Mashu who smiles towards him.
/tachitsudzukeru douki ni nareba/ - /if it gives me a motive to continue to stand…/
The pair turn to the side with as light shines upon the meadow. Then Saber joins them and draws her sword, Excalibur, at the ready . Then Yule shows up with the blond girl with braided long hair who is still holding the flag. She plants the flag into the ground and draws her sword, standing next to the Servants ready for battle. They charge down the slope as several people stand in their way.
Instrumental
With each beat, people in a variety of outfits and armors from different eras of the past stand before the three. Then Kamen Riders Ex-Aid, Ghost, and Den-O join in with their weapons raised.
/Watashi ga miteru mirai wa hitotsu dake/ - /There is only one future that I see./
As Aka and Yule watch the fight unfold, several pages flew through the air. A page flies towards the fight between Saber and a blond haired man in golden armor who fights her with a bit of ease and agility. Then Archer appears and supports her before he deflects an arrow from a man with dark skin and wears a white suit.
/eien nado sukoshi mo hoshiku wa nai/ - /Eternity isn't something I want in the least./
Another page flies towards the blond young woman who clashes her sword with another young woman who shares her face but has a crueler demeanor. In another location with another page, Ex-Aid is seen fending off the girl who attacked him earlier with his hammer now in sword mode before he equips his red armor that grants him a robot arm and fires the fist at the red version of Saber. Meanwhile, Ghost is clashing with a knight in black armor who nearly overwhelms him until the woman in the kimono and the red Ghost protects and helps him.
/Ichibyou isshun ga itooshii/ - /Every second, every moment is dear to me/
The pages fly back and now with illustrations of the Servants and Kamen Riders before, they gather into the Tome that materializes onto Aka's right arm. Then Aka is covered in pages before they transform into a white and black metal armor. He jumps forward to aid Mashu as his featureless helmet constructs over his head.
/anata ga iru sekai ni watashi mo ikiteru/ - /I, too, am living in the world where you are./
The armored soldier lands next to the Demi-Servant who blocks another attack. The Tome opens to materialize a golden and jeweled hilt that Aka draws and swings out, creating a golden flash that engulfs the screen.
Instrumental
Then flashes of different scenes are shown starting with several shadowed people who appear on screen with a shared characteristic of blue and green eyes.
Den-O is seen with a young man with messy black hair and they face a white-haired woman in a white kimono with a blue jacket and black scarf who points her katana at them. Standing next to the woman is a black-haired woman of similar age who wears a black military uniform and a red cape.
Takeru is seen with Olga Marie in front of a stained glass window with the two Japanese swordsmen and the red Kamen Rider Ghost.
Saber and Archer walk past each other, not sparing a glance at each other.
The group of Kamen Riders, Aka, and Mashu run on a stone bridge as a large golem smashes the bridge way behind them before forcing them to jump off.
Aka is seen sleeping in a meadow as four shadows tower over him. He wakes up and the shadows turn out to just be Mashu, Yule, Emu, and Takeru. They smile and help the redhead onto his feet. Then the group walks off and onwards towards a sunny horizon.
A person's eyes slowly opened to look around to the sight of what appeared to be a destroyed building. Then he felt something hit and he looked down to the sight of an arrow in his side. His legs weaken before he fell to his side with a golden sword clanging against the ground.
"ROWAN!" A white haired girl with sapphire blue eyes screamed as the person fell to his side. She wore silver armor with a tire attached to her chestplate and her head had half of a helmet. The girl ran to him but a fire burned between him and her. The person looked up to the feet of a woman whose arms were covered in bright, golden tattoos.
"Now stay there and watch as I kill your beloved leader-"
"SHUT UP!" Then the girl appeared suddenly in front of the woman and punched her in the face. After landing she ran to the person's side as he laid on the ground. She pulled his arm over her shoulder and lifted him up. "Don't worry Rowan, I'll get help for you…"
"Arianrhod… Don't… turn your back against the enemy…" muttered the person whose voice was hoarse and heavy possibly due to the arrow in his side.
"Huh?!" She turned around as the sound of whistling could be heard before a fiery explosion took place, sending them into the air. The person could only hear a ringing noise while seeing that the girl fell far him with her legs heavily damaged, revealing wiring and mechanical parts in them.
"How pathetic…You protect these people, yet they fail you in the end." said the woman as she stood above him as he turned to her. She smiled with a wicked grin as she summoned fire from the palm of her right hand. "Why do you even protect these pathetic humans? When they will abandon you in a moment's notice, without a single thought? Do you truly think that they will accept you with the power you possess?"
"No." Aka felt his mouth move as he felt his body stand up.
"I see, then-"
"I'm not done. Humans are pathetic, yes. They will lie, they will kill, and they will do anything to fulfill their very darkest desires. But are you any different? You are willing to tear apart homes, families, and lives to fulfill those ambitions of yours. And I'm not protecting humanity… I'm saving it. The duty of the savior is to help those I save remember the virtues of what it means to be a compassionate human. And I want to believe in the kindness that the small amount of humans has in this world… the very same kindness that saved me, a monster."
The woman narrowed her eyes before clenching her hand in frustration. "You…"
"If you want a fight… I'm willing to do so." He readied himself as red-like glow appeared over his arms. "I am prepared to fight ever since the day the Savior warned about you."
The woman was caught off guard by the mention of a warning. "What?! Who is this Savior you keep spouting about?!"
"That is for me to decide and you to never learn about… Prepare yourself, Cinder Fall… I will make sure you pay for your crimes and sins, here and now." Rowan stated as he held his retrieved sword in both of this hands.
"That semblance of yours can be quite the nuisance, Kamen Rider… But that is nothing in the face of a Maiden's power." The woman stated confidently.
"Even if you have such a power… I will overcome it… _" After he smiled under his mask, he spoke the silent, no…, inaudible command, a whirring sound along with a flash of white took place before Aka's vision was consumed by darkness once more.
Then darkness cleared and a white ceiling could be seen before Aka, who was lying on a white bed. The redhead was confused since he had no memory of when he went to bed. He sat up and looked around to see that he was in the medical bay once more. Aka noticed that Mashu was sleeping in a slouched position with her arms acting as her pillow. At the side of the redhead's bed was Fou, who curled into a ball in another chair near them.
Aka gave a more puzzled face at how the two were sleeping at his side.
"I see you're finally awake." A voice said after the entrance door automatically opened to reveal Roman who smiled upon seeing that the redhead was awake. "Good morning, Aka."
"Doctor Archaman…"
"What kind of greeting was that? You should respond back with good morning before addressing my name!" chastised Roman with a half-hearted tone.
"Oh, sorry. Good morning, Doctor Archaman." Then the redhead gave a nod in apology
"Much better, Aka." Roman said with a smile once more before handing the redhead one of his cups. "You must be wondering why you're here."
Aka nodded with his face making an expression that was evidently confused at how he ended up in the bed. "Yes."
"Well, you suddenly collapsed after the summoning ceremony yesterday. It may had been a lack of insight on my part, I thought you were completely healthy after the what happened in the Singularity. But I didn't have Da Vinci at the time, who could have run a diagnosis on that mechanical heart of yours. Luckily there wasn't anything wrong, you were just exhausted from the Summoning and the lack of prana in your Magic Circuits."
Aka blinked owlishly in response to the unfamiliar terms. "Prana? Magic Circuits?"
"Oh right, forgot you weren't trained in MageCraft." Roman commented with a widened-eyed face that showed his realization. He decided to give the teen a crash course on the basics of Magecraft. "Let me explain how it works, in the Age of Gods, Magecraft was a common practice that allowed several individuals to do wondrous actions that you would call magic. But the practitioners of Magecraft who are known as Magi are actually researchers with a unique trait in their bodies." The doctor rolled up his sleeve before a circuit-like energy trail lit up on it. "And that trait is Magic Circuits, a pseudo-nervous system that spreads itself through the human body and what qualifies a person to be a Magus."
"So that is what those circuits are called?" Aka responded before turning to his left arm with also glowed with circuits. "I always thought that I was designed with them specifically for converting energy."
"Seems like whoever created you may have been a Magus or someone who at least has some knowledge of Magecraft, though I never heard of Magecraft that can absorb a Noble Phantasm and send it back at the sender." Roman and Da Vinci had learned from Olga Marie that Aka could absorb a Noble Phantasm and compressed it into a bullet. Whoever designed that conversion Magecraft had also hid it under the guise of an ability that the weaponized human could use specifically. "Have you ever used that power before?"
"Well… I normally use it for absorbing energy streams and laser attacks before countering with an energy condensed bullet. Several soldiers of my weapon type were also capable of such functions, but… I was considered a defect." Aka stated remembering how some researchers and maintenance workers mentioned how his body was a different design from the other weaponized clones. They called him a variant which he concluded that it meant he was defective from the other soldiers.
"A defective? How so?"
"The maintenance workers and regular soldiers called me a variant, because I wasn't the same as the other weaponized soldiers. I could fight faster and react on what people would call inhuman instinct. When they expect no survivors, I was the last one standing and actually doing damage against an enemy front."
"Being different doesn't make you a defective, Aka. Besides, it sounds like an accomplishing career you had as a soldier." Roman complimented with a whistle.
"Not really accomplishing when my superiors expect me to die along with the batch of troops I was created with. Doesn't really help that I was called a monster." Aka stated with a shake of his head, remembering the angry stares and disappointed faces of the several commanders he served under.
"Really? Geez, that sounds a bit brutal." Roman grimaced, after remembering that weaponized soldiers were also treated like tools. It wouldn't be a surprise that some would rather see them die fighting their battles than live to fight another day.
Aka shook his head as if waving it off as normal. "I didn't mind it. If I was ordered to fight, I will fight. If I was ordered to run, I will run. If I was ordered to die… Well, that's why I'm a defect. However, not all of my superiors were condescending to weaponized soldiers. Sometimes, they acted nice and tried to understand me and the engineered soldiers. I didn't understand them at the time until… I met Father."
"Yes, you identified Archer as your 'father'. Why is that?"
After some thought, Aka remembered the first feeling he head when he first met the tanned man with the black bow. "He was the one who taught me what it means to fear."
"Huh?" responded Roman with a confused face. Fear? What did this boy mean?
"I understand if my statement is a bit confusing, Doctor Archaman. But… When I first met Father, he appeared in flash of light one day in front of the battalion I was with. Then he utterly crushed us within minutes." Aka remembered the day where he was just finished killing the remaining soldiers with a heavily scratched up sword.
He stood up from the last dead soldier with blood caking his armor and dyeing the cloth in a dark wine red. There were other soldiers wearing similar armor and they wore steel masked helmets. They marched around the area with their weapons raised and ready for another battle. Suddenly, a sound of air shifting caught everyone's attention and their turned to the source which was a small pillar of blue flame-like light. When the pillar cleared, it was revealed to be Archer who wore the same outfit that he wore when Aka summoned him. In his left hand was a bow and in his right hand was a sword. He nocked the sword onto the bow and pulled back. At that moment, the soldiers quickly realized he was going to attack, so they countered with their guns which spews thousands of hot metal slugs at the unknown man. But their efforts were all for naught when he released his razor arrow which speared through the wind and storm of metal with light before separating into thousands of energy trailing shots that flew at the targeted battalion. Explosions occurred and engulfed the created soldiers in seconds.
"Hold on, if what you're saying is true… Then Archer was a Counter Guardian sent to kill you?" asked Roman with a bewildered tone.
Then the smoke cleared to reveal the fallen forms of the weaponized soldiers who each did not remain. Their bodies headless… some with no upper body… some who had massive scorched holes in their chests… others who were just remains of metal or flesh bodyparts… In the aftermath of the sudden carnage, weaponized soldier 00041 stirred before sitting up to see that the soldiers he fought with were dead. Then he heard footsteps before looking up to see Archer who stood before him with just his bow in his hand. The man gave a cold stare at the redhead who for the first time in his artificial life felt the cold, paralyzing feeling known as fear. Archer summoned forth a longsword and raised it above his head, an action of preparation to cut down another target. The pre-teen artificial soldier before him gave a wide-eyed face, stunned and unable to compute what the unknown man just did.
"Counter Guardian? Huh. That's right... Father also called himself that title when he introduced himself… Is he some sort of living safeguard?" Aka had some idea what his father did and defined the title as some sort of counter against threats, something akin to an anti-virus software system.
"Yes, Counter Guardians are safeguards that protect humanity from threats that could lead to our extinction. So your group was among the targets designated as a world threat. Not surprising considering that Alaya may not have registered you weaponized soldiers as human beings. But I'm surprised he spared you. How did that happen?"
"Well… first came the sudden feeling of fear… then I started crying uncontrollably…" responded Aka with a truthful tone.
He never experienced the sense of fear until that day, and somehow… it made him aware of other feelings, like a sudden influx of data that his own mind couldn't comprehend, causing him to suffer an emotional breakdown. To the counter Guardian's surprise, he stopped his sword swing upon noticing that the nameless soldier cried like a baby who just awoke with sudden spasms that made him scream. It wasn't anger for the death of his nameless comrades that was making him cry and scream, it was the sudden first step of self-aware- Then a stomach grumble was heard.
"It turned out I was hungry at the time, so he fed me."
"EH?!" shouted Roman who gave a dumbfounded look. The weaponized teen who threatened him with a knife and had the guts to fight Servants… cried because he was hungry?
From the shout, Fou stirred as its ears lifted up and it raised its head to glare at whoever shouted with its squinted eyes.
"*Laughs* So that's how you made him spare you! Archer is no doubt quite the softy under that jaded exterior." A man in a black suit and cloak said with an amused smile as he sat in chair near the two.
"Yeah, but I didn't think that-" Cutting himself off after realizing something, Roman slowly turned to the unknown man who was suddenly sitting near them with a smile as if he expected the next reaction out of the doctor. Jumping back on his wheeled seat, Roman screamed, "EEEEHHHH?! WHO ARE-"
"Hey, no need to scream your lungs out, Doctor. I'm just here to check on a certain redhead…" The elder man stated with an amused smile that he caught another off-guard by his surprise appearance.
"Good morning, Mister Zelretch." Aka said with a polite tone to the man in front of him.
The man known as Zelretch gave an annoyed look at the redhead before he smiled with amusement. "Morning, kid. Even now, you still aren't fazed by my sudden appearances… You're quite the oddball, Red! *Laughs*"
"Wait a moment, Zelretch?! As in the Wizard Marshall Zelretch?!" Roman stood up and pointed at the older man. There were many things he could take in the morning, but the sudden arrival of the infamous Magician of the Second Magic was not one of them.
"Yep, the one and only. But don't go running around like headless chickens for me just yet, I still have to make a few arrangements. In the meantime, I'm just here to make sure you guys got the kid and the Record Tome." The man responded before turning to Aka with an expecting look. "So…?"
"I have received the package, Mister Zelretch." Aka said with a nod and he took the book resting on a stand near him and held it in both of his hands.
"Good, now there won't be a problem with continuing this story, though it appears some people don't like that name of yours…" Then the man turned to an area… Wait, is he staring at me? The man smirked knowingly… "I think it's going to be quite the running gag!" The Wizard Marshall laughed heartily despite his important status.
Author's interruption: He knows what is going in the reviews! Wait… does that mean he also knows what other crap is going on the in the Singularities? This calls for one solution: BRO! PREPARE THE ANTI-SPOILER BAZOOKA!
"Oh would you quit panicking? I won't spill the big surprise, otherwise the readers won't know what's coming!" Zelretch said offhandedly which left confusion on the present Chaldea members in the room. Or Aka's case, ignorance as he attached the tome to his right arm. "Just get to the part where the girl starts to wake up!"
As the Wizard Marshal pointed out, Mashu slow sat straight and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh… what is with all the yelling?"
"Oh, good morning Mashu." Aka said with a small smile and nod.
The girl turned to the redhead and smiled in response. "Good morning, Sempai."
"*Laughs* You really are like your father if you charm a girl like that, Red!" Zelretch stated, much to the confusion of the redhead.
"Charm? I thought the proper way to talk to a woman is to be honest." While he spoke, Aka did not notice how Mashu looked a bit abashed at Zeltretch's implication.
"Yes, but not too much honesty. Otherwise, you would sound rude." Roman warned with a knowing look.
"Oh… This is quite the logical paradox." Aka said with some troubled thoughts at the conflicting statements. Then he felt a migraine form, causing a sharp pain in his head.
Mashu quickly placed her hand on his back in case he fell over. "Try not to overthink it, Sempai. We wouldn't want you to make the infirmary your permanent room."
"Ugh, sorry. But… Something strange happened…" Aka said. "I saw a vivid visual in my sleep."
"That's probably just a dream, sempai." Mashu said.
"That's impossible, the phenomenon known as dreams isn't applied with weaponized soldiers. Parts of our brains are removed and replaced with high calculation miniature computers to increase battle efficiency. This also shuts down any form of emotion." Aka stated with a factual response.
"Really? Because you're showing a lot of emotion since you came here, Aka." Roman pointed out.
"I am?" The redhead asked with a dubious look.
"Obviously, you knuckleheaded juvenile." Zelretch bluntly stated.
"Maybe it's just a sign of your developing humanity, sempai." Mashu said.
"Really? That's… a truly strange concept." Aka frowned with further puzzlement. Though that "dream" was bugging him… it almost felt like a memory of someone else.
"Hmph, kids these days have it nice with love and all. But learn how to make a less cliché story!" Zelretch stated with an annoyed, but amused tone. Sheesh, the man doesn't know that writing stories isn't that easy, and satisfying the readers much less so. "If you have time to complain, then finish up the next chapter to that first story of yours. Can't have you wind up like those other authors who abandon their stories, especially the good ones."
"Wizard Marshall… Who are you talking to?"
"No one you people should know unless you all can handle getting shot in the head." The Wizard Marshall responded with a nonchalant tone, leaving the others speechless. Tch, so much for the sudden head-
"That would normally kill a person." Aka said to break the awkward silence.
Zelretch rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Exactly, Sir Obvious. But it appears you are now experiencing your first shared memory as the Record."
"Shared… Memory?"
"Yep, but I'll spare you all the boring details later. It's almost time for breakfast made by Archer."
Aka widened his eyes a bit and somehow the others felt as though he was glowing with anticipation. "Father's… cooking?" Then a little bit of drool came from his mouth with an otherworldly gaze in his eyes.
"Sempai?" asked Mashu. But before she can follow up on her next question, the redhead tore the blanket off of his legs, leaped off the bed over Roman and Zelretch's heads to reach the door and ran in the hallway.
Taking a big breath through his nose, Aka twitched for a bit and slumped forward. His head turned slowly up with his right eye gaining a glint of red and a cross hair pupil with a whir of energy being heard in his head. "Target: Locked." Then he jumped forward and ran at an incredible speed, searching for the cafeteria and leaving a large tailwind.
"Eh? W-Wait, sempai!" Snapping out of her shock, the lavender haired girl got up and ran after the sprinting redhead with Fou following.
"What was that just now?" asked Roman who witnessed the sudden bizarre reaction Aka had upon learning that Archer was cooking. It was quite odd that a Servant would request to cook for the group, but they allowed him because Chaldea's head chef was among the casualties from the sabotage.
"That, Doctor, is a boy running to get a long-earned bite of his parent's cooking. Now let's get to the cafeteria before he and Saber eat all of it." Zeltretch stated before standing up and walking out of the room followed by gaze of the still-bewildered doctor.
Then a nearby curtain moved to reveal Emu who was rubbing his eyes as he laid on the bed.
"Ugh. What's with all the racket? Eh? Where did Mashu and Aka go?" asked Emu as he looked around in puzzlement which was ignored by the stunned Doctor Roman.
Meanwhile with the man in question, Archer was working in the kitchen while thinking about the circumstances about where he was. The Servant of the Bow wore an apron in place of his red cloak, but his hair was still slicked back as he cooked. The man was currently contemplating the current circumstance that he was in. After he and Saber were introduced to the Chaldea team, he and the knight were shocked to learn that the humanity's future was lost in the predicted time of December 2016. But another shocking thing was that the boy he spared and also saved from the fate of dying on the battlefield would become his new Master. Was this the sort of fate that Alaya planned for the artificial soldier? It was already odd that the collective unconsciousness of Humanity chose him to look after the boy, but to also offer a break from his contract as a Counter Guardian? What was so important about this boy that Alaya would give up a contract with one of its most effective Counter Guardians?
"Father!" shouted the teen in question as he arrived to the mess hall with a skidding finish to his run. Then he ran into the cafeteria while waving to the Servant in the apron as if it was normal.
Much to Archer's ire but very slow acceptance, the boy started calling him Father after spending a month with him. "*Sigh* Morning, kid. And can't you at least greet a person normally?" The man said with a sarcastic smile.
"Ah right. Good morning, Father." The redhead gave a nod and bow in respect before asking something else with eager eyes. "Is breakfast ready?"
"…No, the food's still cooking." Archer replied causing the redhead to slump a bit. "But seeing that you're back on your feet, seems like you're fine, kid. Though wear some proper clothes."
The man was right since the redhead was only wearing a sleeveless white undershirt with his baggy pair of black pants.
"Oh… sorry if I made you worried and my lack of proper clothing, Father." Aka said with with another bow.
"*Sigh* It's fine… Aka, right?" Archer would need to remind himself to have a word with the young man who named the kid. Why "Aka" of all things?
"Yes, that is now my given designation." The redhead nodded.
"Well, you-"
"Sempai!" shouted Mashu, causing the redhead to turn around and see the girl running towards him.
"Oh, hello Mashu." The male greeted.
"Sempai, are you all right? You suddenly just ran out of the infirmary."
"I did?" Aka said before giving a contemplating look while thinking about what he did earlier. "Huh, I did. Sorry, it was a bit of reflex, Father's cooking is a meal worth more than a soldier's death."
"Thanks for the compliment." Archer responded with a semi-sarcastic and deadpan tone. "So you must be the first Servant that he contracted with."
"Oh, yes. My name is Mashu Kyrielite and the Servant known as Shielder. I hope to make your acquaintance, Archer!" Mashu introduced herself and bowed in respect.
Archer smiled with a bit of nostalgia creeping in his mind. Must be because of the girl's personality reminding him of a certain girl. "Shielder huh? Good to know there's someone looking out for this kid. I'm sorry on his behalf if he caused a bit of trouble for you."
"No not at all, Archer. Sempai may be a bit on the reckless side, but he does try to help. I'm glad he became my Master, honestly."
"I still have a long way to go to become a proper Master to you, Mashu." Aka stated.
"I'm sure you will become an incredible Master, Sempai."
"*Ahem* If you two are done with your lovey-dovey teen drama, how did you become a Master in the first place, Aka?" asked Archer who had a sneaking suspicion that the redhead once more got caught up in something dangerous.
Aka gave a confused look upon hearing the Servant's question. "Didn't the director tell you? I became a Master as a result of being thrown into the Singularity through the Rayshift. And Mashu here became the first Servant I was contracted with."
"I see… Now why did you summon me when you already had Saber and Shielder?" asked the man with an even but serious tone.
"Oh. You were actually an accident, Father. After summoning Miss Saber, the FATE system also summoned you." Aka said before realizing that he happened to summon the man by accident. "But that doesn't mean the accident wasn't a good thing! You're an incredible fighter, Father! I'm sure with your help…"
"Aka, please stop there. I know you must be happy to be reunited with me, but I'm not your Father in any sort of way. I just looked after you when I spared you on a whim." Archer stated coldly.
Taken aback by the man's words, Aka could only reason why he would respond in such a way. "O-Oh… Sorry if I was a bit arrogant, but I can't help but see you as my father. If it weren't for you, then I would had continued to be a mindless soldier." Aka reasoned to the man. In hindsight, the feeling of fear and later the taste of good food was what helped him develop a sense of self-awareness.
Archer gave an intense stare at the redhead who innocently did not break eye contact and simply sighed with a wistful half-smile. "*Sigh* Just remember that I happen to spare you." Archer said with an exasperated tone.
"Got it, Father." Aka gave a nod.
"So how long was it when I last left you, kid?" asked the tanned cook.
"About a year, Father. But you left enough damage to their organization that I could finish the job. After that, it was a journey of walking through the snow-covered mountains to reach Chaldea." Aka reported.
"It's true, Sempai actually performed such a feat." Mashu supported.
"I see…" Archer smiled in amusement that the boy would actually attempt to walk all the way through the snow to reach an unknown organization.
"Father, did you happen to meet Miss Saber before?" asked Aka as he stared at the man with a curious expression.
"You could say that. Why?" asked the man with a questioned face and frown at how the redhead came upon such information.
"Well, when I was in the Singularity with Mashu, the director, and the Kamen Riders, we encountered a corrupted version of you along with Miss Saber. The Servant who helped us was a Caster who implied that you two were Master and disciple."
"Master and Disciple? Well, he must have thought wrong." Archer scoffed with a roll his eyes at such a thought while remembering a small memory of Saber in different clothing with a Kendo stick before burying it. "She and I were enemies when we first met in a Holy Grail War." The Servant of the Bow said truthfully.
"I see…" responded Aka with a nod as he gave a thinking expression to his foster father's words. The version of him back in the Singularity was just as indifferent, but there was some form of relationship between Archer and Saber. That would explain why Archer wanted to protect Saber. But what? "Well, I shouldn't be prying too much into your past, Father. I mean you weren't exactly the happiest person on the planet when you spared me."
"No I wasn't, but spending time with you was definitely a good break from the usual work I had before. I'm actually surprised that you're still alive. I thought with your luck, you would be dead before we meet again." Archer joked though internally he was glad to see that the boy was still alive. But he cringed upon remembering that first month was the roughest one, when he thought his luck was bad, the boy's was worse or practically non-existent. From sudden explosions to gaining the interest of the Second Magician himself, that one month of babysitting felt like a lifetime's worth of insanity and twenty lifetimes' worth of danger.
Aka understood the statement the tanned man made since they had experienced a lot of misadventures before the Servant had to leave him. "Probably Father, and I do remember how people seemed to think I'm cursed with causing groups who worked with me to suddenly fall to surprise attacks or powerful opponents. In actuality, I think that 'curse' of mines is what allowed me to meet you."
"*Chuckles* Good point, kid." Then the sound of whistle coming from hot air blowing out of a covered pot pan. "Oh, seems like the food is almost done. Mashu, right?"
"Y-Yes?" responded the girl who did not wish to intrude on the conversation between the two.
"Can you go to the broadcast room with the kid here and announce that breakfast is ready?"
"Oh, we-"
"Of course, Father! We'll get to the announcement room!" Aka said with a nod before he ran off to another location.
"Sempai! Wait! You're going the wrong way!" shouted Mashu before she chased after him.
"It's been a year already, huh?" Archer said aloud with a bitter smile. "That kid has become more a person than the weapon I had to babysit." Then he noticed that Fou was staring at him expectantly. Archer gave the creature a pat on the head. "Well, I hope to count on you too to look after the kid."
"Fou!" yipped the white furred creature before it jumped off the counter and ran off to follow the two younger Chaldea members.
Archer then turned around to prepare the remaining parts of the dishes for breakfast while mentally preparing himself against the appetite of a certain Servant and the redhead boy.
As Aka ran through the hallway to reach the announcement room, Mashu managed to catch up with him. After telling the redhead he was going the wrong way, the girl decided it was better that she act as his guide since she knew the interior of the facility better. As they walked through the halls, Mashu decided to question on the redhead's behavior.
"So Sempai, what sort of relationship do you share with Archer?"
"Relationship?" asked the redhead before he tried to think of an answer while furrowing his brows. "Well… The best way to describe my relationship with Father is that he spared me on the battlefield and later became a pseudo-caretaker to me."
"Pseudo-caretaker? Do you mean foster parent?"
"Yes, I think that is the best way to describe our relationship. To be honest, I started calling Father, because… it seemed to fit him. While he does treat me with indifference, Father does watch out for me. And I remembered a regular soldier once described a father as a tough, authoritative figure to their children."
Mashu gave a contemplating look and remembered how half-hearted Archer's words were when he told Aka not to regard him as a parental figure. "That's quite an interesting analogy, sempai. But I do not know Archer that well…"
"It's fine. Father does prefer to keep his secrets. I remember-"
Then the sound of a steel clashing caught his attention, causing the redhead to follow the sounds. After a few moments of searching for the source, he walked into a large room where he saw Kamen Rider Den-O making strong, but reckless sword strikes at Saber who either blocked or parried before striking back with her…
"Huh? Is Saber wielding an invisible sword?" wondered Aka at the sight of Saber wield an invisible weapon that she swung at Den-O who leaped over, yelled, and swung down at her head.
With quick reflexes, she blocked the blow and the Electric Train Kamen Rider flipped over and landed behind her on his feet.
"I believe that is a form of magic to hide the identity of her sword, sempai. In the medieval ages, some knights would hide their true swords and faces to prevent their opponents from identifying who they are. This is due to how famous they were during their time." Mashu informed the redhead.
"I see, so a Servant's signature weapon also identifies his or her place in history… This could actually be beneficial when we fight such opponents…" Aka muttered as he watched Saber continued her defensive fighting style against the reckless, but practiced moves of the red Kamen Rider.
After deflecting his last attack aiming for her ribs, the blond haired Servant jumped backwards for some fair distance. "Impressive, you definitely are worthy of being called a hero of the present." Saber commented as she held her sword in a two-handed grip.
"Heh, I may not be as fancy as the younger guys, but I got my rights at being a badass!" boasted Den-O as he pointed at himself with his thumb. Then he entered a fighting stance, ready for another clash of blades. "But enough yip yap, let's get back to the warm-up fight!"
Saber nodded stoically before she noticed Aka and Mashu walking towards them, lowering her sword. "Good morning, Master. I am glad to see that you are awake." Then she turned to Mashu with a greeting and short bow.
"Yes, Miss Saber. And good morning to you too."
"Indeed, good morning to you, Shielder."
"Good morning, Saber. And you can just call me Mashu." Mashu responded.
"Very well."
"Are you and Mister Den-O sparring?" asked the redhead.
"Yes, I wanted to test if Den-O can handle himself when we enter this singularity the director has mentioned." Saber said with a nod and glance to the still armored Kamen Rider. "That, and he wanted to spar with someone while we wait."
"Pinkie's with the wimp doctor and Glowie's with the bossy-onna. Luckily, I found someone who can put up a good fight!" boasted Den-O, glad that there was at least someone decent enough to let him have a good fight.
"That's good to know." Aka said with a nod and an even expression. He understood it was common practice to ready oneself for upcoming battles, he had experience sparring with fellow cyborg soldiers to hone their skills.
"Is there something you need from us, Master?" asked Saber who caught his attention once more.
"Oh right, Father said that breakfast was ready and told me to find the broadcast room for the announcement. The problem is that I can't find it."
"That is why I am the one guiding you, Sempai." Mashu said.
"Breakfast?" Then Saber gave a thoughtful expression with her eyes closed and her mouth twisted into a small frown before a loud rumbling sound shook the room that the three were in. Aka, Mashu, and Den-O gave worried glances before the rumbling stopped and the room no longer shook.
"What the hell?! I thought snow-covered mountains didn't get earthquakes!" shouted Den-O as he regained his balance.
"They normally don't…" muttered Mashu with a worried look.
"Yes, that is concerning…" Aka thought aloud with similar worry evident on his face.
"My apologies." Saber said with a bit of red dusting her cheeks, much to the confusion of the other three present. "That was my stomach."
Then Den-O fell over suddenly, before he stood right back up to yell at her. "Your stomach?! Woman, I thought the Bear snores loud, but your stomach shook this place! I thought the room was going to fall on top of us!"
"Calm down, Mister Den-O, I'm sure Miss Saber did not mean it. Though, I don't remember a human stomach capable of such a feat, much less a modified one's. Maybe it's due to her nature as a Heroic Spirit." Aka thought aloud.
"I don't think that's how it works, sempai…" Mashu stated with a sweat drop.
Even Saber knew that her new Master was way off the mark with that assumption. Much to her further embarrassment.
"Either way, we need to head off to get some grub, otherwise that beast of a stomach will roar again." Den-O said while pointing his thumb at Saber who gave an annoyed glare. "Hey Kishi-onna, let's put our sparring match on hold."
"*Sigh* Very well." Saber responded with a curt nod before Den-O walked towards the direction of the cafeteria. Then the blond young woman turned to Aka with a gentle smile which had not gone unnoticed by Mashu and Den-O. "I hope you will join us, Master and Mashu."
Aka shook his head before talking. "Sorry, but I still need to announce that breakfast is ready, Miss Saber."
"I see. Before you leave, you can just call me Saber, Master. There's no need for the Miss." Saber requested with a soft smile. She felt the Miss was a bit redundant to her title as a Servant.
"Oh. Very well, Mi- I mean, Saber. Mashu and I will be off searching for the room now." Aka said though he had trouble adapting to her request. Then he and Mashu walked off to find the room once more.
Saber gave a nostalgic gaze at the departing boy after their interaction. He didn't show any form of ill intent, instead he was as naïve as the redhead who she fell in love with, sans the heroic ideals as she felt a battle veteran's gaze in his eyes. Though this boy's experience in battle didn't actually change his unique naivety. It was refreshing, but… equally painful being reminded she couldn't be with her love. "I know I shouldn't compare, but he reminds me way too much of you, Shirou…" muttered the young woman with a sad and longing face.
"So who are you thinking about that's got you flirting with the kid?" asked Den-O with a blunt tone from behind the female knight.
"E-EH?! I-I wasn't flirting! I was just remembering about someone dear to me!" Saber stated with a firm tone though her face still blushing.
Meanwhile with Archer, he covered his mouth and nose with his elbow before he sneezed. "Atchoo!" Then he grabbed a nearby tissue to wipe off the mucus that leaked from his nostrils.
"*Sniff* Maybe I put in too much pepper…" Archer wondered before shrugging his shoulders as he continued preparing for the eventual arrival of Saber and her appetite.
Back at the weaponized human and Demi-Servant, Aka was walking through the halls while looking for any indication of the broadcast room.
"So where is the Broadcast Room, Mashu?" asked Aka as he walked through the halls with the girl.
"Well, if we need something broadcasted… we need to go to the Command Room, sempai." Mashu stated.
"Oh… I just realized how unintelligible I must be to believe it was a separate room." Aka said with a downtrodden expression.
"*Giggle* Well, mistakes are another part of being human." Mashu said with a smile.
"Huh, Father said something similar… When he tried to teach me how to cook." Aka said while remembering a certain memory.
"Must be quite memorable for you, Sempai." Mashu said.
"Well yes, it was. That, and it was the last time Father tried to teach me cooking." Aka stated while remembering a fire, monstrous demons, and the amused smirk of Zelretch.
"What happened?" asked Mashu who was curious what happened that stopped Archer from teaching the redhead.
"Hm… well to best describe the incident: Father tried to teach me, but each time he tried, something interrupts our session. After that, he stated that teaching me causes weird and dangerous things to occur so he just gave up."
"It couldn't be that strange…" Mashu said as her mouth turned into a frown.
"Indeed, I thought it was quite normal with fighting those strange humanoids with horns in some sort of area where there were crimson skies." Aka stated as they continued to walk through the hall.
Mashu made a sweat drop when she remembered that the weaponized human walking next to her had lived in the battlefield to the point it was his 'normal' in life. "I think… I'll take that back." The girl said.
"Fou!" shouted a familiar cry, before Fou appeared and jumped onto Mashu's shoulder.
"Oh! Fou." Mashu scratched the chin of the small creature who looked pleased. "Sorry, we forgot about you back at the cafeteria."
"Kyu!" then the white-furred creature scratched at her cheek lightly, causing the girl to giggle a bit from the ticklish scratching.
Then the three reached the central control room of Chaldea to the sight of Olga Marie, Da Vinci, and Kamen Rider Ghost at work in directing the efforts to clear the debris in the Chaldeas room. Due to the low amount of employees, Olga Marie, Da Vinci, and Roman gave the clear to the science division to immediately field their first line of automated helper robots which were used to clear the large rocks. Takeru decided to pitch in by transforming into Kamen Rider Ghost and using his enhanced strength to help with the clearing and protecting anyone in the room due to the unstable nature of the ceiling. He was seen floating outside of the observation window to oversee the work of the robots and remaining Chaldean employees who were experts in demolition. Olga Marie floated near one of the consoles and was hard at work while using a pair of gloves strapped onto her sleeves to act as her pseudo-hands and fingers. Da Vinci was at another console looking over what sort of lasting damage that the traitorous Lev may had left in the software.
The ghostly Kamen Rider noticed Aka walked into the room. "Aka! Mashu-san! Good morning! What brings you two here?"
"Good morning, Mister Tenkuji. Good morning, sir. And good morning, Miss Da Vinci. I am here to broadcast that breakfast is ready." The redhead reported to the group.
"Broadcast that breakfast is ready?" Olga Marie turned to her left sleeve which had a wrist device strapped on it, surprisingly she could still use the device despite her state. She pressed it with her glove and the screen revealed the clock. "Oh, it's around that time… Very well, leave it to me to announce it."
"Thank you." Aka bowed then he prepared to walk out of the room.
"Aka," called out Da Vinci as she turned to him on her chair.
"Yes, Miss Da Vinci?"
"After breakfast, let us discuss a matter of utmost importance." The woman stated, much to the confusion of everyone present.
"Something of utmost importance?" asked Aka who turned to Mashu who shared a similar puzzlement.
"Don't exaggerate whatever this matter is, Da Vinci. If it were something of 'utmost' importance you would have discussed it with Roman and me." Olga Marie deadpanned.
"True. True. But also bring Yule to our table, Aka~!" requested the Renaissance artist.
"Understood. Sir, what is Mister Syforce's current whereabouts?"
"According to here… He should be in his room. That commoner must still be sleeping… Go wake him up, we need to have a meeting today about our next course of action."
"Yes sir!" Aka said with a salute before stopping mid-salute due since it would disobey that last order and quickly put it down. Though his awkward action made a couple of the people present chuckle.
"*Sigh* Just go!" ordered Olga Marie causing the redhead to quickly run out of the room with Mashu following behind him.
After another bout of laughter started but ended when Olga Marie glared at them, Ghost decided to ask the artist a question.
"So what was that something you wanted to ask, Da-Vinci-san?"
"It's. A. Secret~!" Da Vinci responded with a mischievous tone.
"Of course it is…" sighed Olga Marie who had her fair share of dealing with the Servant's habit of hiding harmless secrets or agendas. "Just get the announcement prepared, Da Vinci."
"Of course… Of course… Now, where did I put that automated breakfast announcement?" wondered the Servant as she looked through the system of commands.
After navigating through the halls of the facility, Mashu and Aka were standing in front of a certain room which may had been the only room that the redhead remembered. Said redhead walked forward and started banging on the door, much to the surprise of Mashu and Fou.
"Mister Syforce! Wake up!" shouted Aka over the banging he was making as he continued to hit the door. Then Mashu grabbed his arm before he damaged the door.
"Sempai, stop! The doors are quite fragile! I recommend pressing the buzzer over here." She pointed to the button on the wall near the door.
"All right." Then he pressed the button before a loud horn was heard, causing vibrations to be felt from outside. Mashu and Fou looked shaken while Aka just blinked in surprise. "That was quite loud. Is that normal, Mashu?"
"No, but the director requested such a function to be installed in the rooms because she hated having to deal with certain employees who overslept." Internally, she believed it was to scare out Roman whenever he played hooky during some meetings.
"Huh, I'm impressed. Back at my time in the military, the drill sergeant would use the air raid horn to wake up the soldiers he was training."
"Your drill sergeant is quite… odd." Mashu said with a sweat drop.
"I know. Apparently the reason Drill Sergeant Sarge became a sergeant was because he was the only one to survive some sort of disastrous promotion exam." Aka stated with a nonchalant tone.
"I see…" Mashu said with a similar tone before noticing a detail that the redhead mentioned. "Wait, his name was Sarge?" asked the girl incredulously as the redhead pressed the button for another loud horn blast to occur in the room followed by a muffled thump.
"I'm up! I'm up! Sheesh, you didn't have to press the GODDAMN BUTTON TO THE F*CKING HORN AGAIN!" shouted Yule who sounded very cranky through the door. A couple thumps could be heard as Mashu and Aka stared at the door.
"Huh, this horn really is effective." Aka commented with a hint of amazement as the thumps started getting louder.
"Indeed, but I recommend not pressing it again, sempai." Mashu suggested since they didn't want to anger the 48th Master Potential further.
"Good point."
Then the door automatically opened to reveal Yule with disheveled hair and in the middle of straightening out his uniform.
"Good… Morning…" said the cranky silver haired male who glared at the shorter redhead and the girl.
"Good Morning, Mister Syforce." Aka stated not bothered by the glare that the silver haired male gave.
"…Of course you had to wake me up with a goddamn air raid horn." Yule stated with a hostile tone and his glare continued.
"Do you prefer the bucket of ice method, Mister Syforce?" asked Aka with a calm and innocent tone, unintentionally ignoring the fact he was being glared at.
Mashu looked nervously between the two males, fearing the silver haired Master Potential might attack Aka. She had seen similar squabbles with the employees so this could be the beginning to a fight. But to her surprise, Syforce suddenly dropped the glare and let out a breath and chuckle.
"Heh, I can't stay mad at you." He placed his right hand on the redhead's head and patted it. "Well, at least you were the one to wake me up instead of the Director. I don't think I can handle waking up to her loud voice."
"I recommend not saying those words about our superior." Aka stated while making a gesture of extending his index finger and lifting his right hand up. "There's a possibility she's listening on this conversation."
"Now that's just paranoia talking, Aka! Don't worry, I can take whatever she throws at me!" boasted the taller male.
"Except she does have hands." Aka pointed out.
"Aka, it's a figure of speech."
"So there is a position meant for speech? That's quite odd." Aka said with a puzzled face and tilt of his head.
The taller male palmed his face in frustration before sighing. "*Sigh* Never mind."
"Is Sempai always this literal-minded?" asked Mashu with curious tone.
"Not always, he now has enough morals and normal sense that he won't suddenly kill someone with his thumb." Yule said with a wave of his hand though he internally cringed at a certain memory of how the redhead caused a bar fight by doing such a thing by accident.
"He did what?" wondered Mashu as she turned to Aka whose expression did not change except for a blink here and there.
"Oh, you mean that incident involving that pub. That was more of an accident, Mashu. That man was quite strange when he came near me. He had a face that was between intimidating and odd."
"You mean eerie, Aka…" Luckily the guy Aka accidentally killed was a serial rapist, so there wasn't any major repercussions. "But if we ever enter a singularity that takes place in a city, make sure that Mashu is with you. Can't have another 'back alley' incident."
"Back alley? What happened?"
"I don't know want to talk about it. But it involved fire… a whole lot of fire." Yule stated with menacing tone and dark face that somewhat unsettled Mashu but Aka took it in stride.
"ATTENTION. THE TIME IS NOW 9:00. THE CAFETERIA IS NOW SERVING BREAKFAST."
Then he stood straight and smiled brightly in order to change topics. "So who's cooking for breakfast?"
"Father." Aka responded automatically.
Yule widened his eyes with interest. "Cool, I've always wanted to try the cooking that turned your ration palette into a gourmet one."
Then the two started to walk away with Mashu still a bit stunned. "I still prefer rations, Mister Syforce. But Father's cooking gives a more… 'belonging' feeling." Aka stated while they walked.
"I see… It's been a while since I've eaten some home cooking."
"Since we're on the topic of breakfast, Miss Da Vinci wants to hold a meeting at the table that she and the others about something of utmost importance."
"Fou… Somehow, I know less of Sempai than when we first met him." Mashu said with a bit of a stunned tone.
"Fou!" Then the creature jumped off her shoulder and ran off after the two males.
"Mashu, come on. I don't want you to miss out on eating Father's cooking!" shouted Aka who somehow glowed with anticipation.
"Oh, okay!" responded the girl as she jogged to catch up to the two.
"Though one thing does bother me, Aka…"
"What is it, Mister Syforce?"
"Can your Dad even handle cooking by himself for a lot of people?"
"Don't worry, if there's one thing I am sure about Father, is that when he's in the kitchen, there's no amount of food he can't cook."
At the cafeteria, several of the Chaldea employees were at tables sitting and eating or walking in lines to receive meals by the plate on a long table served with food of different varieties. The large amount of food prepared by the Servant of the Bow was impressive in the eyes of the Chaldea staff with some wondering where he learned such a skill.
But at the table where the major characters sat, it was a large spread that could feed at least twenty people in a household. The group of higher-ranking Chaldea members along with the three Kamen Riders and two new Servants sat at the table, waiting for the Masters and Demi-Servant to arrive. Saber sat next to Archer with her armor dismissed to reveal the blue dress underneath it.
"My, quite a large feast for a breakfast! Were you a gourmet chef in your past life, Archer?" asked Da Vinci who stared at the large amount of food with amazement.
"You could say that, Caster." Archer replied with a nonchalant but polite tone.
"Please, call me Da Vinci-chan like everyone else here." Da Vinci said with a polite tone of her own.
"Wow…" Saber drooled a bit as she felt her hunger risen.
Archer took notice and decided to point it out to prevent the Servant of Sword to lose dignity. "Oi Saber, you're drooling."
"O-Oh." Saber quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin cloth. "My fault, I should be a bit more tact in front of our hosts here." The woman said with a regal tone.
"Is it just me, or does she give off a charismatic aura?" wondered Emu who felt the urge to revere the hero of the past.
"Well, Saber here may be a knight who led an order in the past. Charisma was a necessary trait for such leaders in Medieval Europe." Takeru reasoned.
"Indeed, it is natural for a Servant of her stature to have such an aura." Olga Marie stated.
"Director, do you know my identity?" asked Saber with a suspicious tone.
"Yes, I learned it from a Servant who aided our group in dealing a Singularity caused by a corrupted version of you, Saber." Olga Marie stated.
"A corrupted version?" asked Archer who remembered that Aka mentioned that the group also fought a version of him in that Singularity.
"Yeah, she had your armored dress except it was black with weird, red vein-like markings on her body." Emu described the enemy Servant to the woman in question. "But Director, who is Saber?"
"I'm not going to reveal a Servant's name without their permission. It would be very lowly of a Magus of my stature to do such a thing. When necessary, she will reveal her identity to you all." Olga Marie stated with a noble tone.
Saber widened her eyes in surprise before smiling in respect. "I see… I'm quite grateful for your silence, Dir- no, Olga Marie Animusphere."
"You are welcome, Saber." responded Olga Marie with a similar smile.
"Well, there is one thing, I'm worried about, Director." Roman began.
"And what is that, Romani?" asked Olga Marie who gave an annoyed glance at the doctor.
"How are you going to eat?" asked Roman who gave a small glance at where the ghostly Director "sat" at her seat next to Takeru.
"I just realized that the Wimpy Doc has a point." Den-O said with a blunt tone.
"Sempai, I'm wondering how you're going to eat with your armor on." Emu pointed out.
"W-Well, it turns out that since Takeru here is acting as my anchor in this realm, anything he tastes, I can also taste. So…" Olga Marie theorized.
"So you two share a sense link basically." Emu summarized.
"That is some good quick thinking on your part, Takeru-kun. I never thought that the Eyecons can be used to also contain souls other than ones from the Throne of Heroes."
"Yeah, well I have seen it happen with the Eyecons from the Ganma World, so it should work with Director. Though… I think there might be some complications… *Sigh* If only Edith-san was here…" Takeru muttered the last part.
When the trio arrived they were treated to the sight of the large food spread at the central table.
"Whoa! You weren't kidding! Look at all this food!" shouted Yule in amazement.
"Yeah, *Sniff* The smell of father's food." Then drool dribbled from the redhead's mouth with hunger present in his eyes.
"Um Sempai, you're drooling." Mashu pointed out.
"Oh. Sorry, it's a force of habit." Aka apologized while wiping his mouth with his wrist.
"Oh, Young Master! Yule! Mashu-chan! We're over here!" shouted Da Vinci as she stood up and waved towards the three.
"So that's where they are sitting." Aka said after noticing the group.
"Well, at least we found our seat." Yule said as he walked forward to sit in the chair.
"Hai, Yule-san." Mashu followed along with Aka who still had his hungered face. "Sempai, you're drooling again."
"Oh." Then the redhead wiped his lip. "Maybe I should have that checked…"
Then the three sat at the table while exchanging greetings with the group they had become acquainted with since the First Order they were involved in. While they talked, some of the employees took notice at the arrival of the three.
"So that's him? The new kid who turns out to be our first Master?"
"I never imagined that an artificial super soldier would be a Master Potential…"
"So what if he's born in some test tube? Doesn't make him any less human than us."
"You fool! Weaponized soldiers are born to fight and die. They're disposable, yet this… thing became a Master."
"I know what you mean…"
Archer took notice to the gossip taking place with the seemingly oblivious redhead as the topic. "Seems like everyone's attention is on the kid."
"Can't blame them. 48 potential Masters were located and decided weeks ago, but only one survives the disaster. Suddenly, a 49th Master appears out of nowhere to save the day." Roman stated.
"Somehow I'm not surprised, the kid seems to have a knack to get dragged into danger. Though being chosen to become a Master is surprising, even to me."
"Maybe lady fate has been keeping an eye on a diamond in the rough." Da Vinci said.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that the kid will be accepted by everyone here. Especially the Magi working here. No offense by the way, director." Archer said.
"*Sigh* None taken." Olga Marie said with a sigh before she gave a glance at the redhead who was eating vigorously. "To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly happy to be trusting an outsider for help. But then again, we did ask several outsiders to volunteer to become Masters."
"You're correct, sir. Chaldea's goals are a world effort after all. We need all the help we can get to save Humanity's future. And they are our hope." Roman agreed.
"Hey! Aka, I was gonna eat that!" shouted Yule who pointed at the redhead who had his mouth full and chewing.
"MmMmMmMmmMmMmMmmMmmMmm…"
"Sempai, don't try to talk with your mouth full." Mashu admonished as the redhead swallowed his food.
"Sorry, I was saying that even at the table it is still a battlefield." Aka stated as he stabbed another piece of food to eat.
"That doesn't mean you get to be gluttonous, Aka." Yule said as he speared another piece for himself.
"Sorry, it's just been awhile since I ate Father's cooking." Aka said as he took a bite of the food before having a little bit of trouble swallowing.
Mashu realized that the redhead didn't chew his food properly and offered a glass of water. "Here sempai."
The redhead quickly took the glass and drank it down with the piece of food he has trouble swallowing. "*Gasp* Thank you, Mashu."
"Aka, didn't I tell you not to eat your food so quickly?" Archer said with an exasperated expression.
"Y-Yes, Father. I won't make that same mistake again."
"Good, and eat properly. There's no need to worry about anyone stealing your food."
"Understood." Aka nodded as he continued to eat.
After everyone finished eating their respective meals, Da Vinci started tapping her glass with her spoon to gain the table's attention. "Okay, now that we have finished or finishing eating," She emphasized in part to Saber who was eating a large bowl of fried rice alongside Aka. "we must go on to the reason I wanted everyone here today. Something that is to be discussed with utmost importance: Giving the young Master here a proper name." Da Vinci announced to everyone present while gesturing to the eating redhead at the table.
"Oh come on, are we still going on about that?" asked Yule who did not like how they just keep picking on the name he gave Aka.
"I have to agree with Da Vinci here. Aka isn't a proper name for this kid, it's more like a nickname." Archer stated, causing Yule to feel a figurative block smack into his head.
"I agree." Saber said with a nod before she continued to eat.
"Same here." Takeru agreed.
"Ditto." Emu said.
"Yep. No kid would actually name their kid, Aka." Den-O said while begrudgingly remembering a certain no-naming-sense friend of his.
"Indeed." Olga Marie said.
"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a name." Roman said with an honest tone but he did appear apologetic to the white haired Potential Master.
"You guys are way too brutal…" Yule said with a downed look before let his face make contact with the table.
"So we're all in agreement, now what name should we bestow onto this young soul? I see him as a Roberto, any other suggestions?" asked Da Vinci as she gave her suggestion.
"Hm… how about Arthur?" suggested Saber.
"Isn't that a bit unoriginal?" asked Archer with a deadpan tone.
"So what if it is? How about you come up with something, Archer? You are Master's Father, after all." asked Saber with an annoyed tone.
"Who said I was even his relative? *Sigh* But fine… Why not Shinikishi (Death Knight)?" suggested the tanned Servant.
"That's a bit morbid…" Yule said with a sweat drop after lifting his head up.
"Nope." Zelretch said while sitting at the table.
"Hmph, well I don't see you suggesting- Wait… Zelretch?! When did you-"
The older man held his hand up and blew the steam coming from his cup of tea. "Not right now, Archer. I'm drinking tea."
"Hm… Adnet?" suggested Olga Marie while resisting the urge to worry about the present Wizard Marshall.
"Already taken." Zelretch responded automatically.
"Roland?" Emu said while trying to come up with a name.
"Nah, we might have confusion if the real Roland is summoned, Emu-san." Takeru responded
"Your names are dumb! We should go with Denraiden!" proclaimed Den-O.
"Denied!" shouted everyone except Aka and Zelretch who only looked amused at how the discussion about what the redhead's official name was going.
"Shut up! The name Denraiden is an awesome name!" shouted Den-O.
"I believe Roberto is a more fitting name!" Da Vinci emphasized.
"Avalo." Saber stated.
"Seriously, why would you name him such an odd name? Kuroshini (Black Death) works just as well." Archer said with a joking tone.
"Being named after a plague doesn't exactly spell confidence or good luck." Emu said with a sweat drop on his head.
"Wow, everyone's quite determined in giving you a name, sempai." Mashu said while observing the discussion with Aka.
"Indeed." The redhead responded before he turned to Mashu with a curious look. "Mashu, do you have a name for me?"
"Name? Well… I'm not one for naming." Mashu responded while looking down. "But, I think that they'll come up with a name that fits you perfectly."
"I see… Yet why do I feel a bit disappointed?" wondered the redhead aloud. The somehow made Mashu feel a bit more bad that she couldn't come up with an actual name for the redhead.
"If I may… Can I make a suggestion that may end this argument?" requested Zelretch who caught everyone's undivided attention. Now, when the Second Magician asked for one's attention, better give him that attention otherwise...
"What are you up to this time, old man? You're not one to help out unless you got some interest or you're bored." Archer stated after years of dealing with the True Magician, he had to be extremely cautious with every word and actions he made around the elder man.
"Well, you can say that giving the boy an identity has caught my interest. So I have an item that will solve this matter peacefully." Then the man took out a card that was blank on one end but had a blue and yellow energy cover.
"A card? What does that do?" asked Archer who had a bad feeling considering how unintentionally dangerous Zelretch was.
"Oh, you'll know soon enough. Here, take it, kid." Zelretch handed the card to Aka who took it and suddenly the card glowed before a new image formed to reveal a mechanical android with a tank tread lower body, cannon arms, and shoulder cannons. The title of the card was:
"Rothus the Traveler?" Aka read aloud.
"Congratulations! That will be your new name from now on, Rothus!" Zelretch said with a knowing smirk.
Taking a curious glance at the subtext of the card, Yule read it. "Rothus the Traveler… 'Though battered and scarred, I march on through wars, storms, and strife. I march on.' Quite the fitting description for you, Aka." Yule said in acknowledgement.
"Hm… Not what I had in mind, but it somehow does sound fitting to you, Young Master." Da Vinci said with agreement.
"Really? What do you think, Father?" asked Aka who turned to the older man for confirmation.
"Well… It fits you quite nicely, Rothus." Archer commented by using the name, somehow it didn't feel off when he called the redhead that name. "Hm… yep, that name does work."
"Rothus… My name is now Rothus…" muttered the newly named Rothus as the card in his hand glowed before flying into the tome attached to his right arm. The tome quickly opened up to reveal a page that glowed then dimmed to reveal a picture of Rothus now wearing a white and black t shirt with his left hand raised in front of his chest to show off the Command Seals on the top of the hand. Then words formed the page adjacent to the illustration.
Master: Rothus
Strength: C
Endurance: C
Agility: C
Mana:?
Luck: -EX?
?: ?
Alignment: Chaotic/Weird Good
Description 1: An artificial super soldier who is now recruited as a Master for the world-saving goals of Chaldea. Be wary of his presence, for dangers of all sorts and kinds seem to occur around him.
Olga Marie flew out of her seat to get a closer look at the opened tome. Surprise formed on her face as she saw a new page in the book. "It updated again!"
"A page about me?" Rothus wondered as several of the members at the table gathered to look at the new pages.
"Seems like it, Aka." Yule said with curiosity at the tome in the redhead's possession. Then he chuckled at the first description. "Man, that statement is actually the best way to describe your luck!"
"But why make a profile of me?" wondered Rothus with a tilt of a head.
"Maybe it's to mark you as its owner, Rothus." Emu concluded while tilting his head to the newly named redhead.
"That does seem to be the case." Roman agreed.
Takeru gave a curious glance at the book. "Yeah. Though what can it do besides allow you to transform like us and keep track of information?"
"I'm quite curious myself." Saber stated with an analytical stare. She was not one for books, even when Merlin taught her how to read, but there was some sort of power emanating from the magical book.
"Same here." Da Vinci said. "I have seen and read several spell tomes and grimoires, but your tome gives off a unique signature, young Master."
"I can't deny my curiosity as well, but why do I have feeling that book is going to bring us a lot of trouble?" wondered Archer as he crossed his arms. He didn't like leaving dangerous things to the redheaded kid he saved, much less trust the kid to not level a city with such things.
"Looks like your parent's intuition is finally kicking in, Archer! *Laughs*" The older mage laughed loudly.
"Tch. Shut up, you old geezer. So what brings the True Mage of the Second Magic here?" asked Archer with narrowed eyes and a displeased frown at the elder man's presence.
Silence took place as several Chaldean employees had been staring in shock at the appearance of one of the most well known and most dangerous mages to exist. In response, the man gave a big smile before responding without a miss of a beat.
"Cutting to the chase as usual. Very well, I just wanted to tell you people about that you won't be dealing with just seven Singularities."
Author's note:
Yes… Yes… I am horrible at writing riddles, but you people at least get what is Aka's true name? If not, it's fine, I might scrap it in favor of Rothus. Besides, I was planning different ideas but… I seriously need help with this fic. But now I decided to go with a plan for craziness to go down just for the amusement of Zelretch.
But this is also to psyche myself up to finish my second Kamen Rider crossover story: RWBY Gaiden: The Duty of Saviors. And yes, that was an event that I planned for Team RGLA.
Fun Fact: Syforce is another name related to the card series that Rothus the Traveler came from.
Sorry if I was a bit late on this chapter, I had a lot of work in the in between along with making the grades. Besides that, I'll try to get a move on the next arc, but let me hint that it won't be in France.
Note: I might still update the chapter a bit.