..into the wild blue yonderrrrr.


Cú Chulainn was fishing.

It was a hobby that he enjoyed quite much. Both when he had been alive and one he still enjoyed it in his afterlife. Perhaps it was the sense of calmness that came over him or the simple fact that he was very skilled at it. It had been especially useful when he had been alive, providing much needed subsistence and a way to just zone out; if just for a little bit. He enjoyed fishing but sadly he had not had much chance to do so while in Chaldea. It was perhaps one of the few things he still had in common with his other counterparts. Before all their paths had diverged resulting in very different lives. Different people. Different heroes- though he'd never call himself a hero. Not that he'd ever would have wanted to sit down and discuss it with them.

That was a simply ridiculous idea.

As he eyed the blue water, Cú rolled his shoulders in irritation. He titled his head as he felt another wave of magic gently pushing at him. Acting as if the magic was a corporeal being he growled lightly at it. He knew what it wanted but he tried not to give it any more than he had unknowingly already did. One moment he had been waking up slowly up a nap and the next he was in this place. His eyes swiftly beheld all that was around him and he knew instantly. That this was not right. He could see the tendrils of magic twisting and turning itself around him. Clearly he was in a spell but more than that- the air practically hummed in anticipation. For as impossible as it was, everything from the water to the blue sky seemed to be waiting. Like a rubber band waiting to snap. Tense. But he knew that it wasn't something that the world seemed to be waiting for. It was who it was waiting for.

Specifically, a small dark haired blue eyed child.

Rin.

Which is who he was waiting for. And oh the scolding she was going to get when she did. If he had to guess, his little magus had been grossly miscalculated in her spell work. He could see Rin's messy spell work refolding reality around him. While it was certainly not up to par with the reality marbles of heroic spirits -it was certainly curious. A mishmash of spells were weaving itself using him as a semi-core basis. While he thought he had seen an earlier version of the spell he assumed she used, Rin had definitely taken it up various notches. He could almost be proud of her incorporating his rune work if he hadn't been dragged into it. On the other hand, she clearly hadn't made the right conversions when using rune work which was probably why he could see the patterns around him. She could definitely use a more extensive learning experience about Celtic magic. He did have to admit, there was some things he didn't recognize in the air. Disappearing when he tried to look at them. Which was quite strange.

Now, if he had been anyone else, he might have gone searching for her, if only to keep his eye on her. This was not a place that she should be wandering. His thoughts belonged only to him and he did not appreciate this experience. But judging how by the magic that he could see, she would end up finding him. After all, this was about him, wasn't it? More or less. So, he would stay here, fishing and eventually she would find him.

"Berserker!"

Ah. Right on time. Well, of course.

Her voice carried on the wind. He didn't bother to look behind him as he could hear her running footsteps barreling through the tall grass. He still didn't look up when he heard her eventually panting next to him. He could feel her trembling form though he wasn't sure if it from fear, strain or something else entirely. He pointed to the smaller fishing pole that had materialized next to her, gesturing her to sit with him. Why waste a perfectly good fishing trip when he didn't have too? He could always yell at her later. He heard her intake a shaky breath before settling down next to him- holding the pole awkwardly in her small hands. Letting out a huff, he reached over to fix her hands. For more than a few moments, Rin opened and closed her mouth wanting to speak but not finding the right words. She didn't know what to say and to be honest, he was more than happy to just enjoy the clear sky and blue water of this lake. It had not been a lake he remembered. It was better. It was likely based on something from Rin's knowledge of the her world but it did have a nice variety of fish. Though he suspected that was more from him he mused absently.

"...Your hands.." Rin finally said quietly as she broke into his thoughts.

Berserker blinked and then took a long drag of the cigarette that had suddenly appeared in his mouth. He had stopped smoking around the little girl due to an abundance of whining from a bunch of heroes in Chaldea. Then due to his ongoing almost constant proximity to her, he had more or less given it up. But here? It felt simply wonderful. Even if it was fake.

"Before I was a monster; Berserker.." he said as he took another puff of the cigarette. "..I was just a man."

Yes, in here. He was just a man. Well a demi- god but still a man. No claws. No spikes. No tail. Less rune work. Rin was silent at this revelation. He supposed she hadn't considered the possibility but then again he was sure she hadn't counted on a lot. And he could see it, literally, the magic pulsing around the girl. He could almost snort as the magic clung to her. Like a parasite. But Rin was a child of her circumstances. A child of magic- she grew up being taught that magicians were stronger. Smarter. Simply better than others. So despite the enormous guilt she felt dragging him and apparently others into this; it was very slowly being eroded by her ambition. Her heart and her brain were already fighting each other. He could see her churning the turn of events over in the head; weighing on her conscience. But the fact of the matter was, the gears were already turning over in her head on the factors she had miscalculated, the research had needed to be done and above all when she could attempt to do it all again. Only this time; correctly. Her thirst for knowledge would never allow this to be. No, Rin would continue to push her limits as far as she could go. And beyond that. Even if she shouldn't. Magicians liked to believe that they answered to a higher calling. If only to use it as a way to excuse their actions. At least that's what her magic was seemed to be saying.

"What of mine did you use?" he asked finally. Powerful magic such as this normally needed something more than simple intent. It needed a catalyst or totem or some sort. Maybe even more. He could see that their relationship had been a key factor in fueling all of this. How ironic. This had all started just trying to annoy his other counterparts and yet here he was, one of her closest companions. Rin nodded slowly before she spoke.

"The paper you wrote on. It had your rune work on it." Rin said as her shoulders slumped.

"You melded multiple spells." Berserker stated as he traced the air, magic swirling around his hand. Rin watched with wide eyes as he did so. She sent him a questioningly look as she looked around them.

Interesting.

So, she couldn't see her work. What a pity. It would have been easier if she could. Then he could have asked about the oddness of certain aspects of the spell. Not that he had any confidence that she could have probably answered any of them. Though he wasn't entirely sure she would have pleased with the fact that it was currently displaying her darker thoughts to him.

"That's dangerous if you don't know how to adjust for them correctly" he said pointedly before he looked back onto the lake. "What were you trying to do?"

"For shadows to be seen." Rin whispered as she watched the waves ripple. Berserker waited for her to continue because it wasn't just that. "..and for quiet things to be heard."


Gosh Rin.

P.S: I have a headache rn so some editing might happen later.