There was endless darkness when the Doctor finally reached his destination.
"This is it." the alien-madman smiled like a trickster. "Jelly babies when this is over?"
Gray sighed at the Doctor`s never-ending lunacy. "I think you should know my answer." The ground was covered in steel debris, scattered like a field of iron-flowers from yesterday`s battle to rescue her. This journey throughout space-time nearly ended then had it not been for the Doctor. Although as Gray recognized later, the alien-madman was chained to her existence too as she was to his. Therefore, what would happen when all of this is truly over?
The Doctor stopped unexpectedly in bewilderment. "What is it?" Gray asked anxiously, reaching for her blade Grim Reaper (Scythe of the Death God). "An enemy?"
"...No." the Doctor muttered to himself. "I thought I detected a strange abnormality in the time-vortex only...ah, it `s nothing. All this Magic in the air is tricking my clever mind, is all..."
A moment of silence passed.
"Ah...I see you finally came." a calm voice spoke. The time-travelers looked up as the moon overhead shone down upon a humanoid being. A humanoid being, resembling a tall unidentifiable man enshrouded by a cloud of darkness obscuring everything about appearance. A living silhouette, radiating that of an unearthly malice that seemed to wither space-time. A forgotten spirit who haunted eternity itself.
"You...the Shadow of Eternity, I assume?" the Doctor looked solemnly at the true mastermind behind all this. "Hmm...your appearance is not what I was expecting you to be..."
"Heh..." the Shadow sighed charismatically, one that barely hid the despairful hatred within himself. "You seem to have aged too the last I came upon you, Doctor. Time does not heal all wounds, eh?" The being then gently looked at Gray, who valiantly glared back despite her dread. "Ah, hello there... Gray, was it? Lovely to see you at last too..."
The Doctor quickly stepped beside Gray protectively. "You know my companion`s name?""
"Oh, I know all that there is about you, Doctor." the Shadow answered, leaning on a nearby tree. "Everything, from when you first abandoned Gallifrey to become a lunatic with a box. Past. Present. Future. All your incarnations, from the first to the last. What other being would be fated to walk in your eternal shadow as Time`s Champion? You made me into who I was, after all."
Gray`s mind went into overdrive. There was something strange about the Shadow of Eternity...what was it? Although the Docto theorized about the enemy`s true identity of being his sworn arch-enemy, the Master, there was another being who could have been Summoned into this Magical multiverse to be the antithesis to the man`s symbol of hope. Especially when the Shadow was hypothetically an Avenger-Class himself... "Doctor, I don`t think the Shadow is who you - "
"I made you!?" the Doctor was not listening, glaring at the Shadow adamantly. "Nonsense! I am a man who heals, never one who willingly destroys! You are a cruel, cowardly being for ravaging all creation with your darkness only I suppose that is to be expected. There is no need to call you the Shadow of Eternity anymore for I know who you truly are, Master!"
The Shadow hesitated bewilderingly. "Master...? Who...? I...oh." The dark spirit of eternity made an otherworldly sound. A hopeless, haunting sound that send shivers down all who heard it. It was the first time in the Shadow`s existence that he ever laughed. "Ah...you think that I am the Master!? My dear Doctor, the answer is in plain sight all this time only you continue to be blinded by your self-glory to see it! You are certainly more of a fool than the one who Summoned me was to call upon me as a Servant. "
"Your...Summoner?" the Doctor faltered. For once, the man was uncertain of what is happening. The Shadow of Eternity`s True Name was not the Master? "Then...who are you?"
"Doctor!" Gray interrupted hastily, her face dreadfully pale. Never before had the girl been this afraid in her life. The fear of the Doctor discerning the true answer to all this, the final knowledge that would shatter his being. "The Shadow is - "
It was at that moment, the Shadow`s Summoner materialized. "At last you have come, Doctor..."
"My Master..." the Shadow sighed, reluctantly bowing his head.
"Master...you!?" the Doctor`s staggered, looking bleakly in dread at the mechanical being floating overhead in the air. "No...it couldn`t be...I thought all of you died!" Gray too was frozen in horrified bewilderment. From her dreams of the Doctor`s memories, she remembered the identity of this nightmarish being... A living calamity of endless darkness, forged from a dystopia scarred by a thousand years of war. The symbol of hatred incarnate. The anathema of creation itself.
The Doctor`s greatest enemy for all eternity.
"Ex-terminate!"
The Shadow of Eternity`s Master was a Dalek.
It was all a hopeless fate.
No matter where the lonely healer was, the monsters would continue to return. A never-ending, meaningless battle that shall last until the eternity itself dies.
"The Dalek fleet I destroyed back in my home universe..." the Doctor remembered the cacophonous battle before he was first Summoned as a Ruler-Class into this multiverse of Magic. "You...survived?"
"Indeed I have, Doctor..." the Dalek answered in its raspy mechanical voice. "The lone survivor of the fleet you slaughtered as the one named The Oncoming Storm. Although I sustained severe malfunctions in the aftermath, it was simple to stalk your TARDIS as it crashed through the multiversal time-vortex until it unexpectedly materialized here."
The Doctor himself became pale. "This multiverse of Magic..."
"What I witnessed was an abomination!" the Dalek screeched. "The illogical force called 'Magic' has made this multiverse into a degraded place, one where the rational Laws of Science are nearly non-existent from the presence known as The Root of Akasha. Without other Daleks alive to aid me, I journeyed in the shadows throughout the rest of space-time, gathering knowledge on the supernatural until I learned of the 'Throne of Heroes'. I recognized this knowledge was one arcane secret I could harness in the name of the Daleks. Therefore after much experimentation, I finally - "
"Summoned me." the Shadow of Eternity concluded grimly. "An artificially-created being who could not be called a 'Servant' at all. Rather, the ultimate Anti-Magic lifeform, born to see that all creation would be ruled by Science once more."
"Then...this means..." the Doctor`s hearts nearly stopped as he finally came to a revelation. "When I was Summoned as a Ruler-Class..."
The Shadow sighed reluctantly. "Congratulations, Doctor. You are basically the reason that all this is happening in the first place. For all the darkness enshrouding this Magical multiverse. I don`t think you could call yourself much of a 'healer' after this, eh?"
Gray looked uncertainly at the nameless Time Lord, who merely silently stood there. No...at this moment, he resembled that more of a hopelessly lost child. A forsaken child who was blinded by his self-glory of being a walker in eternity, aiding others only unable to save what truly matters in the end. The Shadow had no blade, although he was slowly stabbing the Doctor to death from the inside out. Psychological warfare indeed... The young girl`s kind heart could not help to sympathize with the lonely child... "Doctor...please...don`t listen to him. I know you would never mean to cause all this - "
"A man cruelly blinded by his self-glory. A man who was cowardly for not seeing what was truly happening." With another laugh, the Shadow stepped forward victoriously. "One who has given up on all hope, has gave in to his forsaken self. At what time shall the healer becomes the destroyer? Only I know this answer for certain."
"You don`t know anything about the Doctor!" Gray snapped, brandishing her Grim Reaper.
The Shadow stopped. "Oh? I do know all that there is about the Doctor on the inside...after all, my identity - "
"Hmph." a familiar-sounding female voice interrupted. "I see this Holy Grail War has attracted more than enough outsiders."
Everyone looked behind bewilderingly. "Oh, no..." Gray whispered. "Not you..."
Saber Alter had materialized from out of the darkness, stalking forwards with blood-lust in her eyes. "My promise to execute you has not been fulfilled, Doctor." The Dark-Tainted Tyrant snarled. "Although it is certainly a surprise for you to gather more strangers into this cacophony of a battlefield." Unknown to everyone, Saber had detected an extraordinary malicious presence in the nearby landscape. A malicious presence radiated by the Dalek. Therefore, the dark knight chose to investigate, unexpectedly coming upon the Doctor too.
"What trickery is this, Doctor?" the Dalek boomed treacherously. "Reinforcements for you?"
"Ah, not at all!" the Doctor exclaimed hastily. "Only someone who I promised cookies with, nothing you should be anxious about."
The Dalek hesitated. "...What are these 'cook-ies' you speak of?"
The madman smirked roguishly. "Ha! I made you say 'cookies'!" His joy quickly disappeared as he faced Artoria, becoming solemn. This situation was slowly degrading into an unexpected crisis. It would an unthinkable nightmare for the corrupted King of Knights to clash with the Shadow along with his Dalek-Master. "Er...Saber. This is not quite a wonderful time for you to be here. Would you mind staying back until I resolve everything with these strange outsiders first? I promise, there will be no more - "
"I think not, Doctor." Saber glared like a predator, readying her sword. This time, she would make absolutely certain nothing was going to save the Doctor from obliteration... "The only answer you shall receive from me is death. Your associates too will not be spared from - "
"You shall not interfere in the Doctor`s ex-termination!" the Dalek growled. Although it recognized Saber Alter`s intentions, no supernatural abominations shall steal the glory of the Doctor`s death from it. "Shadow, stop her!"
The Shadow sighed reluctantly, launching forward like a shooting star to viciously kick Saber back. The dark knight staggered, looking down only in bewilderment as the armor where the Shadow kicked her began to quickly disintegrate into nothingness. What...was this? "I think you should leave, Saber..." the Shadow spoke calmly. "Only the Doctor must fall here, not you."
The Doctor hesitated. This was the first time he witnessed the Shadow in combat. The wounds on Artoria did not seem Magical in origin...rather, it was like the armor had been erased from existence itself...
Saber brandished Excalibur to counter-attack. This mysterious being was an exceptionally formidable enemy to harm her without a weapon himself. Therefore, he needed to die too. The Shadow jumped away from the blade, seemingly to disappear into thin air only to re-materialize behind her. "Spacial teleportation...?" the Doctor recognized. No...the Shadow theoretically wielded a Noble Phantasm that enabled him to time-travel, without a TARDIS too. Therefore...
"Vortigern (Hammer of the Vile King) - !" A blast of solidified air slashed at the Shadow only to pass through him like a ghost, leaving him completely unscathed. Desperation resonated in Artoria`s corrupted heart. Nothing she was doing was able to harm this enemy...therefore, one solution remained.
Darkness gathered as the knight wielded her sword, readying her Noble Phantasm. No force on this Earth could defend from the blade of ultimate light, after all. "Excalibur Mor - !"
The Shadow moved at lightning speed, halting the sword in mid-slash with his mere fingers. "What...?" Artoria gasped. Dark rust began to form on Excalibur, like the blade itself was slowly degrading to nothingness. It was only with a riposte that the tyrant was able to retreat out of range.
The Doctor`s mind was going into overdrive. The Shadow was nearly able to destroy Excalibur itself? This should not be...the blade was forged by the crystallization of humankind`s hopes, therefore unbreakable. For a being like the Shadow to overcome a Divine Construct`s protection, there could only be one answer. "I...understand..." the Doctor whispered dreadfully. The Shadow of Eternity had another Noble Phantasm...one that enable him to absolutely nullify Magic itself.
What the man was to do with this revelation, no one knew. It was for at this moment, Gray could not stand by watching any longer. "You..." She glared coldly at the floating Dalek. "You caused all this!"
The Dalek merely looked at her in vicious hatred. "I have explained, this multiverse of Magic is an abomination to the name of Science. Therefore all its inhabitants must be erased to create peace for Dalek-kind. You lower lifeforms will never discern the logic of this." Indeed, the Dalek itself was a lost child like the Doctor himself was, imprisoned in an otherworldly multiverse that none could truly understand. Although while the madman with a box resigned himself to continue exploring this beautiful place, the Dalek perceived everything as a living nightmare which it could never escape from. Therefore, all that remained was to destroy the nightmare from its root...the Root of Akasha.
"You are only creating peace for yourself!" Gray snapped. This dystopian creature...what it was doing was unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable. All of creation itself was slowly dying because of its hatred towards the supernatural. Therefore, only one answer remained to this, With a flourish of her scythe, the girl began to chant an ancient Magecraft incantation. "Gray...Rave...Crave...Deprave..." Her voice resonated with valiance, the flower of the battlefield had finally bloomed. "Engrave in me..." The scythe of Grim Reaper began to lengthen, quickly unsealing from its disguise into its true form. Pseudo-intelligence disabled. Minimal mana level reached. Release all limiters.
"Gray?" the Doctor looked at her bewilderingly. "What are you - !?" Saber Alter froze in mid-attack, her Noble Phantasm forgotten as Grim Reaper become an elegant noble lance, radiating a blinding light that distorted space-time itself. The last weapon wielded by King Arthur before her death at the Battle of Camlann.
"A grave for you..." A Divine Construct, the lesser-known sister-blade to the exalted Sword of Promised Victory. An ever-distant promise of glory. "Activation complete." Gray brandished the holy spear like her ancestor did in the time of foregone.
Rhongomyniad (The Spear That Shines to the Ends of the World).
Everyone was frozen, blinded by the radiance of the divine blade of salvation. A fallen sun upon this lonely Earth. A manifested light that eternity itself was unable to extinguish.
"This is the end!" Gray leaped at the Dalek in the air, stabbing forwards with Rhongomynaid.
The Dalek flew backwards, fear materializing for the first time in its life at this human girl. This one, single girl who carried the burden of the Earth`s unforgotten legacy within her. Only there could be no light without darkness... "Shadow...as your Master, I give this command! Ex-terminate the girl!"
"No!" the Doctor watched in horror as the Shadow unexpectedly disarmed the distracted Saber Alter from Excalibur, stealing the knight`s blade before teleporting into thin air. The Dalek...had Command Spells as a Master too? "Gray, watch out!"
Only it was at this moment, all hope was lost.
The Shadow of Eternity re-materialized before the Dalek protectively, defending from Rhongomynaid with the stolen Excalibur. Gray`s eyes widened, maneuvering away in mid-air although the Shadow merely launched after her.
Excalibur stabbed Gray in the chest.
Time had stopped on the battlefield.
A man was screaming. The Doctor could only remember it was himself. Gray crashed onto the ground, blood scattered all over her cloak. Rhongomynaid reverted back into its scythe form, its wielder lost. The Shadow landed, glaring back at its Dalek-Master with empty disappointment as he dropped the Sword of Promised Victory. Saber Alter hesitated, hastily moving to retrieve her blade before retreating into the darkness.
"Gray!" the Doctor ran to his wounded companion, a fragile wilted flower under the moonlight.
"Doctor...I..." A strange sound came from the girl. A sound of sorrowful agony, one that seemed barely human. What a cruel fate this is, to be stabbed by the sword of her distant ancestor. She was indeed chained to the existence of the forgotten past...
"You made me do this...I thought I told you the Doctor was the only one I am after." the Shadow sighed at Gray sympathetically. "Although it had to end like this..."
The Dalek did not answer. "The girl is dying, Doctor. You are unable to save her. It would be wise for death to claim her at this moment." The mechanical creature began to point its gun-stick at Gray.
"No!" The elegant Gallifreyan Seal of Rassilon planted on the Doctor`s hand flared. The last time he wielded these was to heal himself in the aftermath of his battle against Emiya Kiritsugu. Although this time, the alien Ruler-Class had subconsciously activated another one of his fateful Command Spells.
Protect Gray.
"Ex-terminate!" A laser blasted from the Dalek, only to shoot the Doctor instead as he shielded Gray from certain death. The man howled as he collapsed on the ground, shivering in agonizing paralysis. The magic of the Command Spell had nullified the Dalek`s lethal beam only not the unforgiving pain.
The Dalek hesitated, surprised at the Doctor`s survival. "Master..." the Shadow interrupted before it could shoot another laser. "I think I should handle this. Alone. We only came here to reveal ourselves to the Doctor. The man needs to see for himself that everything was all in vain. Psychological warfare, remember?"
"I see...understood." the Dalek inspected the Doctor one last time before retreating, disappearing into nothingness.
A long silence passed, shattered by the sound of Gray whimpering in agony. It was becoming dark... What had she lived for all this life? She did not want to kill anyone. She did not want to see anyone hurt. She was merely a human who wanted the journey of a lifetime. She had a home to return for, a legacy to carry on. The ancient blood of the King of Knights was about to die with her. The Doctor had gave her everything only she gave nothing in return aside from being his shy caretaker.
She did not want to die...
Her life began from being born into a graveyard. Her end was about to descend, forgotten in a land scarred by battle. She did not want this to happen, all the girl wanted at this moment was to be back home... Was it a mistake for her to ever come upon the Doctor in the first place? Everything had become meaningless in the end...although...there was strangely a hopeful acceptance that came with death. The hope that the chains of her past would disappear too...
"After all this, I haven`t told you of my identity..." the Shadow spoke quietly to the Doctor. "My True Name is one should be familiar to you although you have been blinded all this time. It is indeed fate for this to happen, eh?"
The Doctor could only look hopelessly at the Shadow from where he was paralyzed on the ground. "You...who...are you?"
"Doctor who indeed?" The cloud of darkness obscuring the Shadow began to disappear, slowly revealing himself to all. A dark-blue scarf. A tattered dress suit with an old black Victorian waistcoat. A scorched dark overcoat with blood-red tartan jeans. Leather boots. A ghostly pale man, who seemed to be ageless despite his young appearance. Unearthly golden eyes, with hair that became gray from shock. Nothing remained of the former kindness exalted throughout space-time.
"No..." the Doctor`s voice cracked. It was like he was looking at a vengeful, darkened clone of himself. Although...this could only mean... True Name Discernment activated, revealing all that there was to know about the mastermind behind everything. The forsaken, irredeemable answer.
The Shadow of Eternity gave a sorrowful smile.
"The answer is, I am you. The Avenger-Class 'Heroic' Spirit. The Doctor Alter."
The healer who had watched over all eternity was finally defeated.
The answer had indeed been hidden in plain sight all this time...was he truly this blind to have never understood it?
All his incarnations wore a disguise since the beginning. A disguise underneath the eccentric face of a healer. A cruel being, who has stained all of creation in blood in the name of peace. A cowardly being, for never acknowledging his forsaken past, running away out of shame. A man who has given up on truly being a healer. A man who has given in to his inner darkness.
A living paradox to the end.
"Surprised, Doctor?" Alter sighed. "I was Summoned as the embodiment of my Dalek-Master`s perception of you, after all. The darkness residing within all your incarnations, manifested into existence as an Avenger-Class Servant. An ancient nameless predator who would make a good Dalek himself, eternally enshrouded by self-hatred!"
The valiant Doctor was unable to answer, forgotten in tormenting despair. What had he been living for all this time? It was all meaningless. One could never be a healer to the universe when you cannot do so much as save yourself.
"...Doctor...?" Gray`s consciousness was beginning to fade. It was all over...the Shadow of Eternity`s true identity was indeed who she thought it was...
"Although I think this is enough for the moment...I shall leave you be with your companion." the 'Doctor Alter' slowly departed, disappearing into the darkness. "For once, Time has not been victorious..."
Another silence passed as the Doctor gathered his remaining resilience, crawling over to his dying companion. "It`s me...I`m here..."
Gray gave one last smile at the sound of the Doctor`s voice. It was the final solace she would need, knowing that at least someone was there for her in the end. Although...the man himself would be sad without her... What a strange thought this is...dying only to be more anxious about the Doctor rather than herself... He would be all alone once more, in a universe he was dreadfully lost within. The man needed one last hope, otherwise...
"Doctor...promise me. You..."
The young girl stopped breathing, her last moment strangely tranquil like she merely fallen asleep.
Darkness was all Gray knew from then on.
The Doctor staggered, picking up Gray`s fragile corpse.
The girl`s blood stained over his raggedy clothes, a symbol of his forsaken self. Once more, another person he loved was dead because of him. He thought of Gray as another granddaughter he never had, although at this moment it was all over.
This multiverse of Magic did not need a protector anymore. The Root of Akasha could burn to ashes for all he cared. There was no reason to live on here as an eternal healer... Not with the death of his dear companion.
This was his punishment...the nameless being with a box who could not overcome his inner darkness, unable to save what mattered above all in the end.
"No...this is not over..." A vengeful flame bloomed within the man`s hearts. "It is far from being over..."
It was at this moment the Doctor himself was no more.
