Sorry for the wait. This took far longer than I wanted to get out, but here it is. Tbh, this is the first time I've touched creative writing (or really writing in general) since I was nine or ten. That was over ten years ago. So yeah, the feedback for this fic has been phenomenal. Thank you all so much.

Right, I don't want to make some massive An. So I'll only be addressing the two most common questions I got in reviews.

1. What Servants. Basically, I plan to write part 1 of fgo in the same vein as the events, Epic of remnant, and part two. So practically all servants will show up in Chaldea after their Saint graph is first recorded. They won't all be contracted to Sasuke, but they will be there.

2. The Edginess. A significant portion of the reviews were about this, and really, it's a fair criticism. Most spoke about one set of dialogue in particular. And while it's also fair to say that Sasuke may just be the edgiest character in popular shonen. I agree, those scenes were a bit much. To be fair, they weren't really meant to establish the tenants of Sasuke's character in this story, but I probably should have either changed them or removed them.

Anyway, as I said. This chapter is super late, but I actually cut a bunch of stuff from this that will be going into chapter 2. which I'll be working on that the same day that this gets posted, so hopefully, you all can expect that in the next week or two, perhaps evens sooner. (also don't get mad. But I actually wrote the last 3/4's of this in the past two weeks, and the last half of this in the past two or three days.

I haven't given this a proofread on yet, so there may be some issue's I'll have to edit, (mainly with italics) but yeah. I Might start trying to respond to some of the more detailed reviews in Pm's. But no promises.

(((Twilight Journey)))

After waking at a reasonable hour, he tested his limbs, making a note of the many hairline fractures that littered his arms and ribs. They were minor injuries to him, and he could safely ignore them as long as he wasn't involved in any strenuous activities. Seeing as he was still injured and that the intense muscle pains that racked his body had yet to fade, Sasuke decided only to do very light exercises for the morning.

After some light stretches, Sasuke decided on a mere two hundred sit-ups and two sets of fifty one-finger press-ups, one set on each hand. After completing the relatively minor workout, which did nothing more than get his blood pumping, he made his way towards the cafeteria for breakfast, puzzling out its location by following the packs of employees that shared in his suffering of an empty stomach. Finally, he came up to the countered and ordered a standard breakfast of bacon and eggs. It was a meal he hadn't tasted since the last morning of his mother's life, and strangely, being in a new world made him feel oddly nostalgic.

He let out an annoyed sigh as his name echoed out over the din of the cafeteria's hungry morning chatter. Sasuke had planned to eat alone, but when he turned to see his two new pink-haired teammates waving him over with smiles on their faces, he concluded that snubbing them this early on was probably not in his best interests.

Sasuke sat down on the bench across from Mash, who gave him a cheerful good morning before placing another forkful of some colorful salad in her mouth. The second occupant of the lunch table was the flamboyant rose-haired man. As his apparent new teammate and friend, he gave Sasuke permission to call him by the name Pepe, as all his friends did. The last person at the table was the seemingly somber girl who'd named herself Ophelia at the auditorium. She seemed relatively quiet and sophisticated; and also possessed a doujutsu or at least some kind of eye-based power. So Sasuke judged that they were on similar wavelengths and thus had no issue with her quiet presence.

It wasn't until he and the others had all finished their meals that Mash spoke up again. "So Sasuke, how are you feeling today? Are your wounds giving you any trouble?"

He shrugged in disinterest. "They're fine, all things considering. I've suffered through worse before anyway."

"Mhm, I know; the director told me about that scar on your heart. That must have been terrible."

"Ohhh… What sort of scars are we talking about here? I hope it's the incredibly attractive kind with a dark secret behind them?" Pepe chimed in as he leaned in too close for comfort and rested his hand upon his chin as if they were discussing some secret conspiracy.

"It's a family matter… Not something I feel like speaking of."

"Ah yes, Family, I know exactly what you mean."

Considering the way he got that scar, Sasuke sincerely hoped he didn't.

This line of questioning had brought somber thoughts to the forefront of Sasuke's mind. His most esteemed ancestor, Madara Uchiha the betrayer, Madara Uchiha the betrayed …Had put an end to Sasuke's life without hesitating in the slightest. "Be it a close friend, Brother …or even my own Child…" And Sasuke was the same; he had felt nothing but a cold exhilaration at splitting the previous Indra transmigrant in two. A close friend. "Naruto." A Brother. "Itachi." If ever a situation occurred. Even my own child. "…As if such a thing was possible." Sasuke too, would not hesitate on his path to revolution. Anything that stood in his way would be reduced to ashes, his friends, his blood, even his own chance at happiness. There's nothing worth saving in the face of a world where children and families don't have to kill each other. "Truly," he thought. "The Uchiha is a cursed clan."

Mash frowned. Sasuke seemed to retreat into himself as the conversation drew to an awkward close, a melancholic look upon his face. This was all wrong. She'd called him over to their table so she could deepen their fresh bonds of friendship, not so he could brood silently while they waited for the operation to begin.

Of course, it was Pepe who broke the silence first. "Well, dear Sasuke, did you decide on what class to summon?"

Sasuke's mismatched eyes crawled up to meet the other man's sky blue orbs. "Is this about these so-called servants again? Sorry, I know next to nothing about these, classes."

That's right. Yesterday they had gotten sidetracked, and then Sasuke had left to rest before a proper explanation of servants could be given. "Ah, I could explain them now if you'd like Sasuke."

She proceeded at his nod. "Well, first off, servants, while they are technically classified as familiars, are not normally considered as such. Their dimensions above what any mage could summon or create solely with their own power."

Sasuke, who apparently now with the Rinnegan could summon a two-hundred-foot tall rhinoceros, as effortlessly as he could summon a garden snake from Ryūchi Cave, was not impressed. "… ok."

"Umm… Right, so servants are also known as heroic spirits. This is because they are really just the records of past heroes pasted over a magical core, so to speak. Even our FATE system here in Chaldea doesn't have the capability—"

"Enough Mash. Just tell me about what types there are, the different classes."

"Oh, well, there are seven main classes of servants, that are split into two groups. The three knight classes, and the three calvary classes, as well as the berserker class." Mash explained each of the standard classes' benefits and weaknesses and spoke of some of the inherent skills servants of each type were likely to have and the basics of how a holy grail war functions. All the while, Sasuke sat silently examining the two tattoo-like markings on his left hand.

His hawkish gaze met hers as she finished talking. "If Saber is the best class, then I'll simply summon that one." He shrugged as he spoke, and although his expression was empty of any blatant condescension, Still still spoke as if he thought he was the only person in the world who wasn't an utter fool.

"Hmm. That's actually the class Ophelia here was planning on summoning, A valiant knight to defend this poor uptight maiden."

"I'm not uptight." Scandinavia made an amused noise at that. "Although I do have a servant of the Saber class in mind for myself, It's perfectly acceptable for you also to summon one as well. If the other teams are also authorized to summon servants, I'm sure there will be lots of sabers running around Chaldea."

Sasuke turned his attention away from the auburn-haired girl as she finished speaking, and looked back to mash. "Well, what about the other classes? Wasn't there also extra classes?"

Mash thought hard, going over all the information she read about the non-standard classes in her head. "The extra classes don't really fit in the same way the others do; normally, they are summoned to fulfill a specific task or when a specific condition is met. So, although technically, there are more extra classes than standard, they're all rather rare; in fact, there are only three of them you could reasonably expect ever to encounter. And of those three, only one of them can be summoned through mostly normal means."

"Are they any better than Saber?"

"Right. Um, there is the ruler class, who is traditionally summoned by the grail itself to act as administrators to the war when something goes wrong. This class is mostly made up of saints, although the only true requirement, as far as I know, is to be impartial and truly lack a wish you want to be granted. The next one, Alter Ego's, are quite interesting. Because they generally rely on the existence of another servant to manifest. See, Alter Egos are more like an aspect of a servant's identity or personality that becomes its own individual, so they have to split off from an existing servant instead of being summoned like normal. Aside from that, though, they mostly just function as a normal servant." Mash glanced at both of her seniors with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Scandinavia flashed a brilliant smile and snapped his fingers into a thumbs up, while Ophelia simply smiled and nodded. "That was perfect Mash, well done."

Mash cringed at the flash of annoyance she saw in Sasuke's gaze. "So they're different from Saber, but they hardly sound superior. What of the last one? You said there were three."

"The last of the less rare extra classes is the Avenger class. They are determined neither by their choice of weapon nor their role in a holy grail war. The requirements for materializing as an avenger are to be consumed with a desire for vengeance that trumps time itself. It's unfortunately not a very heroic class, and summoning an Avenger Servant isn't feasible without a non-standard grail. Although I imagine the FATE system is capable of it."

How convenient, a class almost custom-designed for Sasuke himself. "Perhaps I will summon an extra class servant then." Now it was time for Him to take his leave. The din of anticipation-filled chatter was beginning to grate on him. And while his colleagues here were convenient sources of information, he presumed anything they could tell him now were things he'd learn at his leisure.

Of course, Scandinavia had the cheek to interrupt him right when he was beginning to rise from his seat. "Enough of this work talk. Darling, you simply must tell us about where you've come from. A whole new world! I can barely imagine it." He went on to list his demands, questions about Sasuke's Society, his job, romantic partners, and other unimportant drivel.

"I will not be called 'Darling'." Sasuke let out a deep sigh as he slid back into his seat. He had no interest in discussing such topics, but Mash freely gave out much and more important information. So he'd comply. Fair was fair, after all. "I've yet to leave this building, So I cant make many comparisons with this world and my own. I don't know what to say about romance. I seemed to have obtained more than my fair share of female attention, but I have no idea what they see in me, nor do I understand what they expect me to see in them."

"Really. Didn't your mother ever teach you about the birds and the bees? I can certainly understand what young girls would see in you." Pepe noticed Mash and Ophelia desperately trying to shut him up with gestures and mouthed words. "Oh, I've gone and said something incredibly foolish, haven't I."

"No. Unfortunately, she did not. My mother was killed ten years ago. Listen closely, you ask about my job. I'll tell you about 'Shinobi'."

And so he did.

"That's horrible, Sasuke. So all Shinobi are child soldiers trained to act like heartless tools".

Horrible or not, something she'd said confused Sasuke. "What point is there in differentiating between a soldier and a 'child' soldier?"

The auburn-haired girl's eyes widened in shock. "That's horrible. Does your entire world engage in such practice?"

He nodded slowly as if he failed to comprehend their apparent disgust. "As long as kids aren't killing each other, it's not a big deal. How are you meant to create competent warriors if you wait until maturity to begin conditioning?"

The two girls looked like they wanted to respond, but Pepe cut them off, seeing a chance to steer the conversation back into conventional territories. "Settle down, you two. It wouldn't be right for us to enforce our beliefs and judgment on a culture we know less than little about. I'm much more interested in what you've said about this Ninjutsu. It sounds like it's cut from the same cloth as my Shugendō in some ways. Hmm, perhaps a demonstration could be given if it's not too much trouble."

"Perhaps, later."

"Ah, but I'm so curious. We won't get another chance until after tomorrow, after all."

"Darling." Darkness flickered in Sasuke's eyes. "Sure, now is fine."

"Oh! Really? What did you have in mind."

Sasuke raised his hand and held it out to the other man, who took it immediately. All three sets of eyes were watching with keen interest. "So, what's going to happen—

—Instantly, all the muscles in Scandinavia's body contracted, and he sat stiff as a board, with sasukes grip being the only thing preventing him from falling backward. Sasuke eased off the chakra flow and gently pulled him forward, so he rested against the table, before removing his hand and beginning to stand up.

"That wasn't very nice, Sasuke," Mash said.

"Yes, rather uncalled for. What did you do to Pepe?"

"Have you ever heard the saying 'Curiosity killed the cat?' I told you, shinobi developed Ninjutsu solely to kill one another. They're not circus tricks." He'd left his seat and turned towards the door by now, but he looked back at them. "He should be fine in a minute or two. The Master's initiation is in about an hour, and I'm expected to be there." Then, with a final nod, he left.

The two girls sat quietly for a minute before Scandinavia recovered. He slapped his face a couple of times gently and tested the fluidity of his limbs. "Well. That was an interesting talk, wasn't it."

Ophelia only rolled her eyes. "If you say so… He could have at least taken his plate up."

(((Twilight Journey)))

After breakfast, Sasuke had simply returned to ponder morosely on his situation in the quiet darkness of his bedroom. Sasuke was without doubt. "Naruto absolutely must die." His one and only friend would fall at Sasuke's own hand. But He had steeled himself to that fact long ago; the abyss where his heart used to dwell had long since come to terms with killing his comrades. "Even if I wish it otherwise, some people will always stand in the way of true peace."

The Indra transmigrant had changed his mind about one thing, though. "The Biju's power is far more enticing than expected. They're also, by far, the most convenient path to eternal life. Be that as it may, there's no need for them to remain as individual beasts." He'd have to find some way to recreate the Gedō Mazō to become a perfect Jinchūriki since the original was locked inside Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's dimension. At least that was nine fewer beings he'd have to kill.

Eventually, his concerns turned back to the restored mark on his palm. Before, in the infirmary, it had felt empty. Almost hollow. But now. Now he could clearly detect a small reservoir of extremely potent six paths energy. Not only had the tattoo returned, but it was also stockpiling chakra on its own accord. Sasuke was hesitant to test it out. In truth, he'd been far more wasteful with his reserves than was wise. He'd be hard-pressed even to keep his eternal eye activated for long, let alone make use of its jutsu.

But perhaps a sliver of the snake Sannin's mannerisms had rubbed of on him, Because he felt an all-encompassing desire to discover if he could access this chakra. "Strange…" It wasn't as if he genuinely valued scientific knowledge as Orochimaru had. No. Sasuke wanted to understand this mark solely because the mere existence of the thing seemed to hang onto his soul like a shroud of ice, a constant irritation that had him on edge.

"Chidori." The shrieking wails of a thousand birds being electrocuted filled the small bedroom. Indigo plasma encased his hand, and tendrils of electricity lashed out, striking at the steel walls and floor harmlessly. Unlike the Rasengan it was based on, which required no chakra upkeep once the jutsu was fully formed. The Chidori was a constant drain on the user's reserves, so Sasuke had no desire to hold it for long. Without hesitation, he dragged the energy out from the purple moon upon his hand and infused it with his jutsu. Feeling the mark drain completely dry as his purple lightning darkened into a stygian black. He flicked his wrist a couple of times as the jutsu dispelled, sending near-invisible flakes of skin that had been burnt off by the high concentrated chakra waltzing into the air.

Making use of the chakra had been as easy as last time. Even so… The chill had yet to leave his spine. He let out a hollow sigh and made his way to his next destination.

This so-called 'Extremely important day' had been rather droll so far, Sasuke reflected. The doctor had told him to be at the new Master's orientation by ten o'clock. So he had. It wouldn't be prudent to stay at the back of the room and risk missing some important details. So the Dark haired boy had opted instead to lean casually against the side wall with his arms crossed, at the point where the stage divided the room in two. It was admittedly still relatively far from where the Director would be speaking, but Sasuke had no intentions of sitting alongside the also-rans.

The faint shadows of A-team in the room beyond the back windows caught his eye as Olga Marie gave him a nod and took her place on the stage. She started with a grandiose speech once the master candidates that were not part of his team finishing milling into their seats. Unfortunately, almost all of the terms and concepts she spoke of were nothing but gibberish to Sasuke, so he instead turned his attention to some late arrivals.

He raised his eyebrow when Mash and two others entered the room. A large man in green whose sense of style was a filthy crossbreed between dapper and egregious stayed at the back of the room. And a tall young man with features similar to Sasukes own took a seat in the front row. The girl herself seemed to sweep to the back of the room when her boss caught sight of her. But his look of vague interest darkened into a light scowl as he spent a half-second to count all the masters in the room. With Mash as a member of the A-team, the now forty Masters in this room made exactly forty-eight Master candidates—Not counting him, of course. Which meant he'd just lost his bedroom.

Hold on… Sasuke scrutinized the green-coated man with his Rinnegan. "What the fuck?" A writhing mass of malicious tentacles wrapped in the skin of a man. That is all this thing was—a disgusting imitation of flesh. Once again, Sasuke was reminded of his once teachers' true form. This thing and Orochimaru seemed painfully similar. But. After his rebirth, the snake Sannin had seemingly turned over a new leaf to safeguard humanity. All in order to observe Sasuke, so he said.

Perhaps this creature was cut from the same cloth and had joined Chaldea in an honest effort to safeguard human history. Sasuke suspected otherwise. But for the first time in this world, he felt the need to seek out answers for no other reason but his own curiosity.

Sasuke was dragged from his pondering by a sharp cracking noise. It seems Olga had slapped the late boy for falling asleep and insulting her. By the words she was shouting as Mash dragged him out of the room, it looked like Sasuke was now no longer the only one who wouldn't be partaking in today's events.

Sasuke approved how Olga attempted to lay the foundations of authority down by singling out the distinguished students, those with the most significant egos. But she seemed to quiver, almost like a child frightened of a furious father when they ridiculed her ideas.

She'd gained none of his approval when she only managed to cow them by explaining the inevitable end to their civilization and the fact that they were trapped here for six months. Pathetic. If they genuinely were refusing to help save humanity, then any superior officer would have been far within their rites to punish any disobedient subordinates.

Once the orientation had ended, Olga ordered them to don their so-called 'Chaldea Combat Mystic Codes' in a nearby changing room and report to the central chamber, which was where he was now accompanying her.

The central chamber was accessed by going down a set of steps to the right of the door. After descending the short staircase, you'd be in an open hallway, with another identical set in front of you, which, she told him, led up to the control room. They turned away from a large bulwark on their right, which was the main entryway, and made their way into the chamber.

The chamber itself was an absolutely cavernous room, that even the deceased giant snake Manda could fit in comfortably if coiled.

Both the control and orientation rooms penetrated into the chamber, where they formed a sort of faux hallway around the main door. Every surface visible was cast in an eerie blue glow emitted from a giant model planet made of light. Six rotating rings surrounded it.

There was a large circle of inch-deep water in the center of the room. Directly under the blue sphere was a small island connected to the pathway he and the Director were on. They came to a stop in front of the model, where they stood right on top of what he assumed to be the company's logo, printed on the floor.

As they stopped, a large amount of vaguely human-sized pillars raised themselves from the wet area. Olga Marie was clearly expecting him to make comment. But after listening to her complain endlessly about the incompetence and redundancy of the forty other master candidates, especially about the one she'd tossed out. He was hardly going to indulge her. "They're Completely useless! Nothing like you and the rest of A-Team, Sasuke." She had said. Was she just terrible at trying to manipulate people? Or, had she been infatuated by his complete lack of charm, like all foolish women seemed to be.

The double doors opened, and in wandered the swarm of master candidates, all dressed in matching skintight uniforms colored either orange or white, depending on their gender. A-Team was at the front, alongside the man in green from earlier, who was the only non-master in the crowd. Mash and Kirschtaria came over to bid farewell to him and the Director. And he wished them luck in return as they made their way to begin operation of the pillars in the center of the room, like the rest of the masters. Sasuke had expected the other members he'd eaten with also to say something. But it seemed he'd given a worse impression than he'd thought, which was fine by him.

The man in green also made his way over to them and introduced himself as Lev Lainur, a technician at Chaldea. "Lev's far more than just a technician! He's the creator of The Near-Future Observation Lens".

Olga interrupted and turned Sasuke around to face the floating globe. "You see those blue panels?" She pointed to the ten glowing pane's that surrounded the earth model. "Those are the lenses of SHEBA. In layman's terms, they're to CHALDEAS, what regular orbital satellites are to the real planet."

"Hm…"

"Ha Ha! It looks like you've found another fan of your legendary lectures, Marie." The anachronistically dressed man-thing clapped him on the back as he stepped past him, coming to a stop in front of him and Olga Marie. The fatherly expression on his face made a queer contrast with Sasuke's assumption of his true nature.

The girl had donned a peeved expression. "Yes. Well, regardless of if he's interested or not, these are things he needs to learn as soon as possible."

"Oh yes, don't worry, I agree completely. That's actually why I came over here. But first, my apologies, but I did not catch your name, young man."

"Sasuke."

"Sasuke, that's right. The super-powered boy from another world. I'll certainly have to ask you somethings about that later."

Sasuke nodded but never bothered even meeting the man's eyes. "Yes, later."

Almost every master candidate had entered their coffins at this point, including all the members of A-Team. "Well then, Lev, what is it? We were about to head to the control room."

"That's precisely what I'm here to advise against."

"Advise against? For what purpose?"

"For your wellbeing Marie. Everyone knows you've been working yourself to the bone ever since Singularity-F was first discovered. It's unhealthy. Let me handle things up in the control room. Not for the entire operation, of course. Just till it gets up and running."

"What, you just want me to stand down here and do nothing?"

"Of course not. As you said, Sasuke needs to be brought up to speed, and what better place than center stage. Besides, even a blind man could see just how nervous you are right now. So standing down here in the quiet with Sasuke would be far better for you than the hecticness of the control room."

How curious. "I don't know what you're planning, Lev Lainor, but I'll play along." It didn't take long to get Olga to reluctantly accept once Sasuke added his own voice to Lev's. A friendly grin broke out on the tall man's face, but Sasuke easily caught the sadistic look in his eye that came and went in an instant. "I've taken the bait, monster. What now?"

"Well then, with that settled, I'd best be off. It was good to meet you, Sasuke." The creature turned and started off towards the entrance but stooped after a few steps and cast his gaze back towards them. "And goodbye Olga Marie."

"Don't be so dramatic, Lev; we'll be up there soon enough."

He only chuckled and threw an offhand wave back at them.

Sasuke turned to see the directer staring at him while tapping a foot in irritation. "Well? You'd better have some questions."

"This," he inclined his head towards the floating sphere. "It's a model of this world, isn't it."

"…Cleary the title 'Eye's of God' is well deserved. Your observational skills are beyond compare." She responded in a tone drier than sand.

He carried on as if she'd never spoken. "On mine, all the countries are connected, just one big landmass. But yours are all split up."

"That's not completely unexpected. This earth was also once a supercontinent, around two hundred million years ago."

The floating planetoid was a rather impressive display, the way such a small thing threw out enough light to illuminate such a comparatively enormous room. But still, there was something strange about it. "But what exactly is it. That amount of pure energy density is incredible?"

"Oh. So perhaps your eyes do live up to their reputation. This. Is CHALDEAS. It is the Animuspheres, my family's greatest achievement. This is far more than a simple digital globe. Around twenty years ago, my father succeeded in creating a copy of the soul of the world itself, made entirely out of spiritron particles. This is that completed vision, an exact replica of the planet set to one hundred years in the future. With the assistance of SHEBA, Lev's invention, that I had a hand in making. We can observe everything, down to the tiniest detail, even things—, no, especially things in the past."

Connecting the dots was trivial for Sasuke. "Your father's dead, isn't he."

She stilled for a moment, with an unsure expression on her face. "…Is everyone in your world this terrible at small talk."

"I've never been much for idle chit-chat." He shrugged.

"Yes. Don't worry; you've made that quite clear." A tired sigh escaped her lips. "My father was found to have ended his own life three years ago. So I was pulled from my studying at the clock tower, the headquarters of the Mage's Association, to come here and replace my father as director. It's not a job I've excelled in, but I'm the only person I'll allow to do it."

"I understand. I also received a heavy responsibility when my parents died."

"Which was… If you don't mind my asking." She didn't want to press too hard, but it was rare to find someone so open about such topics. And Sasuke Uchiha was undoubtedly the most interesting of the master candidates she'd seen so far.

It was Sasuke's turn to take a dry tone. "Is it not obvious. To ensure that their killer lay alongside them."

"And did you succeed?"

She noticed an odd somberness about the boy. An air of sadness and regret that was ill-fitting for a clear-cut case of revenge. "Unfortunately…"

"Hmph, well, I'll let you know. I'm no fan of killing. But, when rayshifting, all enemies will be from non-standard time. And as such, all deaths will be repaired by history after the Singularity is resolved. I'm not going to recommend indiscriminate slaughter, and it certainly won't win you any friends here. But still, the option exists.

Although, to be honest, as the only one with the power to truly help you. I'm the only one whose opinion should matter to you. But still, try not to go overboard. I was filled in about your so-called 'Shinobi' by Ophelia, so I do have a particular understanding of how you operate. Just remember, all of Chaldea's operations are given extensive reports provided to our benefactors. I simply can't tolerate a significant loss of innocent life, even if those innocents don't technically exist."

"Even if your unsuited, it's impressive to run this place by yourself for three years."

A delicate eyebrow was arched. "That is an absolutely pathetic attempt at changing the subject. But you're correct. It is impressive."

The lights dimmed and an electronic voice starting relaying information. "Right, lessons over. Come on, I don't know about you, but if we are in this room for the rayshift process, I won't survive."

It hadn't even been a second since she stopped speaking before the floor right underneath them deformed upwards from some great force. Olga had yet even to notice she'd lost her footing. Her perception was simply too slow to keep up with what was happening. Sasuke met the malicious gaze of the creature that called itself Lev Lainur in the control room, staring down at him. "Is this it, bombs. Pathetic." The deformed floor was starting to tear now, and as a fireball consumed the control room, Sasuke scooped Olga Marie in his arms and lept to safety.

Pain flared up in his strained muscles as he exerted himself. The flinch inducing pain from the multiple bone fractures in his arms and legs caused him to miscalculate his jump. Then, finally, the world faded into darkness as explosions rocked the central chamber.

(((Twighlight Journey)))

"If it looks like someone has been using it recently. Don't worry about it. It's definitely your room." That's what that pleasant girl, Mash Kyrielight, had told him. Ritsuka Fujimaru sighed as he raised his hand to activate the door. "Really? They drag me halfway around the globe, just to tell me I'm only here to make up numbers. And they've already given my room away. I didn't even want this job." The door opened with a slight mechanical whine. Ritsuka's approach was halted by the realization that the room was not empty. Inside, a ginger fluffy-haired man sat on the bed cuddled up in a blanket, with a laptop in fin one hand and a pudding in the other. The man didn't even look at him as he took a cautious step into the room.

"Ah, Sasuke, bored already? While that's understandable, you probably would have benefited from staying for the whole thing." The man finally looked at him. "But I'll go find somewhere else to goof off if you want your room… Back… Huh."

"Uh. Hi. I was told this was my room..?"

"That can't be right. The last guy hadn't shown up, so we gave this room to Sasuke… Ohh, I see, I see. So that's you." The man shed his blanket, revealing his doctor-like outfit. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You must be… Fujimaru Ritsuka isn't it."

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, no need for that." He held out his hand for a shake, which Ritsuka took. "The names Romani Archaman, but because I'm head of the medical facility, everyone just calls me Dr. Roman. It's easy to say, and it sounds cool, so I don't mind."

The doctor pulled up a chair for the boy to sit on. "So, shouldn't you be at the central chamber. The initiation will be finishing any moment now."

"Ugh… I somehow made a bad impression on the director. And got kicked out for being too inexperienced."

"Ah! Struck by the director's lightning as well. Two peas in a pod, you and I." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I 'apparently' drag an aura of laziness around with me wherever I go. Which was deemed too infectious for me to be around my coworkers on such an important day." He flopped back onto the bed with a shrug. "So I'm just hiding here in Sasuke's room now, with permission, of course… Oh, well, I guess this is actually your room now. Something will have to be done about that. You don't mind having a roommate for a couple of days, right?"

Now it was Ritsuka's turn to shrug. "Not really, I guess. I don't want to kick someone out of their room. Who's Sasuke anyway. Is he someone important?"

The doctor smacked his lips together a couple of times as he thought of a reply. "Hmm… Sasuke's a rather interesting guy. He young, like you. And he's new like you as well. A couple of nights ago, this crazy powerful teenager fell from the sky, and the next morning the Director just walked up to him and was like, 'Hey, welcome to the most secure facility in the world. Do you want a job?' So now he's part of our most prestigious team."

"That's kinda weird, isn't it."

"Oh yeah. But a woman as evil as the Director, you cant expect her idea's to make sense to a normal person. Who knows what she has planned with him."

"I see... I do have one question though." He looked down somberly. "I'm nothing special, not really. But I agreed to come here because I was told that I could do something to help protect the history of mankind. So I thought, sure, why not? I'm not getting anywhere where I am, so if I can help out, then sure. But… I don't really understand all this talk about Rayshifts and the like… So what exactly is our mission here?."

"Mm… I'd best fill you in on Chaldea then. But first off, just how much do you know about magecraft?"

"A little bit. I'm from a humble magi family, but even so, they're still magi. So only my younger sister, who had far more potential than me, was taught formally and received the family crest. I'm the third-rate Magus in ability, but she's third-rate in her personality compared to standard magi. Always so cheerful and over the top. I was taught the basic theory's by my father, but all my knowledge of formal-craft and basic spells come from Gudako's private lessons."

"Good good. That'll make this easier to understand." The doctor launched into an explanation of Chaldea, going into detail about its aim. And explaining the various inventions that enabled the company to function. Despite Dr. Roman's insistence, Ritsuka still felt a bit lost. It was as he was about to provide information about these so-called servants that his watch started talking.

'Beep.' "Romani."

"Oh hey Lev, what's up?"

"We're about to start the Rayshift. Do you mind coming down, just in case? You're only two minutes away, right."

"Uhh, I guess. But won't the Director blow her top?"

"It's fine. I've dealt with it. It's perfectly safe for you to be in here right now."

"Mm, Kay then, I'll be right there." 'Beep.'

He stretched as he hopped off the bed. "Well then, I'm off. It was nice meeting you, Ritsuka."

"Ah, hold on. I may as well come with. The boss lady sent me to you specifically, so I may as well come see what my role here will actually entail."

"Why not right." The door closed behind them as they made their way through the hallways. Ritsuka tried to retrace his steps, but it wasn't easy with every surface being the same silver steel.

As they descended the elevator, Ritsuka spoke his mind. "But isn't this already more than just a couple minutes. Were going to be late."

"… Ah well, a few minutes late is fine. I'm a big wig here, so it just makes me look prestigious to be fashionably late."

"…Well, if you're so chill about it… I guess it's fine—."

'—Boom!'

The usual blue tint of Chaldea's main segment was stained red by fire as explosions rocked it to its core. Maddening blinking lights took over the facility, and emergency warnings started playing from loudspeakers.

"What the hell!… Explosions!" They both sprinted out of the elevator as it finished its descent. "Fire in the central chamber." That's what the warnings had said. That's where that adorable girl was. Suddenly Dr. Roman pulled him to a stop. "Listen! All these bulkhead doors will be closing any second now. I'm going up to the control room; you need to get out of here."

"But… Doctor!" Ritsuka called out weakly as the man disappeared up a small set of stairs on the right. "What am I saying. Someone who's only here to fill out the roster won't be of any help here." This was madness. He had to run away. What could he really achieve now? "But…" Even so, he'd come here to help protect humanity, even if he was just a third-rate Magus, even if he was utterly useless. There was no way he was going to leave that girl to die. "Even sis would never forgive if I ran off and left that innocent girl to her fate." He raised his arm to shield his face—And ran through the soon to be locked bulkhead, straight into the central chamber filled with smoke and flame.

(((Twilight Journey)))

"… It's so, so cold. Even with all these flames everywhere… I cant feel them at all. I'm getting colder and colder. I understand. I'm… About to die. Everything feels so empty. Couldn't I have just a bit more time… Please, anyone. I just want one, one chance to go outside… And see the clear skies…."

"Mash!" There was a scrambling of rocks nearby. "Mash!"

"…S-sen… …pai?" She called out weakly, raising her head from the pool of her lifeblood she lay in.

He scrambled over the rubble in a desperate bid to reach her. Falling to his knees as he got to her. "Mash… You're hurt."

It was true. She'd managed to escape her coffin being crushed by rubble after the initial explosion. But could do nothing to stop a launched piece of stone shrapnel impaling her right through her abdomen. "I'm sorry… Senpai. It's too late for me, but… Please, while you have the chance, run away. The doors will lock soon. If you don't flee, you'll be trapped.

"Even so, I can't just—"

'All observation staff: The state of CHALDEAS has changed.'

Ritsuka looked up to where the electronic voice was coming from. "W…what's happening now!?"

'Sheba-driven near-future observational data has been rewritten. Warning: No trace of humanity found… …Within one hundred years into the future. Presence of humanity not found. Future of humanity cannot be assured.'

A desperate cry makes itself known as the floating planetoid shifted into a furious red. "Hello, I-is there somebody else alive."

"Yeah! We're over here. I'm Ritsuka."

"S-senpai," Mash called out weakly as she laid her head in her arms. "That's… the director."

"That commoner?… You'll do. Come now, I need you to pull me out from here, quickly!"

"Ah, are you trapped, Director?"

"Mash?! Is that you? Both of you come now. I'm pinned underneath Sasuke. We'll all suffocate in here eventually if we don't get out before the doors lock." There was a faint sound of ruble moving and the grunts of someone squirming with great effort. "W-whats happened to my Chaldeas; It's turned red."

'Closing central bulkhead. One hundred and eighty seconds to facility purge.'

"I'm sorry, Senpai… You're trapped because of me." A nervous smile met her downcast expression.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out."

"No! Quick, help me. I'll use mage craft to get us out of here… Just come save me… Please…"

'Not enough Rayshift personnel. Searching for applicable Master.'

"What! The Rayshift is continuing. No. No. No. No. Please, come help me. I can't do it. I cant Rayshift… Reagh! Sasuke, You fool!. I hired you to help me… Not kill me. Why are you doing this? Get off me… Please Ritsuka… Mash. Get him off me…" Ritsuka looked conflicted but made no effort to move as the Director degenerated into a whimpering mess.

'Found. Setting candidate forty-eight, Ritsuka Fujimaru as Master.'

His face contorted in confliction. It was almost impossible to remain still while hearing the Director devolve further and further into an emotional wreck. All that was Audible now was a mix of crying and faint impacts as she was most likely lashing out childishly with any available limb at whatever she could hit. "I know it's hard, Senpai… But please. Can you just stay here… and hold my hand."

'Starting quantum conversion. Launching Un-summon program.'

He grasped her free hand softly between his two, his gentle smile free of conflict. "Like this… Mash."

She was fading now… The last of her lifeblood had fled her body, and her vision was darkening. "Yes… L-like that."

'All processes cleared. Beginning First Order verification.'

"It's alright, Mash… I'm right here with you."

"…Yes. T-thank you… senpai…" Mash Kyrielight's world faded away into an umbral blackness.

(((Twilight Journey)))

Mash Kyrielight opened her eyes to a white world of light.

She was ten years old again. Laying on her white bed, in her white medical gown. "Where am I…? Oh… I see. This is my world." It was a cold white emptiness. Filled with nothing but her and the bed she sat on… No. That wasn't entirely true. At first, there had been nothing. Now there was a small circle of pink Lillie flowers that her bed was in the center of. Where once this world was cold in totality, there now existed a tiny ember of warmth emanating from the hand that had been grasped. "Senpai?" That's right. There was somebody she needed to thank.

Her body took on its proper teenage form, and she hopped from the bed, then she cried out as she unceremoniously collapsed onto the floor. "…! My legs… I'm too weak."

As she lay there pathetically, a hand appeared before her. Someone was offering her help. As she took hold of that hand, it pulled her up. She couldn't make out any of the figure's features, but she knew what it was she was looking at.

"You…" It spoke, and as it did, she felt a power flow into her. A power that would allow her to change everything.

"Why now?" She asked. But the white figure was already fading away into motes of golden light. There was no point in staying.

Mash Kyrielight turned around and started running. There was someone she had to protect, after all.

(((Twilight Journey)))

"Fou… Fou. Fou…"

There was a slightly wet sensation on Ritsuka's cheek. It was as if something was liking it.

"Senpai. Please wake up, Senpai. "

Was there someone talking to him…?

"… Won't wake up. Maybe I should use the official title…."

Someone was definitely speaking to him… But what had happened, where was he.

"Master, please wake up. If you don't wake up, I will kill you."

He opened his eyes; And closed them again in reflex almost immediately. The smell of sulfur assaulted his nose, and smoke stung his eyes. He groaned as he stood up. Then, flailing his arm out for a handhold, he felt delicate fingers grasp him and straighten him gently. "Thank goodness you're awake now, Senpai! I'm so glad you're safe."

It was Mash. The gentle girl he'd first met this morning. She was standing in front of him in a city consumed by fire. "M-mash… are you ok?" Hold on… hadn't she just said something extremely suspicious?

"I'm Better than ok. But first, look around Senpai."

"Yes, we're in hell. I noticed. See, there's even a Skeleington right there… Mash! A Skeleton is coming right for us! What's going on!"

"Think of it as nothing more than a hostile, Master. Now, your orders, please. You and I shall overcome this together." Contrary to Mash's expectations, Ritsuka did not give out any combat orders at all. Instead, with a cry of "Come on!" He simply grabbed her hand and started running. Although he only made it a mere ten meter's before Mash forced him to stop. "No, Senpai, It's ok. Watch."

And watch he did. His mouth hung open in amazement as the small girl he'd witnessed dying just minutes ago, leaped over five meters into the air, rotating end over end like an Olympic gymnast. And then, she slammed a cross-shaped shield down on the first of three skellingtons necks. The hunk of metal was a picturesque four-pronged snowflake, but it was also massive to the point of being unwieldy. She Swung the shield side-to-side easily all the same, as if it was a club made of straw. Mash made swift work of the other two. Before crossing the distance back to him in a single step.

"Are you hurt, Senpai? Did the Rayshift leave you feeling unwell, perhaps some stomach pains?"

"Stomach pains. Is that really what she's asking about?" She was the one who took a lance of stone through the abdomen less than an hour ago. So why was she wasting her time asking about him? "Mash... Your that strong?"

For a reason beyond human comprehension, she appeared embarrassed. "…No, I've always been behind in combat training. Before today, I couldn't even do a pull-up." Mash seemed to attempt an explanation for her monstrous strength. But before she could gain any steam, a beeping noise emanated from Ritsuka's Chaldea-provided wristwatch. And a small blue hologram of Dr. Roman appeared hovering above it.

"Good, I finally got through! Hello?. This is Chaldea's control room? Do you read me?"

"Doctor, It's me, Mash. Me and Ritsuka Fujimaru, who has been registered as my Master. Have both completed the Rayshift to Singularity-F."

"Oh? Ritsuka made it too… I'm delighted; It's impressive that you both survived the journey no worse for wear outside of coffins… But, um, Mash? What's going on with that outfit… It's downright Shameless!. You know I didn't raise you to dress like that!"

"Um… Doctor. Please check my statistics; It's quite obvious I've transformed."

"Y-your statistics… …Oh, I see! That's amazing, Mash. You finally managed a transformation after so long—"

The girl sent Ritsuka a hesitant look, who was too busy looking surprised by everything else to notice. "—Doctor! Please be quiet."

"Oh right, yeah, sorry. But look at this Mash. Right now, you really are a bonafide servant."

"Yes. A Demi-Servant in particular." Mash explained to the young boy, that Chaldea had been provided a servant for use in this Singularity. But since its Master had died in the explosion, it had instead decided to fuse with her. Thus, saving her life before departing back to the Throne of Hero's.

Unfortunately, he hadn't provided Mash with either his Name, abilities, or his so-called Noble Phantasm. However, none of these words had any significance to Ritsuka.

"Well, It's good that things are going so well, because I have a mission for the two of you immediately. Our scanners detected that there were two other living souls outside of their coffins when the rayshift become. I have my theories on who it was, but regardless of that, you two need to find them, no matter the state they're in. Fellow members of Chaldea can not be left behind."

The two teenagers echoed their agreement. But, typically, right when the doctor was about to explain Ritsuka's role as a Master, The connection started fading. So, with their new instructions, they started on their way to the closest ley line. All three of them, apparently Fou was along for the ride….

Mash tried to explain the significance of Singularity-F's location as they were nearing their goal. She was cut off by a Banshee screaming in the distance. "That's the director; It must be."

"Yep." As he'd expected. It looks like he'd have to apologize for ignoring her sooner rather than later. They both broke into sprints.

(((Twilight Journey)))

Olga Marie Animusphere was not having a good day. She'd woken up with a killer migraine, had to deal with absolute morons at the Master's orientation. She's been 'politely' told that she wasn't needed in the control room. That fact that it was Lev that said it stung more than anything, really. Then, her 'Saviour' Sasuke. Had fallen atop her and got his head crushed by a schoolbus-sized concrete block, trapping her within the central chamber to die during the rayshift.

The fact that she'd survived the shift, which should have been less than a one in a million chance of success for her, would have been the most significant thing on her mind. If not for the fact that Sasuke still wouldn't wake up, and she was lost in a burning city. Surrounded. By. Skeletons!

She straddled the unconscious boy's torso. Any attempt at applying healing magecraft to his head had been an exercise in futility, and now she'd sunk to the point of gently slapping his face while yelling at him. All the while, she was shooting physical curses at any living dead that got too close for comfort.

It got to the point where she had to choose between moving location or being overrun by the monsters. So naturally, she choose the former. Applying reinforcement magecraft to her legs, she hefted Sasuke up onto her back and held him in a piggyback style, before taking off down the street. "I'm sorry!" She cried out with a wince as she heard the telltale 'thunks' of arrows hitting flesh but felt no pain. Huffing and puffing as she made her way around corner after corner but encountering more undead all the same.

"Kyaaaa!" Finally, she came to a stop with a scream. The pain of an arrow ripping through the side of her lower right leg was enough to send her, and by extension, Sasuke, sprawling. Shaky legs raised her to her feet, and to her shameful elation, she discovered that no arrow had struck her. Instead, it was an arrow that had hit Sasuke in the back of his knee and penetrated right through. She had simply scraped her leg against the tip while running. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only arrow that had struck true to her only companion. He had two more arrows lodged inside him. One that had hit him in the left shoulder blade. It thankfully hadn't even dug in an inch and looked about ready to fall out of its own accord. The other, however, punctured him slightly to the right of his lower back, close to where the kidneys are.

This was the worst possible outcome. If they'd punctured a vital organ, he'd soon be dead. And none of her healing magecraft was having any effect. But, in the universe's ever so 'humourous' attempt at trying to help, The issue of Sasuke's possibly mortal wounds was made irrelevant, because a crowd of skeletons had arrived to kill them first.

"Why do these things keep happening to me?" Olga collapsed to the ground. Then, pulling the head of the wounded boy into her lap, she began to beg. "I can't take it anymore! Save me, Lev! You were always there for my right?" She cried out pitifully.

But it wasn't Lev Lainur who answered her. Instead, mash Kyrielight crashed down in front of her, placing Ritsuka Fujimaru down gently. She made quick work of the skeletons while Olga tried to pull the arrows from Sasuke's flesh, succeeding only on the one in his shoulder.

"Combat has ceased. Are you injured at all, Director?"

"Mash?… … What's going on?"

Mash made a glance at Ritsuka, satisfied that he was preoccupied, she turned back to Olga. "Director? Cant you see… I've completed the transformation into—"

"Clearly! My father's theory was proven true, as I knew it would. I'm asking why that Imcompetant layabout, who couldn't even be bothered to show up on time." "And left me to die." "Is now Your Master!?"

Olga Marie Animusphere couldn't accept this. How could some lazy third-rate mage, who we only hired to fill up numbers! Do something that she couldn't. "It's not fair… Nothing is fair!" After removing and folding up her jacket, she placed it on the ground and gently lowered the ebon-haired boy's head onto it. Before getting to her feet, stomping over to Ritsuka and hitting him with an accusing glare. "Well?! What is it you did to force her into a contract like this, huh! Speak up!"

The blue-eyed boy raised his hands in surrender while Mash made a somewhat successful attempt at calming the storm. "You're wrong, Director. I'm the one who forced the contract."

That's right, Hadn't the announcement in the central chamber mentioned Ritsuka Fujimaru being selected as a Master. Even so, she could hardly accept this. "What did you say."

The two girls discussed the past events, Mash explaining how she became Ritsuka's servant, and Olga shutting down their hopes of meeting other humans besides her and Sasuke.

Ristuka finally made a brave attempt at conversing with the snow-haired girl. "U-umm, this is Sasuke right… Is he ok?"

"That will be determined once we reach a ley line and thus make contact with the control room. But, for now, he is still alive."

"Oh… Umm. Director." Mash timidly pointed down at the charred road beneath their feet. "The ley line… We're all standing on it."

Desperately wiping the embarrassed look off her face, Olga scoffed. "W-what… Did you believe I was unaware of that fact? Why do you think I came over here." Clearing her throat and adjusting her broach, she straightened herself. Hopefully, Sasuke would be up and about soon; All this smog and grime would be terrible for her white dress. "You know what to do, Mash. Place your shield on the ground. It'll be used as a catalyst to set up a connection with the control room."

Olga narrowed her eyes in distaste as Mash turned to the third-rate mage and asked his permission. "Even my sis— even the ever-passive Mash is questioning my authority now… Where did I go wrong!?" Ritsuka himself looked just as confused while giving her the go-ahead.

"Right. There you go, Director." Mash gave a curt nod as she stepped away from her shield. As Olga activated the ritual, a blue glow emanated from the shield and the ground around it. Romani Archiman appeared before them as the same blue hologram as before. But this time, he was projected in his actual height.

"Well done, you two, you've reestablished the connection. Now We'll be able to communicate freely and even send you supplies."

"Huh?! Romani, why are you running the show? What about Lev? Where is he? Put Lev on!"

"Ah, Director. I honestly didn't expect you to survive the shift… But, if the tests for you were flawed, that could mean our whole operation is at risk!"

"I don't want to think about that right now… I asked you where Lev is. Why is the head medic in charge?"

"Don't worry, I know as well as you do that I'm not cut out for this at all… But. There is no one else, Director… With the discovery of you three, Chaldea is down to only around twenty staff members… I'm in charge simply because no one who out-ranks me is still alive. Lev was inside the control room when the explosions went off… There's no way he could have lived through that…."

The crestfallen lord fell to her knees. "No… Lev. T-this. This can't be happening!"

"I doubt a creature like that would die from his own bombs." A new voice joined in.

"Sasuke!" Ritsuka was the only one who didn't cry out.

Sasuke groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, the two girls helping to steady him. He handed Olga back her jacket, and then after a brief examination of his form, He pinched the back stem of the arrow in his chest and snapped it in half right before the fletching. He did the same for the front side. Snapping off the broadhead.

"Oh shit. Sasuke right? That injury doesn't look good."

"Don't worry. I will set up a delivery of emergency medical supplies straight away!"

"Don't bother." Sasuke held the shaft firmly and pulled. Ripping it out of his flesh was a minor discomfort. And while the others were fussing, he quickly did the same procedure with the arrow in his leg. Then, using bandages taken from his wrist seal, he swiftly applied them to his wounds and donned his shirt again.

"Uh… Right. That's not the medical procedure I would have recommended, but if you're ok, then I guess it's fine."

"I'm glad Sasuke's ok. Really I am. But more importantly, Romani. What about the other Master's. The coffins."

"All forty-seven are in critical condition. The medical supplies were bombed too, so I'm afraid we're short. As it stands, a few may live. But the rest off them…."

"What are you saying, fool! Cryopreserve them immediately! Their revival can come later. As long as they're not dead, I can explain myself later. It'll be the end for Chaldea if some of the world's most talented up-and-coming mages are killed on their first mission, and it turns out to be my fault. Ugh… If only Lev were here."

"Lev… That reminds me. Sasuke. What did you say about the professor? You called him a creature. What did you mean by that?"

The Other three sets of eyes zeroed in on him. "Yes. I was wondering about that myself?" The doctor concurred.

A single arched brow. "What… Did you all not know he wasn't human?"

"Professor Lev... Isn't human? What do you mean, Sasuke? What is he then."

A city engulfed in fire. That's where he was… Sasuke shrugged as he took in his surroundings. "I'm not entirely sure. Some sort of sentient mass of malicious worms, I think. Either way, he made it quite clear that he was behind the explosives."

It was hardly a statement that could be accepted readily. "Lev's put in more work here than almost everyone else… How do you know this stuff, Sasuke? I studied with Lev at the Clock tower. It's almost impossible to believe he could betray us."

"Obviously, your eyes aren't all they're cracked up to be. There's no way any of that is true. Lev would never betray me… Chaldea has come so far because of him, don't you understand. He cant have tried to destroy the only thing I have." No. Sasuke was wrong. After all, "It was always Lev who helped me with taking additional Master and Rayshift compatibility tests. And he was always there to comfort me after I failed them all."

"Believe what you want, but don't be fooled. My eyes miss almost nothing." He tested the movements in joints and the extent of his injuries. His head ached as if Jugo had used it as a training dummy. The hairline fractures in his limbs, along with the several total fractures of his ribs, had yet to heal. And now, he'd been struck by at least two arrows. Every movement sent waves of excruciating pain through his body. But it wasn't enough to even make him clench his teeth.

"Right. What are we doing here then?"

"If you are all ready to get moving, then I'll conclude my report here. Where down to twenty percent functionality. I've shifted all available manpower to Rayshift repairs and maintaining CHALDEAS and SHEBA's current states. Once communications are back online, we'll begin requesting supplies to start rebuilding."

"Hm. You may be more competent than I gave you credit for Romani. Those are all the things I would have done if I were in your place."

"Thank you, Director."

"I'll leave it as it is then. Romani Archiman, you are in charge until we finish in here. The Rayshift repairs are your top priority. On this end, we will be launching a formal investigation into the source of Singularity-F."

"You're brave Director, leading from the frontlines isn't something I ever expected out of you."

"…All that goodwill you just built up… it's gone now. Chaldea will most likely require a new janitor. I'm glad you've offered to apply for it." Her voice was ice. "But regardless, this town seems to be filled with nothing but low-level undead. With Sasuke awake now, and Mash incarnating as a Demi-Servant, We should be fine… As long as no servants show up. We Animusphere's pride ourselves on doing our best with whatever situation we're given. Of course, I'll be taking part in the investigation." She straightened up, taking on an air of regal confidence. "Be that as it may, the extent of this mission will simply be to discover the cause of the anomaly. Analysis and eradication can wait until we have a more experienced team on hand. Do you all understand?"

Mash and the doctor echoed their affirmative. Ritsuka seemed put out at the fact that, as he put it, 'They were only here to have a look and then run away.' And Sasuke merely responded with a short. "We'll see."

"Roger that Director. Best of luck. Communications have been restored, so feel free to contact me in an emergency."

"What's the point of that! Even if we had an emergency, it's not like anyone could be sent to help."

"Did you say, something Director?"

"It's nothing. Before you go, I have one more question. Sasuke's wounds, I tried healing them. But my mage craft wouldn't work."

"Hmm. I see. That's certainly an issue. But it's also an issue I foresaw."

Sasuke actually decided to tune in to the conversation for now. Did their magic not affect him or something.

"You know what's wrong?"

"Yes, I believe so. You remember our conversation in the infirmary yesterday… Of course, you do. Well, after the information he gave us on his world's version of Prana, I decided to look into it. And he was indeed correct. Our energy and his, although they look to be cut from the same cloth. Are still two separate things. And this fact is most likely what is causing your spell to fail. It's like two different radio frequencies, and since yours is different, Sasuke's body is rejecting it."

"What are you saying, that he's immune to magecraft."

"No. I wouldn't go that far. I'd say it's more like certain techniques. Such as healing magecraft and mental interference would have to have their 'frequencies' adjusted by the user manually, seeing as they target the body by design. On the other hand, simple things, like, say, a fireball spell, should work as intended because the damage from that is due to the fire being so hot. Not from the magecraft itself."

"Then what about Summoning."

"Yes, it's as you fear. Sasuke will not be able to summon."

"But you said he could. Romani, you're getting on my nerves again. Is Sasuke a Master or not."

"He is. He is. Calm down, and it's not that dire. The FATE system is sampling Sasuke's energy as we speak. It was set up by Da Vinci and me yesterday. But until the process is over, our summoning circles will refuse to acknowledge his energy. Technically, he could still form a contract with a servant. The issue then would be that he would have to manually adjust the frequency himself to provide the servant with Prana. But, of course, he may find this trivial or impossible. Nothing like this has ever happened, so I'm sorry. But I can't really be more clear."

"Sasuke, what if you tried to make Mash your servant? Do you believe you could bypass this so-called frequency business?"

"Ah! Director, I must object. I mean no slight to Sasuke, but I choose Senpai as my Master."

Actually, taking another look at Mash, what the hell was she wearing. It was like a highly risque dress made of blue steel. With a gap for her stomach, topped off with thigh-highs and opera gloves. Why did no one seem bothered by this? "I'm not sure. It would take some trial and error, I assume. But I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel with my chakra reserves as it is. Shinobi can die if they run out. So I'd rather save what I have left."

The doctor seemed the most interested, as always. "But, can't you just use the mana in the atmosphere. Don't tell me that's the trade-off for having such an enormous pool of odd."

"Almost all shinobi are limited by their chakra reserves. Drawing on Natural energy can certainly be done, but I've never learned how. Even if I was in good condition, I'd need at least a day or two to figure it out."?

"I see. Very well, goodbye, Romani." He gave a final nod before his hologram faded away. Olga held her head in her palms and sighed.

"Alright then." She said. "Let's get going."

"Are you sure about this, Director? We could always wait here for rescue."

"What? Mash stop, I'm just here to fill up numbers. Don't ruin the only time I'll get to be on the front lines." Ritsuka thought in desperation as his servant attempted to tread the safer path.

"There's no telling how long that would take. And besides, if I return with nothing but the death of almost all of my staff. Chaldea's finished. And then where will you go, Mash. I'll be stripped of my title and have no power to do anything. "The only difference is, I'll be a public disgrace instead of a private one."

"I'm sorry, but the three of you are stuck with me. Now come on, let's go find the cause of this twisted history.