The Doctor finally landed at a destination he was knowledgeable on.

This universe`s version of late last-century London.

Although he was still searching for the magical time-traveler named Zelretch, the TARDIS had brought him here. The old box had detected a temporal-crack, an abnormal breach in the space-time continuum around this place therefore he was moving to seal it before anything bad happens.

"Caretaker of all universes is what I am..." For once, something non-supernatural he could interfere with. Temporal-crack sealing was quite simple, he had been doing this since his first incarnation. The Doctor stepped into an abandoned alleyway, reaching for his sonic screwdriver yet stopped bewilderingly.

A pretty young Japanese woman was standing with her back towards him, casting an ancient spell of True Magic towards a wormhole made of streaming energy floating mid-air, the temporal-crack. She was brunette with long streaks of brilliant ginger, wearing a simple short travel-dress and boots, although there was something else about her too...

"...What?" the Doctor noticed this person was sealing the crack before he could, using Magic instead of technology. What was with him attracting all these strange yet wonderful individuals whenever he went?

With a flash of light, the crack faded away into non-existence as the girl brought the sealing to an end. She sighed wearily to look at him. "Er...are you the Doctor?"

"Who?" the Doctor hesitated. "I am...universally. Who are you suppose to be?"

"My name is Aoko Aozaki." the girl greeted. "I was expecting you."

"...Aozaki?" The Doctor muttered to himself. The surname sounded familiar within this universe... "...Ah, The Witch of the Holy Night! You`re the Magician of the True Magic of temporal-manipulation!" The Magic Blue, last of noble True Magics. The ultimate skill where the wielder could manipulate the workings of Time, becoming a sage who transcends history itself. Aoko was basically this universe`s equivalent of a Time Lady.

"I think you`re more of my sensei when it comes to temporal-manipulation, Mister Lord of Time." Aoko gave a small bow of admiration. "Oh, before you ask, this is my first time seeing you. I was in Britain for the Mage`s Association Clock Tower when the Wizard Marshall Zelretch contacted me, he asked I await you here - "

"Zelretch?" the Doctor interrupted eagerly. "Where is he?"

Aoko hesitated. "You...kinda missed him. He traveled to another parallel universe after explaining everything, something about seeing you another time too..."

The Doctor sighed restlessly. All this traveling around, yet there was still naught that could answer the questions he needed. "Is no one interested in history?" he walked away in disappointment.

"Er...I am?" Aoko apologized, following him. "Zelretch mentioned you are trying to save this multiverse..."

"From The Mysterious Crisis." he answered calmly. The Witch froze unexpectedly, fearful recognition on her face. The Doctor studied her. "What, you have something?"

Aoko hesitated. "This Mysterious Crisis...I know what it is."

The Doctor blinked.

"Explain yourself."

"It is a mysterious force of corruption, an invisible poison that is ever-slowly transcending all of creation." Aoko began quietly. "No one understands where it originates from."

"Alien?" he asked seriously, dropping all eccentric-ness.

"I don`t know." the Witch responded. "Only me, Zelretch, and other close allies in the world of magic recognize its coming. Zelretch himself began calling it the 'Mysterious Crisis' like you after being to first to notice. Its presence is almost everywhere and everywhen, enshrouding the entire multiversal space-time continuum. The temporal-crack I sealed a moment ago was an mere aftereffect of it. This dark corruption has gone far enough to stagnate magic, causing it to gradually weaken."

She paused. "I think you already realized this, only in this era of time, humankind has long abandoned Magic for science instead. Should the Mysterious Crisis continue to weaken the supernatural..."

"Magic itself will theoretically become extinct. This multiverse will be deprived of its foundations..." the Doctor concluded darkly. His mind suddenly clicked. "This dying of magic...would it affect Heroic Spirits?"

"Heroic Spirits?" Aoko studied him. "I suppose so, since Servants themselves are special familiars created by Magic...although the Mysterious Crisis is still something we have little knowledge about."

"...Saber." the Doctor remembered. Back in the Holy Grail War, Artoria`s Invisible Air had basically failed for a single moment, almost revealing her identity too early in history. On second thought, he recognized this was caused by the Mysterious Crisis...yet for the corruption to infect magic on the scale of Noble Phantasms is an ominous sign... "Is there a solution to stop it? The Counter Force?"

"The Counter Force could only defend the Earth and humankind temporarily, the source of the Mysterious Crisis is still out there in the far beyond. Unless someone discovers its identity and origins, we could only resist the oncoming chaos." she answered wearily. "There are many entities out there that could destroy the World. The Type-Ultimate Ones. The primordial demons. The Great Enemies of Humanity. Yet the Mysterious Crisis is far worse. It has a presence that should never exist in the first place..." She hesitated thoughtfully. "Zelretch himself is on a journey to investigate it, only I think your assistance would be appreciated."

The Doctor was quiet. At least one mystery has been solved for the moment: The knowledge of the enemy his unknown Summoner had called upon him to defeat...

"Oh, is that your time-machine?" Aoko broke the silence. They had arrived at where the Doctor`s spaceship was. "The...um..TARDIS? She looks...kinda small."

"Oi!" the Time Lord exclaimed. "You`re expecting something else?" He opened the doors. "What do you think? Lovely enough?"

Aoko stepped forward. "It`s...dimensionally-transcendental!"

"I noticed." the Doctor acknowledged. "Bigger-on-the-inside."

The girl walked around the console, staring upwards at the spacecraft`s inner mechanisms. "What a beautiful machine...I suppose it essentially works by recording the traveler`s bio-data mechanisms and re-programing their potential future so an individual could exist at another space-time location to bypass the limitation-effect paradox?"

"Er..."

"Time-Witch, remember?" she smirked before studying a fob-watch from her pockets. "Ah...I would love to stay, only there is somewhere else I have to be. Magician stuff to investigate. It was wonderful to know you, Doctor. You`re a good guy, only a little mad for a demi-Heroic Spirit."

"I suppose that is what makes me a Doctor-Class, eh?" The Doctor led her outside.

Aoko only smiled. "Good luck, Mister Lord of Time."

"Good-bye, Miss Time Lady." the Doctor watched the Witch of the Holy Night disappear before returning to the TARDIS.

The Mysterious Crisis was identified yet there are still mysteries ahead of its origins. He should continue exploring this multiverse to search for these unanswered questions...although since the TARDIS is in Britain for the moment, the Lord of Time was reminded of one last place he wanted to visit...

"The grave where She rests..." the Doctor sighed, operating the console.