Chapter 1: One word, Zelretch

POV Alex

I was disoriented, very confused.

A moment ago, I walked into my room, watching my favorite TV Shows and anime. I was very happy because school was over, the summer holidays had started. But then it happened, I was struck, by a beam of light. In a second, I find myself in an office, sitting in a chair, in front of a desk.

I remained silent, trying to understand, what was happening?

In an instant, a person came out.

"What's going on?" I said, worried and confused. My eyes looked at the being who was sitting in front of me. My breath increased and I could feel my heart beating faster at the second.

The being was an old person, dressed in a black hooded suit, with grey hair and beard.

He made me feel uncomfortable with that smile on his face and his red, vicious eyes. There was no doubt that he gained fun from my confusion.

For some reason ... he looks familiar. I was sure I've seen him somewhere, but I don't remember where.

I narrowed my eyes and, swallowing, I slowly push myself to stand up. There was ... There was something about him that makes me feel uncomfortable. Do you know the feeling when sitting on the side of a disturbing stranger? Yes, well, that was what I currently feel.

"Sir, who are you?" I asked politely, trying to remain calm. Panic never helped anyone, "can you tell me, where am I?"

He looked at me with flashing red eyes, surprised, but the smile on his face remained the same as he spoke "Well, you're clearly polite, unlike the previous ones. Normally, they immediately say: 'Where the fuck am I old man?' Or things like that".

Previous ones?. I didn't know what it means, but my instinct tells me to turn and flee without looking back. I wondered what kind of person can give off this kind of feeling. Just who was he?

"I guess I'll get on stage. You've already heard me talk, my name is ... Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg".

In a second, my mind stopped working completely. All thanks to this name: Kischur... Zelretch... Schweinorg ...?

Being a Fate Stay/Night fan, I don't need much time to figure out what was going to happen. In every fanfic I read, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg can be used for one reason only: Dimensional Travel.

This time the victim being...

Me.

What did I do wrong?

I honestly read dozens of Fanfics, in which an ordinary person is taken by Zelretch. Certainly today, I was that ordinary person, I was about to enter a sea of trouble.

At least I won't be bored, even if the risk of losing my sanity was very high.

"So, Zelretch, what do you want?" I asked gently, trying to smile at this wicked game.

Zelretch cleared his throat before speaking, "As you already know, I travel to many places and change many things, but I realized that when I did that everyone was ... a little boring."

"Boring?" I asked incredulously. I was speechless: boring and Zelretch, these sentences don't go well together. As if to say that Batman is an emotional person, with a sunny personality

"Yes, all funny and amusing, not making mistakes, but each of them has a common thing!" Zelretch raised my index finger for me "They want to be a hero and, as I said, everyone is fun to watch but I want something different!"

"And you chose me," I said, understanding Zelretch's reasoning. I wasn't a heroic person, or extremely good to everyone-Ready to die for the greater good.

I was not a rude, bad or self-centered person but I wasn't a saint or a hero. I didn't hesitate to help a friend or relative with a small problem, but I preferred to stay away from other people's problems.

I was pretty normal, I didn't feel any obsessed with heroes. I was just a slightly lonely and a bit selfish person: I just think of myself and my family.

I really preferred Anti-Heroes; in some cases, I cared more about nemesis than the main hero.

"Alex, first son of Caterina and Stefan. Born on February 20, 2000, in Turin, Italy. After your mother died, you moved to Bucharest in Romania, together with your father. Age seventeen and currently one simple college student, with the dream of becoming a fantasy writer," Zelretch said.

"I would like to tell you more, especially about your secret love for yuri, but that would take a long time. So! Here is my offer!

"I will send you to one of the alternative realities, I won't send you to complete a different place like Bleach, One Piece, Dragon Ball. Rather, I would like to send you to a similar reality as here, but in this case, heroes and villains are everywhere! It means your life would be in danger!

"But don't be afraid, I won't leave you without strength, I will give you the necessary skill to survive, whatever path you take is yours! I don't care if you turn into a serial killer or anything like that! You just spend your life the way you want ... "

"I understand what you want, Zelretch, I receive powers from you, you send me to another dimension, you gain some fun of my life. Am I right, Zelretch?"

From how he speaks, currently I'm his main entertainment, it will be better to get on his good side or he'll send me into a Marvel Zombie dimension.

The faster the adventure begins, the faster it ends, so I can live my carefree life. That is if something doesn't happen to me first.

"Honestly, the idea of living in a fantasy world is a dream come true. So, Zelretch, can you please give me the powers of Accelerator of Toaru Majutsu Index?" I asked in an enthusiastic tone, trying to look happy for this situation.

At least if I was lucky, I could get the power of the strongest Esper I knew: Vector Manipulation. However difficult it will be to control, thanks to it I will be almost unbeatable.

In a second Zelretch began to laugh. It seemed that my attempt to obtain an almost unbeatable power had only made Zelretchn laugh.

At least I proved, many people would have cried, praying to go home, to go back to mum or something.

"I'd like to give you that power, Alex, but where would there be the fun? I will give you much more fun power!" Zelretch raised his hand and my eyes widened when I saw what he held.

A Class Card.

"You have a good mind, but you don't have any special skills, I'm sure you'll die in less than a week. To solve your problem..." Zelretch told me, his mouth curled in a broad smile as he spoke.

I looked at the seven cards he put on the table.

Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Caster, Assassin.

All looked exactly like they were in the anime and Wikia.

"Does the Archer card contain Gilgamesh or EMIYA?" I asked suddenly, if one of them is in that card then I will definitely take Archer.

EMIYA my favorite character, a version of Shiro Emiya, from another reality, a third-order Magus specialized in Tracing or Trace On. A simple and useless spell for many, but for him, it was his best weapon, allowing him to copy Noble Phantasm and create the Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works.

Gilgamesh was my third favorite character, as King of Heroes, his main weapon is the Gate of Babylon, which contains all the treasures of the world, including Noble Phantasm prototypes.

Surely Gilgamesh was the strongest Heroic Spirit, only a fool would not take it. His personality was not the best ever, but his immense wealth and power compensated for this.

"Unfortunately no," Zelretch said, slightly irritated.

"Because EMIYA and Gilgamesh are too used, I'm bored to see my source of fun always use swords like Bullets!"

I certainly don't know what to say, EMIYA and Gilgamesh are too popular and powerful. I must change the subject "So, can you only tell me which heroic spirit contains each card?"

"No. It won't be fun if I tell you." Zelretch replied with an annoying smile. "Now, choose your card!"

I looked at the seven cards offered to me. Each of these cards contains enough power to change, a civilian into a kind of person capable of beating an army alone.

Seven cards ... Seven classes ... Which one should I choose?

I had never fought before, so I would need a lot of strength. if I was right, these cards work like Fate Kaleid/Linear, so while it didn't turn me into a Heroic Spirit, they gave me their powers, skills, and acquaintance; basically, the fundamental pieces to use their weapons.

Honestly, I was more of an officer than a soldier, I didn't like fighting on the front lines. I preferred to create plans and traps and leave the fighting to others.

Saber. Taking the sword and becoming a knight was cool. If I was lucky, maybe I would take Arturia and use Excalibur. But as Saber I could only fight face to face-if the enemy was stronger, I was dead. Plus, the Noble Phantasm of this class was usually a bundle of energy, which can destroy a city and kill a lot of people with a simple mistake.

Lancer. Very attractive, I could get Gáe Bolg. It would be useful, in addition to the speed and agility, it allowed me to retire and run away easily. But their luck was pathetic. In many Fanfics, Lancer's end was very bad.

Archer... If there were no EMIYA or Gilgamesh then I remain only normal Archers. They are not bad and can be very useful. Chase the enemy, and launch the first attack and throw the target into the air. But if the opponent reaches me it will be difficult to fight closely.

Rider. Many Heroic Spirits in this class were mediocre, except for a few exceptions like Achile, Medusa or Iskander. Plus I couldn't use their Noble Phantasm without having an environment conducive to their use. Choosing them would be a random game.

Caster. The class that was most compatible with me. I could create a Golem to do the dirty work, the vast knowledge of Spells and spells were worth more than some Noble Phantasm of mass destruction. Plus I could create a personal base and an arsenal of magical weapons if I get a strong Caster. Certainly, Caster was the most attractive though it lacked the strength to fight.

Assassin. He had a small range of choices, almost all of them Hassan-i-Sabbah. They were not useful in direct combat, but I could easily live with him. I could blackmail people, steal a large amount of money, and hide easily. I could be a kind of Red-X.

Berserker... could be a huge disaster.

"Speaking hypothetically, I chose Berserker, the Mad Enhancement... How does it work for me?" I asked, hoping to hear good news.

"It can be activated and deactivated of course," Zelretch replied. "You can set the timer for how long you want to be in that state, but it also depends on the condition of the mind. For example, let's say you just went through a bad day and set Mad Enhancement for fifteen minutes. Then yours is not the right condition. You'll be under Mad Enhancement for twenty minutes or so, depending on your problem."

"I see ... is there another side effect? Once I have done with my Berserk state, will my mind be more unstable?" I was slightly afraid of losing my mind, my most precious asset.

"Without taking into account the migraine, as soon as the moment you go out of the berserk state, everything would feel like a dream. The longer you've been berserk, the more painful the headache will be."

Of course, becoming Berserker for some may actually be big? For me, it sounded like a horrible idea, what kind of healthy man was willing to exchange his mind for power only. However, there was no denying the potential of the Berserker card. I was sure that almost all Berserkers were very strong.

I would have incalculable raw power. If I receive an already strong Heroic Spirit, once Mad Enhancement is active I will be comparable to Superman or Hulk.

Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin or Berserker.

Warrior of the sword, warrior of the spear, warrior of the bow, the one who wode, the one who possessed the wisdom and knowledge that surpassed humanity, he who transcended time to live under the shadows and could kill anyone without others realizing it, the one who traded their sanity for more power.

Among these seven cards, there was one who would change my whole life and help me in the future ... Which one should I choose?

A very difficult choice. I would probably choose Caster for its versatility. But under certain circumstances would Berserker or Assassin be more useful, pure strength or invisible power and stealth?

Don't forget that Saber, Archer, and Lancer were wanted for a reason.

Why didn't Zelretch let me get more cards? Surviving would be easier if you could access more Class Cards.

If I could...

..

.

I got a brilliant idea.

"These Class Cards, they will make me very powerful, comparable to a true Servant," I asked, waiting for an answer. Seeing Zelretch nod, I smiled diabolically "Can I choose one of them? Will you give me what I choose?"

"That's right," Zelretch replied, looking even more curious than before.

I took all seven Class Cards from the table and with a determined expression, I announce my choice: "then I take all the Class Cards!"

Zelretch's face became the textbook expression of shock before suddenly bursting out laughing: "Well, you're a greedy one, I can't believe it, a boy who surprises me!"

"I'm certainly a professional in these things. After dozens of anime, games, books, one develops a capacity to make this kind of choices," I said. This idea of mine came to me from an episode of an old anime, one I don't remember the name.

"Zelretch, then these Class Cards, how does it work? Do I get a Mystic Code or do I have to recite a spell like a hybrid Magus Power Rangers?" I asked hopefully not to receive a Kaleidosticks named Ruby. That magic wand humiliated and teased Illya in almost every episode of Fate/Kaleid.

Zelretch didn't answer me, he just smiled mischievously. A very strong shiver ran through my back. I risk losing my sanity with Zelretch nearby.

"You will not need Ruby and Sapphire at the moment. These Class Cards are special, they will unite with your essence. Giving you over time the ability of any Heroic Spirit that can be found in the Class Cards," Zelretch said with his attitude of a troll.

This fusion of the soul, I don't like it. In different fanfics I read, a fusion can lead to a kind of schizophrenia or be possessed by the Heroic Spirit in the end.

Perhaps I could ask to receive Sapphire, lose and give up my dignity and pride as a man, to keep my personality intact.

"Simply put, I will become a sort of Demi-servant like Shielder of Grand Order," I said, trying to figure out what will happen to me. Zelretch nodded, the vampire amused himself by seeing my panic and stress build-up.

"It wouldn't be fun to torment me with a Kaleidosticks in an embarrassing dress similar to a Magic Girl," I murmured to Zelretch, becoming a Demi-servant sounded better than dressing like a Magic Girl, but the risk of being possessed was too great. Better to die of shame and live, than to become a puppet or container of who knows which Heroic Spirit.

I thought about Zelretch for a moment, trying to understand what was more fun, being condemned to the fate of a Demi-servant or Masho Shojo.

Don't ask me how, but above Zelretch's head, a light had appeared, after a second he replied with a mischievous smile that made me think the crazy man had something in mind, "No, maybe next time Alex. I almost forgot, you don't have to worry about side effects and changes."

All 7 Class Cards shone for a moment and then sank into my flesh. In a moment a kind of Seal Command appeared on the back of Zelretch's right hand, identical to that of Thokiomi Thosaka of Fate/Zero. The only difference was the color. It wasn't red but golden. I didn't know what it meant, but one thing I was certain: the process of becoming a Demi-servant had begun.

Now I no longer thought about what was going to happen, I didn't like it at all, once I heard the word 'side effects' the desire to strangle Zelretch was born.

The adrenaline and sudden implantation of Class Cards in my body caused a kind of shock in my brain.

"What side effects!" I shouted, letting my rage come out, trying to strangle Zelretch. But the floor beneath my feet had disappeared, Zelretch wanted to throw me into another dimension quickly before I could strangle him.

Fortunately, I managed to keep my hold on the desk and Zelretch's jacket. Using I don't know which Magecraft, he managed to disappear, leaving me with his jacket in my hand.

At that moment the portal got bigger and sucks me in, along with the desk and everything in the room.

Crossing the portal in and out, lasted only a few seconds. It seemed like an eternity. The place was full of thousands of multi-colored lights. At that moment, I could see why Two True Magic was called Kaleidostick.

Too bad I couldn't enjoy the show because my body felt torn to pieces. It was as if I had been struck by lightning and then thrown into an acid tank. Then being beaten to death by a gang.

Once struck by the white light, coming from the exit of the portal, I lost consciousness.

XXX

Zelretch was very happy, he had found an interesting boy. Alex is a normal guy on the surface but hides a dark secret inside.

He was like Zelretch: bored and looking for entertainment.

Alex was a lonely boy, with few friends and a great passion for movies, books, games, and talking about fantasy and Scifi.

The truth about Alex's lonely behavior was very simple.

Alex was born in the wrong world. Zelretch saw this, the boy wrote of fantastic worlds and dreamed of escaping from the common and limited reality.

Now he was in a fantastic reality without limits.

The saying, be careful of what you wish for, has never been truer.

Author Note: I thank FlightOrFight for helping me fix this chapter.

Update date: 08/20/2019