The Snowy Streets Beneath the World Tree:
A.D. Fuyuki 2014
Interlude 2:
Beginning of the End (Add part about Cerise explaining her origins)
Location: Tikal (Mesoamerican Jungle), Yggdrasil
Time: 12:00 PM
Date: May 2nd, 2014
Two days had passed since the destruction of Acros Tower at the hands of Chaldea. Things had grown hectic afterward, involving a distress signal from Einzbern Castle. Eiji and the others had managed to get to the Castle, just in time to defend them from an invasion of the undead. But it was here where they discovered a dark secret. The fact that Illyasviel von Einzbern, the vessel of Fuyuki's Lesser Grail, had her heart stolen.
Due to this, Chaldea had decided to rest and recover, while also beginning their assault on Fuyuki Church. Everyone was tired after the long fight, and many lives had been lost, but this was the only way they would be able to defeat Father Kotomine and restore Fuyuki to its proper flow. Of course, Eiji doubted simply collecting the Holy Grail would fix things. The earth in his time was a bleached mess, with patches of civilization sprinkled throughout the planet, that somehow managed to survive being erased. Until they found the root of the entire problem, whatever was going on wasn't going to end.
The people they had rescued had gotten used to their surroundings and had relaxed. Detective Kirigiri was, of course, establishing rounds to make sure everyone was safe. Tamamo had volunteered to take shifts with him. He knew they were safe, but didn't want to break his established routine. Some of the kids were playing with a few of the creatures that served Ruler, while some of the older kids played video games with Sei, who had gotten extremely competitive with a few boys who were good at Call of Duty.
Despite the relaxing aura for those who weren't involved in the general plans of Chaldea, everyone else was on edge. Especially due to the storm increasing in ferocity. It seemed as if the loss of Caster had put Kotomine at his breaking point. With only two Masters left, he was beginning to lose ground. It wouldn't be long until he grew desperate. Desperate enough to launch an attack on the World Tree, and that was something they wished to avoid at all costs. So, thanks to Ruler's urgence, she had transformed her throne room into a war council room, where everyone was currently gathered, discussing their next plan of action.
"So, with the defeat of Soichiro and the Goddess Hel, Kotomine is down to two able-bodied Masters. Fumiko, who has contracted a darkened version of Artoria Pendragon, and the Master of Rider, someone whom we have yet to meet. We also do not know who their servant may be, but I have no doubt we'll be able to handle them should the need arise." Rin said firmly, leaning back against her chair. "I believe we should start making our move against Kotomine, and to do that, we should remove his second potential power source, Fuyuki's Greater Grail."
"I agree with Tohsaka. The faster we remove it from the equation, the better. Not to mention with its immediate destruction, Saber Alter and the unknown Rider shouldn't pose too much of a threat." Issei said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Of course, there is a chance that Kotomine is supplying them with mana, and his Grail was the catalyst for their summoning. But I doubt he'd use his grail to power servants."
"We summoned our servants using Fuyuki's Grail system. So destroying it likely wouldn't be a good option. Thor, Artoria Lily, and Loki would either lose a significant amount of their power or disappear entirely." Shirou noted, looking around the table. "I propose a safe removal of the Grail, perhaps Ruler can even take a hold of it while we continue our campaign."
"Hm… I believe that would be a safe course of action. I can handle it, I am the enforcer of the Holy Grail's rules. So it shall be safest with me."
"Yes, that is all well and good, but how exactly will we move toward Ryuudou Temple?" Scathach asked, glancing over her shoulder. She had been staring out into the vast gardens, though a large plate glass door Ruler had created, to give a little more light to the room. "The storm grew in strength, you all saw it. Visibility was bad when we left Acros Tower. I cannot begin to imagine how bad it is now."
"She makes a point, with all that snow and ice we won't be able to do much of anything. Not to mention the undead are likely stalking the streets now that Caster is dead." Eiji said, bowing his head slightly. "Ereshkigal, can you use your authority to control them?"
"Sorry, Master. I can't do that. Though I have a similar authority to the Goddess Hel, I'm afraid it only works in the Mesopotamian Underworld. Even if I use my Blessing of Kur to ensnare them, I wouldn't be able to control their souls for long." she said, frowning. "I'm a useless goddess, aren't I?"
"Of course you aren't. You fought bravely against Naofumi and Sir Kay, not only that but you assisted us back at Einzbern Castle. You are an excellent Servant. We just weren't expecting to be dealing with undead." the brown-haired man said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you are by my side, Ereshkigal, truly."
"If I may, can we discuss what you mentioned briefly before? About what you found in Einzbern Castle?" Sakura asked, holding her hand up. Rin sat up a bit, her face paling as she recalled what happened.
"Well, in order to discuss this, I need to elaborate a bit on what happened. Back during the early days of this snowfall, Eiji suggested we find some help. This was during the first week before the Magus Hunt truly began. He had spoken about the Einzberns and them being a likely ally since neither of us could trust the Matous. So we headed that way. Illya was surprised but glad that we showed up.
She told us that what was happening wasn't going according to plan and that Fuyuki's Holy Grail War had been changed. She theorized it was the curse of Angra Mainyu, the Avenger class servant her family had summoned more than 80 years ago. But it wasn't exactly like that. When the Magus Hunt began, she started getting antsy and told us about the Greater Grail and its location. It currently sits two miles beneath Ryuudou Temple, protected by a three-layer bounded field."
"I see. What else happened?" Shirou asked curiously.
"Well…" she paused, sighing. "We took shelter in the castle, where we discussed our next course of action. We wanted to summon our servants, but Illya said that would paint targets on our backs. The Krichat attacks were growing stronger, and with the loss of power to the entire city, everything fell to Chaos. Einzbern Castle was attacked, the hole in the bounded field me and Scathach fixed was a remnant of that attack. Illya, Eiji, and I fought bravely, but we were cornered. She told us to go while she fought them off, but she tragically lost her life."
"Furthermore, there is another tidbit that not many people know about the Einzberns. As one of the three families behind the Heaven's Feel, they have a direct link to the Holy Grail. Illyasviel's ancestor, Juzteze von Einzbern developed the first Homunculi and provided them to the Tohsakas and Makiris in order to forge Fuyuki's Greater Grail. She even sacrificed herself, as a means to become its avatar, using something called "The Dress of Heaven". Ever since then, the Einzberns have been making Homunculus Masters for Fuyuki's Holy Grail War. They are always female, since female mages are more adept than males, not to mention in a pinch, they can seduce a man and… perform a mana transfer."
"Mana… transfer?" Issei asked curiously.
"It is the act of transferring mana between mages," Scathach said, turning to face the others. "It's nothing more than a pretty name mages gave to the act itself. The process is rather simple, all a pair of mages have to do in order to do a mana transfer is have sexual intercourse."
"Pfft!" Shirou spat, spilling his water all over the table. "What?"
"Oh, you didn't know that?" Eiji asked, looking at the tabletop. He cleared his throat, glancing back at the young man. "Yeah… found out about the mana transfer a few years ago when I turned sixteen. Me and Rin were talking about it and she-"
"La La La La La LA! I can't hear you!" Rin cried out, blocking her ears with her fingers.
"Wait… did you two attempt to do a mana-"
"LA LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" she shouted, drowning out Issei's burning question. Eiji of course, couldn't help but facepalm.
"Be that as it may, we have more pressing matters than… that," Ekchua said, though she was doing nothing to hide her amusement. "Eiji, what were you saying about Miss Von Einzbern?"
"Oh right," he said, clearing his throat. "As I was saying, when Rin and I stumbled on Illya's… remains… we noticed that there was a hole in her chest where her heart would have been. The reason being, that heart is a catalyst. Einzbern Homunculi are bred for one purpose, to become the vessel of the Lesser Grail. Every single one is fitted with that darkened heart. If her heart is missing, I can only surmise it is in the hands of Kotomine, who intends to use it to channel Fuyuki's Lesser Grail."
"That makes securing the Greater Grail even more of a priority, I believe we should make plans to move out now. We can't waste time-"
"There's no need to go after the Greater Grail, it is no longer in danger of falling to the wrong hands,"
Eiji and Rin stood up, while the others merely looked toward the entrance. Hinako Akuta made her way into the Throne Room, followed by another woman, who was looking around the place, a look of sheer awe written on her face. Hinako's outfit was torn in places, with blood smears in others. Eiji noticed one of her hands was bandaged, and she had a cut on her cheek, but she was no worse for wear. He sighed with relief as she stopped in front of the table, giving her a smile.
"I'm glad to see you, Hinako," he said, earning a nod from the woman. "Where is Cao-Cao? We could use someone like him to help us with our war plans."
"Rider has…" she paused, bowing her head slightly. "Cao-Cao has perished. He took an attack that was sure to kill me. But thanks to him, I managed to not only push back a new enemy but also secure the Greater Grail. Before I speak about that, I must inform you all that Shinji Matou is against us. His Assassin-class servant, Okada Izo, threatened to kill me. Not only that, but it was he who sold Homurahara Academy out to Kotomine. The attack that killed what was left of the population here was his doing."
"I knew that weasel was up to no good, you should have let me pop his head off when I had the chance, Master." Thor, who had remained silent, said, causing Sakura to frown.
"Yes, I understand. My brother has done a great many bad things in the past, but he has done them because of the abuse we faced from our grandfather. He was always seen as inferior, and he took his aggression out on me. Please do not hold it against him,"
"Yeah, I'm sorry Sakura but that isn't going to cut it. That son of a bitch got people killed, good people. People who were scared, tired, and hungry. People who could have made it here and have survived that endless storm." Issei said firmly, glaring at the violet-haired girl. "If I see him, Caster is going to tear him apart."
"Yeah… about that, I could do that but-" Loki paused when she felt Issei's glare on her. She let out a chuckle, picking at her nails. "Alright, fine, I'll punch his face in until there's nothing but teeth left."
"Would you mind introducing us to your… companion?" Rin asked, glancing at the white-haired woman warily. She returned her glare, eyes narrowing a bit.
"Do I know you? You look familiar to me."
"Um… I've never met… you." The raven-haired woman paused, tilting her head a bit, her eyes widening. "No… you look like Illya…"
"You know Illya?" the woman asked, her lips curving into a smile. "She happens to be my daughter, my name is Irisviel von Einzbern. I became the lesser grail during Fuyuki's previous Grail War. I returned to this world as an Avatar of the Greater Grail. It senses incoming danger and felt the need to conjure a means of self-preservation."
"This is… unprecedented, I do not believe something like this has happened before," Eiji mumbled, tapping his chin in thought. He undid his CSC from his wrist, placing it on the table, activating the hologram feature. He dialed back to HQ, waiting for the call to connect. The tired-looking face of Olga Marie greeted him. Her hair was slightly disheveled but she looked fine, for the most part.
"Good to see you, Eiji. How are things?"
"Things are good, Commander. I hope things are going well with you. You look a bit tired."
"I am, we spent the last twenty-four hours pouring over new data while also getting the reactor fully operational. We found some mana generators in Da Vinci's workshop which aided in the full restoration of power. I'm sure Mash told you before, but we are now fully operational. So if you require backup, just say the word and we'll send someone your way,"
"Thank you, Commander Olga, but I believe we should be all set for now," he said, clearing his throat. "Anyway, onto more pressing matters. As I stated in my prior report, Kotomine has lost another master and is likely planning an assault. We are also in the midst of planning an attack on Fuyuki Church and we're planning an attack ourselves. We were also thinking about getting our hands on Fuyuki's Greater Grail but…"
He remained silent, prompting the woman to sit up. "But?"
"It's easier if you see for yourself. Miss Irisviel, would you mind coming here for a second?"
"Me? Oh… sure I don't mind," she said happily, moving toward the center of the room. She stood in front of the hologram, giving Olga a polite bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I take it you are using long-distance temporal and spatial communication?"
"How did you… nevermind. I take it your name is Irisviel? As in Irisviel von Einzbern?"
"That is correct, I was once a daughter of the von Einzbern Family, and became the vessel for the Lesser Grail. I lost my life that day and joined my many sisters before me within the Greater Grail. Currently, I am acting as an Avatar of the Grail, a terminal if you will. The Grail feels it is in danger and has allowed me to manifest as a defense mechanism."
Olga Marie remained stoic, lips pursed for a moment before she looked at Eiji. "Is she serious?"
"Uh well… I think?"
"Oh… you desire proof, don't you? I can show you," she said, holding her hand out. A brilliant golden glow filled the room as she manifested the Holy Grail. The golden cup was floating above her palm, a thick veil of mana washing over them. An odd pressure-filled the room, causing them all to back away from it. "See, this is the Greater Grail, or rather, this is the form that its magic has attained. I am currently acting as its guardian. In terms you can understand, I am a Caster-class servant who uses her skills to protect the Grail."
Olga sighed, pinching her eyes. "How I wish Da Vinci was here, she'd likely understand this more than I do. I believe you, Miss Von Einzbern. I can clearly see you were created in order to protect the Greater Grail. So long as you stick with Chaldea, we will do our best to protect you."
"Of course, my sole purpose is to gather mana and act as a wish granter, but I also wish to protect people as well, especially my child, and that man," she said, frowning. "Though I was told something rather terrible. That fellow, Shinji Matou… he said he killed my Illya and stole her heart, is this true?"
Eiji and Rin shared a look, with the man nodding. "Yes, I'm afraid it is. Her heart has been taken by Kirei Kotomine, what he plans to do with it, I do not know. But it can't be any good."
Irisviel nodded to herself, her gaze falling firmly on Eiji. "Allow me to assist you then, though I am a temporary servant, I have the capability to forge a contract. I shall follow your orders to the letter, just let me deal the final strike on Shinji Matou myself."
"Yes, we can do that. I'll establish our contract later on, for now, we need to continue with our plans. The storm is growing a lot stronger than before, and it's likely that Kotomine will attack sometime soon. Commander, do you have any suggestions on how we can go about this?"
The commander remained silent as she leaned back in her chair. She briefly typed something on the console, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Hm… looking at this map, Fuyuki Church seems to be on a hill. If the storm is getting stronger as you claim, then you'll likely be blinded. Not only that but if this is Kotomine's base of operations, it is likely going to be well fended. You have Krichat and Frost Giants to worry about, along with what remains of the Valkyries and those final two masters. I trust you have plenty of strong forces to deal with this, but even then it may prove a bit difficult."
"Do not forget, that snake, Shinji Matou and his Servant are out there, and it is likely they will be fighting alongside Kotomine," Thor said, glancing at the others. "That means we have more forces bolstered against us."
"Actually, when me and Cao-Cao ran into that wretch, he talked about wanting one thing, and that was Fuyuki's Holy Grail. He made no effort to claim he was working with Kotomine, if anything he wants to kill him. He also claimed to have taken the magical circuits belonging to Illyasviel von Einzbern and Zouken Matou, his Grandfather. On top of it all, he was using this in order to boost his strength," Hinako said, placing a vial on the table. Eiji instantly recognized it.
"It's.. a vial of that strange fluid, the same kind that we found in that lab. What is it?"
"Ah yes, this," Irisviel said, grabbing a hold of the vial. She looked it over, a small frown flashing onto her face. "This is a fluid known only as Cerebrospinal Fluid. It is something my family developed. Essentially, this gives whoever uses it temporary magical circuits. Each vial has 40 synthetic circuits and it lasts for about a week. If you double up, you'll be able to cast high-level spells for a short while."
"That explains why he was taking all of my attacks and dishing them out as if he had been a trained warrior. He was sloppy, but his knowledge on magic was astounding. It's likely the spells he has written in those circuits, not to mention he was using hair magic."
"Hair magic… that's something Illya inherited from her mother, who had the ability to conjure thin wires out of magic. She was able to craft bird familiars and powerful swords." Eiji said, shaking his head. "The bastard… taking an innocent person's life just because he was ostracised. He really is despicable."
"This doesn't change things," Scathach said, arms crossed as she looked at everyone. "This just adds another enemy we have to deal with. If he's hellbent on killing Kotomine then we could let him do that. Let the two of them right while we reap the rewards,"
"Might not be that easy," Loki added, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger-tip. "Something tells me it isn't going to be a walk in the park to get those two to fight each other. If anything, they're likely to team up against us. Add Fumiko and that unknown Rider's Master, and we got four enemies. On top of demonic beasts, not to mention the ice and snow… we are completely outmatched, even if we have numbers."
"Maybe we can use Ruler's beasts in order to fly undetected? Use the storm as a cover?" Shirou suggested, making Ekchuah frown.
"That would be a wonderful idea, but my Quetzals aren't resistant to those types of conditions. It must be 30 degrees below zero now. They would likely freeze to death before we got to the Church." the goddess of cacao said, glancing up at the ceiling.
"We're back to square one then," Shirou said with a sigh. "This all seems so odd, why would Kotomine want Illya's heart if he already has a grail?"
"More power… perhaps he was corrupted by it the first time around. There was an Avenger class servant that was summoned by the Einzberns during the 30s, and that servant, Angra Mainyu, tainted the Grail. It's a surprise that it isn't present in Irisviel."
"Oh that's simple, that's because that aspect of the Holy Grail ceased to exist during the fourth holy grail war," Irisviel said, matter of factly. "In fact, when I manifested and the final soul needed to call the Greater Grail happened, a thick dark liquid poured out of the Grail. However, it was stopped by one of the Caster class servants. A wish was made and when it was granted, the pair left, someone else then stumbled onto the Grail and made their wish. But in that instance, something occurred that ended the War, the grail was shattered."
Olga Marie cleared her throat, finally deciding to speak. "If I may cut in, I believe the one who made the first wish was my father, Marisbury. He once claimed that everything was far too calm after he did. The moment he and his close friend left Fuyuki, they noticed the brilliant splendor of flames. They also noticed a tall pillar of light coming from where the Grail had manifested. It is theorized this was the Noble Phantasm, Excalibur."
"The Holy Sword that belongs to the King of Knights, who has the ability to purify evil. With the shattering of the grail, it's possible that the mana within it, that tainted mana, flowed outward. The fire of Fuyuki… perhaps that was Kotomine's wish. He particularly seems to enjoy the suffering of others. Maybe he wished for endless suffering and that created the fire."
"If that's the case, then how does "Singularity F" play into this. Didn't you say that singularity was a point in time that started the Incineration of Humanity?" Rin asked curiously.
"I am still having a hard time understanding this as well. It's all so odd, knowing that all of us were deceased during those days, yet returned as if nothing happened, and none of us were the wiser." Sakura said.
"Well, if singularities are temporal anomalies, perhaps this Singularity F was contained in that pocket of time while the rest of the world burned. It was the fire that started it all, yet despite that, the true incineration didn't begin until the year 2018." Issei said firmly, shaking his head. "But no, that wouldn't make sense would it?"
"It does if Fuyuki's Holy Grail war is supposed to happen and cannot be changed," Eiji said, opening his eyes. "It's a quantum-time lock. No matter what you do in the past, you cannot stop that particular event from being carried out. Going back in time and killing the future participants as babies, the Grail selects other mages. Destroy the Grail beforehand, and a war somewhere else will occur. The Incineration of Humanity attacked these timelocks, making them unstable, thus turning Humanity into nothing but endless possibilities. And when the world is filled with endless possibilities, there is only one that makes sense. Total Annihilation. That's, in a nutshell, what happened beforehand. Now what's happening now isn't that."
"So what you are saying is… whoever gave Kotomine his Grail had nothing to do with Singularity F and is someone that is outside of time?" Rin asked, making Eiji nod. "But that's insane, how is that even possible?"
"Time is an abstract concept, Miss Tohsaka. It only exists so that humans can live their day-to-day lives as easily as possible. So if you are a being outside the bounds of time, you can do whatever you want. This "Benefactor" that attacked Chaldea, is using the knowledge it gained from the Incineration of Humanity, and is creating Pseudo-Grails to disrupt Pan-Human History, to such an effect that the world is a bleached mess." Olga Marie said, shaking her head. "Regardless of that, we need to focus on the here and now, we can focus on the extravagant details about humanity's future at a later date."
"Miss Von Einzbern-"
"Call me Iri, dear." the white-haired woman said, giving Shirou a smile. "My, might I have your name? You look so handsome."
"Oh uh… it's Emiya, Shirou Emiya," he said, making her go wide-eyed.
"Emiya…" she softly spoke, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Shirou Emiya. Now, what was it that you wished to ask me?"
"Ah, right. I was wondering, you said you didn't feel Angra Mainyu anymore, and that the Holy Grail was shattered at one point. If that is true, then does that mean that Angra Mainyu could have potentially flowed out of the Grail?"
"Hey, that's a good point," Rin added, sitting up a bit. "Maybe Angra Mainyu left the confines of the Grail and attached itself to something else… or rather, someone."
They all remained silent, not wanting to think of the implications behind that statement. Ekchuah tapped her finger on the tabletop, leaning forward in her seat a bit. "If Miss Tohsaka is onto something, then it's possible we aren't even facing Father Kotomine, we might be facing Angra Mainyu who has possessed him."
"Commander, may we have all relevant files on Angra Mainyu, please?" Hinako asked, having broken her silence. Olga nodded, typing away on her console. "I wish to confirm something. His legend speaks of a young man who was tortured by his tribe. He was treated like a vile piece of trash and had all the world's curses carved into his skin. He was driven into insanity until one day he accepted his fate and truly became evil. Once he accepted his new name, he started to absorb all the World's Evils, becoming a God of Darkness."
"You are absolutely right, Hinako. He was selected by his village and treated to be the catalyst that would absorb evil. Upon his death and his rebirth as a god of darkness, it is said he accumulated over 6 billion different curses which he unleashes at will. Funnily enough, despite having access to such powerful skills, he was defeated on the 4th day of the 3rd Grail War. It is here when he tainted it and the Fuyuki System. If we add in what Miss Von Einzbern mentioned, about the Grail being destroyed, it is entirely possible that he flowed out of it."
"And into the last person that made contact with the Grail, someone who would be nearby, someone who was reported deceased but still managed to live," Eiji said, a look of realization on his face. "Of course, now it all makes sense. Angra Mainyu revived Kotomine. When he trained me and Rin, we were just talking to a reanimated corpse. It's possible that Angra Mainyu is using Kotomine as a vessel!"
"If that's the case then we have been speaking to a corpse for the last ten years!" Rin said, shuddering. "Ugh… that's creepy. But it doesn't explain what happened to his replacement, that Hortensia girl."
"Hortensia?" Ekchuah suddenly said, her eyes widening a bit. She gasped, gritting her teeth in pain for a moment before her eyes refocused. "Yes… now I remember."
"You remember?" Sakura asked, slightly worried for the divine woman.
"Indeed… I am not the first Ruler-class servant to have been summoned in this war, I was merely the second. There was someone before me. The Goddess of Love, Eros. She had taken residence within the body of a young woman named Caren Hortensia. She was the Ruler servant before me, but it seems she was found and captured. Before she disappeared, she made one final call, one that I answered. I have taken over her duties since then." she said firmly. "It's quite possible that Ruler, Caren Hortensia, is being kept by Kotomine."
"Makes sense to me, seeing as she was his replacement. If we follow the general state of things, then it's likely Eros chose Caren the moment she was sent here to Fuyuki. No… it's possible that Caren was already captured by Kotomine, and managed to escape somehow. That's when Eros came in, but that didn't do anything. Kotomine likely recaptured her and is keeping her prisoner." Eiji said firmly.
"That would probably explain the heart. If Kotomine believes Caren is still a heroic spirit, then he might be planning on inserting that heart inside her chest. That also means that he is willing to sacrifice his own daughter for the sake of getting another Grail, and that is truly disgusting!" Shirou angrily cried.
"Then we have to do something. We have to attack, that girl might need some assistance."
"Hold your horses there for a moment, this Caren girl might not even be alive, and if she somehow is, then it's likely too late. Kotomine is probably going to shove that heart inside her, sooner or later." Hinako said arms crossed over her body. "We need to focus on the important thing, attacking Fuyuki Church, like I wanted to do a few days ago."
"We've made a great many strides today, but we still haven't dealt with the main issue, getting through that storm. We cannot risk losing more of our men if we cannot even see clearly." Thor said. Loki, who had been playing on what looked to be a tablet for the last few minutes, looked up, a grin on her face.
"What if we just overpower the snowstorm with another storm entirely?" she asked, turning to face her brother. "Aren't you the God of Storms? Can't you just swing your hammer away and cut through the snow, replace it with good old boring rain?"
"You're joking… Do you know how much power I would need to change snow into rain? Not to mention this is something that is being created by a Grail. I simply do not have enough energy for something of the sort."
"Well… you don't have that much energy right now but… we do have a power source that we can abuse for a little while," Rin said, wiggling her brows as she looked toward Irisviel, who returned her look with one of confusion.
"Huh? Why are you all looking at me?"
"Because Miss 'Holy Grail'. We are about to unleash a powerful storm on Fuyuki Church and you are going to be our power source! Let's get some maps of Fuyuki. Once we have an actual plan of attack, we can focus on the other steps. Oh, and get Vitch in here, we're gonna need a weapons expert. There are a few abandoned tanks in Downtown Fuyuki and something tells me she's going to have a field day with them."
"Right!" they all cried in unison, as the war council finally began in earnest. They, however, were unaware of the dark forces that were beginning to brew. The dark forces that would end up tearing Fuyuki in half.
xxx
Cerise took a deep breath as the light of the moon washed over her. She had a smile on her face, it was one of these slow moments in time that she absolutely adored. The moments where she didn't have to think about her battles, her fate, or anything. She could just sit and drink in the moon's glow. It was one of the things she loved the most about the world. Though it brought back bitter memories of when she was trapped, and how all she could see was a dark miasma in every direction. She remembered falling asleep, hoping, wishing that she could be free so that she could run through the realms and just enjoy herself. But with each passing day, with each passing week, month, year, decade, century... all of that turned into a bitter hatred of the Aesir and the Vanir. She wanted nothing more than to break free so that she could kill them all. And then finally, she'd get to destroy the Allfather, the one who had ordered her incarceration. She could still taste his blood on her tongue, how delicious would it be if she could experience that again, she wondered.
Her ear flicked a bit as she heard someone walking behind her. She moved her head slightly, peeking over her shoulder as the figure slowly approached her. She watched intently as they sat down beside her, holding a mug of chocolate out to her. She gratefully accepted it, looking back at the moon.
"It's a pretty night, isn't it?"
"Yes it is." she said softly, her gaze locked on the moon. "So, thinking about the operation?"
"I am. I guess I'm a bit nervous about it all, I am aware of what will happen afterward, how all of it will cease to exist."
"Are you scared? Thinking about finding a way to stop it all?" the berserker asked. Rin shook her head, hugging her knees as she took a sip of her own chocolate, her eyes glancing back at the moon.
"Why would I bother stopping the inevitable? Eiji explained his mission to me, he told me what would happen if that Grail wasn't recovered. This singularity would grow stagnant, and it would end up poisoning the world. It could turn into something else, something worse. Billions have already lost their lives, if I have to give up my life in order to ensure the world goes back to normal, so be it." she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm pretty much dead already,"
"It's a shame really,"
"Why?"
"Because you're a good woman and a good friend. I can tell you care a lot about Eiji. He would benefit from having you by his side, especially since he bears your Crest. You could continue honing his skills." she said, frowning. "Too bad you can't have your cake and eat it too."
"Eh... it's better this way. The faster he lets me go, the better. That way, he can blossom into a proper mage. I always knew he had it in him. I mean... he was born with so many good circuits. I always wondered why it was his parents abandoned him." Rin said, finishing her chocolate. "That's something he has to figure out on his own, I suppose."
"Mhmm." the wolf girl said, licking her lips. "That isn't the only thing on your mind though, is it Rin? You have another question, so ask it. I'll answer it, not like I can hide things anymore."
Rin remained silent as she pondered her question. She looked back at the moon for a moment, focusing on the glowing disk and all the small craters on its surface. It looked absolutely beautiful, she was glad she could see it again. She closed her eyes for a moment, before looking at Cerise. "Well... I'm just curious about you... well not you but... how are you a Heroic Spirit?"
"Eh? That's all you wanna know?" she asked, tilting her head. "Huh... well I guess I can explain that. You see, I am the wolf of the end, the one who would swallow the sun and kill Odin. But when I was recorded into the Throne of Heroes, that is all I would have been. When you make a contract with the Throne, you are recorded for eternity on it in whatever form you wish to be. But I didn't want to be a mindless beast. I didn't just want to be Fenrir. The Throne had two options, I could die peacefully and I wouldn't be recorded, or I could bind myself with another being and have my form altered. Have you heard of Wraiths?"
"Yes... Wraiths are ghosts who linger in the world, they left a lot of unfinished things in our world and don't easily disappear. But they also weren't important enough to be considered servants. Am I to assume you bound yourself to a wraith?"
"Yep, the Wraith of a woman named Ruby, you should know her as Little Red Riding Hood. Her story is very well known in various parts of the world, but she is just a Fairytale character, she wasn't important enough to become a servant, and she wasn't famous enough to have left a mark on the world. She yearned to be a spirit with every fiber of her being, but she was just a storybook character who gained sentience due to people's beliefs that she was real. And so, when the Throne presented its options to me, I did what I thought was right. I gave Little Red the chance to become a Heroic Spirit, but it wasn't that simple."
"Oh?"
"She was a Wraith, and I was a powerful beast, a prophecized god killer who ate the sun. My Spirit Core would overwrite hers almost entirely... Little Red was a good sport about it. She didn't seem to care, especially when she realized I didn't want to be a beast, I didn't really want to be remembered as that giant wolf that killed Odin, as much as I hate the Gods. So she made a deal with me. She would bind herself to me, so long as I used her appearance as my servant body." she said, taking a long drink from her lukewarm chocolate, her eyes focusing on the moon above. "She said she didn't care if her body was overridden by me... as long as she could exist in some form. So in her honor, I decided to call myself Cerise, the French word for Cherry, which was her favorite fruit. My body is hers, but my soul is mine."
Rin was honestly impressed by what she had heard. She had expected her to mention a fight, some sort of beastly conflict. But what Cerise did was far more mature than she had expected. Red Riding Hood too... she didn't seem to understand what it meant to give something so important so that someone would be able to achieve happiness. And in a way, both of them had. Cerise had become a heroic spirit, and Little Red got her wish. She found herself smiling at the wolf girl, who just flushed and looked away.
"Yeah, it's really cheesy, but it's the truth, I swear it. I wasn't even born a woman you know, getting used to... well this-" she paused to gesture to her body. "-It was stressful. Sure, The Throne of Heroes is an existence that's out of time and space, but imagine being there and waiting to be called while also learning how to sit down to pee. At least I'm glad Heroic Spirits don't need to do that."
"Unless you incarnate," Rin said, giving Cerise a wink. She earned a growl in return, her fluffy ears flooding against her head.
"It's embarrassing," she replied.
"It isn't, I think it's really noble." the ravenette said, keeping her eyes on the moon above them. "History knows you as a vile beast, the son of Loki who would eat the sun, a wolf who would kill Odin and cause a lot of destruction. But that was a fate that was out of your hands. You were bound, you were tortured and you had a sword driven through your jaws, something you didn't deserve. You could have become an Anti-Servant, an Avenger, or someone just hell-bent on causing destruction. But instead, you gave a wraith the chance to become a hero. Even if it's just her body, you made her wish come true, and that is commendable. You might be Fenrir down to your spirit origin, but I believe you are just Cerise, Little Red Riding Hood. I'm proud to call you a friend,"
Cerise sighed, feeling her lips curving into a smile. She was glad she hadn't ascended her spirit origin, because if she had her tail, it'd likely start wagging. "I'm glad I get to call you a friend too, Rin. Will you do something for me though?"
"Sure,"
"Don't say that you are pretty much dead already. Even if you disappear, there is a chance for you to do something great with your life. I want you to fight until the end, fight for a dream, fight for something. Don't give up until the bitter end. Will you do that for me?"
Rin remained silent for a moment, before wrapping the wolf girl into a tight hug, much to her surprise. "I promise."
"Good. Now let's keep gossiping for a bit, the moon is beautiful and I doubt I'll get another chance to talk to someone, at least not for a while."
"Pfft okay, I guess we can do that. Let's go to the kitchen and make some snacks first, I'm starting to get a little hungry,"
Location: Unknown
Time: Unknown
Date: May 2nd. 2014
She didn't know how long it had been since she had been brought down there. It felt like an eternity, but in reality, was likely nothing more than a few weeks. She had been willing to help him at first, who wouldn't want to help their father, the man who helped bring them to life. She knew it was wrong to lie, but she did it for him. But she hadn't been expecting to become the vessel of a Divine Entity, and she certainly wasn't expecting to be caught by her father the moment she had.
She thought the man cared for her, but she slowly came to realize what a vile human being he was. He loved seeing her suffering and would do things just to make her cry. All while professing that he loved her and wanted to care for her because she was his child. This was certainly not the man the Church had spoken so highly of. This was not Father Kotomine.
Despite that, she yearned to meet the man he actually was. She could see traces of him in there, twisted as though he may have been, he was still human, even if his morals were a bit different than she had been expecting.
The constant drip of water had almost driven her to insanity, and the pain in her wrists only reminded her of her current predicament. She had been bound to a wall by her wrists, only let down to bathe and eat, at least Kotomine had that much decency, even if she was pulled along like a dog on a leash. She was tired, tired of hanging on a wall, tired of being trapped with no means of escape, tired of the freezing cold, being held back by a single heater, and tired of that sadistic grin he gave her.
Eros had gone dormant, but she could feel her. She was there, waiting for something but she didn't know what. Her body was weak, but she wasn't going to give up. The thin white dress and golden embellishments did nothing to shield the cold, and her curtains of white were matted and stuck to her sweaty face. Regardless of this, Caren Hortensia hadn't given up. Kotomine's beatings had gotten worse, but then they had stopped entirely. She had heard him cursing some "Itsuka" and some "Tohsaka" over and over again, shouting at his disciples and giving orders. It seemed whatever had driven him to do the things he was doing had slowly made him mad. She could feel the howl of the ice and snow just beyond the stone walls. Whatever was happening, it was slowly ebbing at them, and it wouldn't be long before it all came to a head, she could feel it in her heart.
She picked up her gaze the moment she heard the door open. She inhaled deeply, knowing it was time for the daily ritual. An hour of beating before being let down to wash herself, eat, and then back to the chains. She closed her eyes, almost wanting to fake sleep but something drove her to open them again. When she did, she saw her father standing before her, holding a closed platter in his hand.
"Hello, my darling daughter."
"Hey dad, here to give me the daily beating like usual?" she replied in a snarky tone, glaring at the man. He remained silent as he grabbed the nearby table, pulling it closer. "Oh look at that, a fancy platter. Did you feel like making me a hot meal instead of serving me three-day-old bread? My, I'm so thankful for that."
"No need to hit me with sarcasm, Caren. I assure you, what I bring here is not food, it is something else. Something that I have been preparing you for the last few weeks." he said, giving the young woman an emotionless look, though his lips were cracked in a grin. "I wasn't expecting the world to select you as a vessel for a servant, and I certainly wasn't expecting you to attain divinity. Eros, Amor, two divine entities birthed from the same concept, and tied together by Saint Valentine of all people. You are the pure embodiment of love, and your love for humanity and the world makes you quite strong. That is essentially the reason why I have kept you here, my dear."
"Here I thought you wanted to beat the shit out of me because you felt some odd sense of satisfaction. And I thought skipping out on child support was bad enough," Caren said, glaring at the man.
"Joke around all you want, what I have here is no laughing matter," Kotomine said, becoming serious. He placed a hand over the platter, giving the young woman a glare. "Things have changed. I used to have many disciples, all of whom kept doing my bidding out in Fuyuki. When the storm first started, I quite enjoyed seeing the streets filled with blood and suffering. But that stagnated. Eventually, I sent them out to kill other mages for my own amusement. I had all but subjugated this cold unrelenting world, but then Chaldea arrived,"
Caren flared her nostrils, tired of hearing this old story. But she continued to listen, hoping he would bite his tongue off as he spoke. "Chaldea has managed to push back my forces at every turn. They have taken down our servants. Berserker, Caster, Archer, Lancer, almost all of the Valkyries! Now I only have Rider and Saber left, while Matou continues wandering around with his Assassin. They are slowly whittling us down, and have us cornered like rats!"
"Maybe you should have been more proactive in this war rather than dishing out orders like the false king you are."
Smack!
She hardly felt the pain from the strike to her face, her eyes going back to the man. He remained silent for a moment, giving her another sadistic smile. "I am not the type to fight, I am the type to watch from the shadows. I managed to cheat death once and was capable of enjoying the suffering I brought upon this city. But it seems all of this is going to come to an end soon, which brings me back to my purpose here today."
He slid his finger through the cover's loop, slowly lifting it up, revealing the silver platter beneath it. Caren squirmed a bit as she lay eyes on the darkened piece of meat that lay on it. It was pulsing, almost as if it was beating. Thick red and blue lines could be seen running through it. Kotomine grabbed a hold of it, looking at it longingly.
"This is going to change the tide of war, it will allow us to summon the Lesser Grail, and with it, I shall take out those pesky pests from Chaldea," he said, looking back at his daughter. "I had wanted to eliminate them from the get-go, but my Benefactor decided that Humanity needed a fighting chance. I gave it to them, and now I am going to take it back."
"What… what the heck is that?"
"This? This is a heart, the heart of the homunculus Illyasviel von Einzbern. Its purpose was to turn her body into a vessel capable of manifesting the Lesser Grail. But Illya chose not to fulfill that purpose, thus this heart went unused. But I have kept it, knowing it would be useful to me at one point in time, and now, that time has come." he said, approaching Caren. "You will accept this precious gift, and do your father a favor by becoming the next Holy Grail."
"What? You can't be serious! That will kill me, don't you actually care about your own flesh and blood? Seriously, think about what you are doing here!"
"Plead all you want, Caren, your words will not sway me. I have long since stopped listening to prayers. My own will shall be done, and I will not stop until my wish is granted. I wish nothing more than to end humanity, to witness a great amount of suffering, and you will help me attain that!"
Caren felt her heart beating hard in her chest as the man got closer. She started thrashing about but knew her bound hands and feet would make her nothing more than a sitting duck. Not even her training as an exorcist would help her. There was only one thing she could do, but she knew it was a shot in the dark. She let out a scream as the cold pulsing flesh of Illya's heart pressed against her chest.
"Ew… it's so gross! Get it away from me!" she screamed. Kotomine continued pushing the organ, laughing as he thought his grand plan would finally begin, only for a golden pulse of light to send him flying outward.
The snapping of chains filled the room, causing him to look up. Caren dropped to the ground, gasping in surprise as she looked at her wrists, bloodied and bruised from weeks of being chained up. She forced herself to stand up, growling as she held her hand out, summoning the bow of Eros.
"No, that's impossible. I couldn't even feel those divinities within you anymore, you were a mere human, not a Divine Spirit!" Kotomine cried, as Caren drew an arrow back, the long golden arrow was tipped with a heart-shaped head, swirling with a crimson red glow.
"That's because the divinities within me were dormant, likely waiting for the right time. Not to mention when I gave up my position as Ruler, someone else took over. But with the lack of heroic spirits fighting for the world, it seems my previous status was reinstated. I will not let you hurt me anymore, father." she said, releasing the arrow in her grasp.
The ceiling caved in as Saber dropped down, using her sword to block the attack, taking Caren by complete surprise. She jumped into the air with the aid of her wings, firing a volley of golden arrows at Saber, all of which were blocked. She pulled her sword back, jumping at the young woman, striking her across the chest with all her strength. Caren screamed in pain as she was launched through brick and mortar, rolling across the snow-covered ground. Saber followed after her, sliding around for a moment before retaking her stance.
"Well lookie here, a little chickadee broke out of its cage. Wasn't expecting this though," Fumiko said, as she dug her hands into her coat pockets. She glared at Caren, who was trying not to shiver from the cold. "You aren't gonna get very far little girl. Father has already told us what his intentions are with you, so you best give up."
"I will never give into that man's disgusting deeds. It is through the power of the Lord that I was able to sustain myself this long. And it is by his will that I will destroy his disgusting church. I am aware of what you do here, and the sick acts of torture you put these people through. Sucking out their mana, all to sustain your servants at full strength. All of you should be ashamed of yourselves."
"Hah, get a load of this one." the former secretary said, grinning. "The lord ain't shit, little girl. Look around you, you actually think he cares about me? Or even you? No matter how much you devote yourself to him, he won't listen. That's what Gods do, they could give a fuck less about any one of us. That's probably why the Age of Gods ended because we didn't need them!"
"You… you belong in hell!" Caren snapped, firing the arrows in her grasp, only for Saber Alter to deflect them all with her sword. Fumiko sighed, shaking her head.
"Hey, Ichiro, why don't you get your ass down here and actually do something?" she called out. Caren planted her feet firmly on the ground as another young man made his way out of the building. He had a cigarette on the corner of his mouth, taking a light drag from it.
"My time to shine? About damn time," he said, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke mixed with mist. He snapped his fingers. "Rider, you're on!"
The sound of running filled the young woman's ears as the swirl of snow seemingly split open. A giant, phantasmal beast burst from beyond the snow, a giant lion of unprecedented scale. It let out a roar that shook the very area around them, making her shake, even her heart skipped a beat as the majestic creature pawed the ground, growling at her.
"Be still, my friend, it is not the time for us to attack," a soothing voice said, making the lion ease back. This belonged to a rather handsome-looking man, wearing a beautiful set of armor. Though blackened by what looked like soot, the armor seemed to glow, almost as if it was heavenly. His long brown hair was flowing behind him, his handsome face bright and cheerful. Attached to his armor was a large shield, while in his grasp was a sword. "My King, I apologize for staying in the background for such a long time. I vowed to serve you until the end, yet, because of my foolishness, your brother was slain."
"Do not fret, Sir Ywain. There was nothing we could do, especially when we have such foolish masters commanding us both. My brother's death was tragic, yes, but we remain, and we shall avenge him." Artoria Alter said, angling her sword.
"I do not wish to fight you, can you not see that your masters have corrupted you. King Arthur, you wield the Holy Sword Excalibur, it is meant to save the world, not destroy it. Despite its black tinge, I can feel the holiness within. Sir Ywain, you are one of King Arthur's loyal followers, can you not see she has been corrupted by the vile evil that you are serving? Look around you, do you not see how this taints the land God provided us? How it prevents us from attaining his love?"
"We are not here to listen to your platitudes, little girl. We are only here to bring you back to your prison cell." Saber replied. Caren drew another arrow, looking between Artoria and Ywain. Who would she shoot at?
Ywain's heavy shield would likely block her attack, and Artoria's sword would easily cut them down. She noticed the lion next to them, who was crouched and awaiting orders. She quickly shifted her aim, letting go of the arrow. This, of course, caused Artoria and Ywain to spring forward, exactly what she wanted.
"Oh Lord, I hope you will bless my arrows on this day, and allow me to cleanse the evil out of your sacred home!" she chanted, releasing the arrows she had summoned. She followed them with another volley, launching herself into the air with a single beat of her alabaster wings. She pulled her string back, a swirling crimson arrow notched in it. "Take this, God's love shall purify you all!"
"Ywain, block those arrows now!" Ichiro cried, urging his servant on.
He quickly turned, using his shield to block the arrows. Saber sprung forward, using her superior strength to jump into the air, taking a swing at Caren, who blocked her sword with her bow. She kicked Artoria in the face, using the momentum to flip around, drawing her string back. She released the arrow, striking the corrupted servant point-blank.
"Grr… Saber, I command you with a sacred mark, unleash your-"
"Stop!"
Fumiko's voice died in her throat as she looked over her shoulder, seeing Kotomine standing behind her. He walked outside, standing between the two. "Save your marks, we cannot be wasteful, especially now that Chaldea has the upper hand."
"But Father, what about her?" Ichiro asked, causing him to shake his head.
"She's a lost cause. Her divinity will not allow me to insert the tainted heart. I shall use it with another vessel. As for that foulmouthed wretch-" he paused, looking back at Caren, giving her a smirk. "-She is free to do whatever she wants. She is useless to me, and useless to god as well. You may preach and pray all you want, girl, but you are exactly like me. There is no point in praying to a god that doesn't listen."
"Talk all you want, you lousy excuse for a man. I can tell your end is near, and I am not going to sit idly by and wait. I will bring you down for what you did to me, and to enforce the rules of this Holy Grail War. You have committed a great many sins already and you will pay for every single one of them!" she cried loudly.
She flapped her wings, taking off into the sky. She ignored the piercing cold and the blinding ice striking her in the face. She needed to put some distance between herself and the Church. She let out a scream as several light spears cut through the clouds, causing her to stop. She was instantly surrounded by Valkyries, all of them brandishing their copies of Gungnir.
"Do you actually believe we'd let you get away so easily?" Thrud, the leader of the Valkyries asked. Caren grit her teeth, tightening her grasp on her bow.
"I'm not going down without a fight,"
"Good, we light fighters. Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to take your soul to Valhalla alongside the other warriors who perished in this land." the blonde valkyrie said. "Sisters, ready your spears!"
Caren stilled her wings, allowing herself to drop out of the sky, much to their surprise. The second she had gotten far enough, she opened them, flapping them with all her strength. She could feel her feathers beginning to freeze but she didn't care. She needed to get away. She ducked and weaved, dodging the light spears being thrown at her. She rapidly spun around, firing several arrows up at the valkyries, nailing one in the face, her body dropping like a sack of bricks.
Thrud roared, her voice being swallowed by the swirling storm. Caren continued flying forward, spotting a familiar bridge in the distance, one that had been destroyed early on. She nodded to herself and flew downward, staying level with the upright span, still being held up by its suspension cables. She waited for the right moment before flying under it, shooting the cables with every arrow she could muster. The suspension cables gave way, and the bridge tumbled, aided by the weight of cars and unshoveled snow. The Valkyries that were flying beneath it weren't fast enough and were crushed under its weight.
"Sisters!" Thrud cried, realizing she was the only one left. She floated in the air, disbelief written on her face as she looked back at Caren. "You… you have no idea what you have done. Ever since Chaldea showed up, all we have faced is suffering. My sisters perished in the fall of Acros Tower and were slain by the God of Storms. I will not stand for this injustice!"
The wind picked up, causing Caren to squeal a bit from the cold. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she hung onto her bow. Thrud noticed this, a small smile on her face. "You have a divine aura, yet you cannot shield yourself from the cold?"
"Of c-c-course not! I'm only h-h-h-hosting Eros, I-I'm not her," she replied, teeth clattering. Thrud said nothing, only flicking her wrist, sending a small spear of light directly at Caren's leg, piercing it straight through. She let out a scream of pain as she started to fall, blood beginning to drip down it.
"This is how you pay for your injustice. You will suffer alone in the cold, without proper clothing, food, or shelter. You will freeze to death pondering your fate, and thinking about the lives you have taken. Maybe you rot in the eternal pits of Helheim." she spat. With that, she took off into the skies, leaving the young woman by herself. She howled in pain as she leaned back against the broken remains of a car, clutching the hole in her thigh.
"God, this hurts. This hurts so much!" she thought, her heart beating rapidly. "And it feels so good! I need to find some bandages or something to stop the bleeding before I end up passing out."
She looked around for a moment, spotting a nearby building. She grit her teeth, moving toward it. She heard the distant howls of demonic beasts, the same ones that had been unleashed during the early days alongside the Krichat. She groaned in pain closing her eyes tightly as she hobbled through the snow. "Please Lord, help me. Send someone my way, anyone! Someone that can help me take down my bastard father. His reign over this city needs to end!"
She continued moving along, unknowingly stumbling toward one of the main abandoned Military Camps around the city. The very same one that Chaldea was scoping out for their battle against Kotomine. The stage was set, the final battle against Father Kotomine and the freedom of Fuyuki was soon to begin, and it would change the fate of humanity.
Location: Chaldea Security Organization
Time: 2:00 PM (Chaldea Central Time)
Date: December 10th, 2019
"Are you alright, Senpai?" Mash asked, earning a tired sigh from Ritsuka, who looked away from his laptop, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe it's time for a break."
"I can't afford to take one, Mash. Every second I sit around doing nothing is a second something is happening. Eiji might be in trouble, we lost the head of Research and Development and have to reestablish contracts with specific individuals to get things back to the way they were. Not only that but I'm starting to get worried about Team B and the members of Team A."
"I understand that, but taking a break is also important," the shielder said, sitting down across from her best friend and master. He placed his laptop to the side, resting his forehead in his hand. "What has you worried? Aside from the things we already know?"
"Costa Rica, for one. Holmes sent me a report not that long ago, it seems the entire country managed to somehow survive "The Purge" as we've decided to call it. It isn't the only country like this either. There are places in Europe, Canada, Asia, and Africa that have survived as well. For one, Romania in Europe managed to come out unscathed. We have reason to believe the Yggdmillenia Family established some sort of protective barrier around the entire country."
"That does coincide with what Emilia previously stated. She said that during the Incineration of Humanity, she and her family managed to keep parts of Romania from disappearing, until just about the end where only Trifas and the Yggdmillennia Fortress remained," he said, closing his eyes for a moment. "Could it be that there are other Magus Clans that foresaw what happened and did the same thing?"
"It could be possible," the violet-haired servant said, glancing up at the ceiling. "It is rather odd that out of all the nations in Latin America, Costa Rica would remain. It does have several powerful leylines running through it, but to our knowledge, there aren't any Mage Families vying for control."
"It's all just a big mess. I wish Da Vinci was here, I could prod her mind a bit for some answers, she'd likely know what is going on, or at the very least, give me an educated guess," Ritsuka said, frowning. Mash remained silent, bowing her head at the mention of Chaldea's former director.
"Ah, there you are, I was hoping to find you. Anastasia told me that you were speaking with Holmes, has he found anything of interest?" Olga Marie asked as she and Misaka entered the office. Ritsuka nodded, sitting up a bit.
"Costa Rica seems to be isolated from whatever is happening. The nation is attempting to remain operational but it is slowly turning to Anarchy. The current President is promising supplies and medicine to the harder-hit areas but it isn't going to be long until it runs out. There are more pressing matters," he said, reaching for his tablet. He typed something on it, before sliding it to Olga. "Holmes sent me pictures of these things."
The older woman looked at the screen, her brows knitting together for a moment before looking away. "What… the hell are these things?"
"We're not sure. But Holmes theorizes it's the things responsible for wiping out the surface of the planet." Ritsuka replied, his eyes falling onto the tablet. It was displaying an odd, almost alien-like creature. It didn't have any discernible features, aside from the long, blue, gold, and red tentacles that seemingly grew around its body. "He saw one of these things disintegrating houses with a single touch of their tentacles, the others then suck out that material and convert it into mana. In fact, Costa Rica, a seemingly magicless nation, is now overflowing with mana, nearly the same density as the later nations during the Age of Gods."
"That can't be for real, can it? My grandfather taught me about the Loss of Mystics, how people learning more about magic drastically weakened it. It was also the coming Age of Man that made the Gods go to the Far Side. Is it possible for something to break down matter and convert it into mana?" Misaka asked, her hand slowly falling to her blade. "And if that's the case, what the hell happened to the people of Earth?"
"We're not exactly sure, but it seems that Humanity as a whole was destroyed, just like during the Incineration of Humanity. Well… not exactly. It's as if the world realizes something is missing and is trying desperately to fix it, but is getting stopped at the same time." Mash said, pulling up the map of the world, showing off the singularities covering the world. "The reason these areas are blacked out is because the world has walled them off. Likely to prevent the people inside from being subjected to destruction. Those Pseudo-Holy Grails are likely sustaining those walls… remember when "Chris" told us Humanity was getting a fighting chance?"
"I see… so that fighting chance… those singularities are blacked out because their populations are yet to be determined. They are being sustained by the magic of the grail and on the chopping block. If the Grail Holder wins, then the population will likely reach a dead end. But if we win, then they go free. We're fighting so that humanity can reclaim the planet."
"Does that mean we're not venturing into Singularities anymore?" Mash asked, making Ritsuka groan.
"Just when I thought we had our terminology straightened."
"No, Mash, we aren't." Olga continued, deciding to ignore Ritsuka's outburst. "These moments in time… they are just pocket dimensions. Pocket dimensions that are in different moments in time, and, given time, they could turn into something new. It's likely this "Benefactor" is hoping to see the effects of one of these pocket dimensions expanding. They'll likely get a sick form of satisfaction from seeing Humanity Flourish and just before it can, they'll be destroyed. Those creatures that Holmes saw in Costa Rica? They're likely the ones doing the dirty work."
"Sounds to me like humanity is being judged," Misaka said, looking up from the floor. "Do you think it's some God from the outer universe? Coming here to destroy humanity for being too smart? Or do you think it's some twisted version of one of our Gods, who got tired of the status quo and wants to restart everything?"
"We can't be certain. They're making a wild claim about restarting the entire universe, not wiping people from the face of the Earth. The entire cosmos is at risk here. It's likely that similar things are likely happening on other Planets with intelligent lifeforms. The only difference between them and us is that we aren't going to lose." Olga Marie boasted, a grin on her face.
"You're right. We aren't just going to go quietly into the night, Chaldea kicked the King of Mages' ass! We can certainly do something about this. We'll fix everything, find the one behind it all, kick their teeth in and then take their power source, and with it, we'll be able to save everyone!"
"Damn straight we will, where the hell else are we gonna get candy and idol outfits?!" Elizabeth cried as she flashed into the room, shoveling some rice crackers into her mouth. Ritsuka, Mash, and Olga all glared at her, as she loudly continued chewing. "I have a need to visit Akihabara and I am not gonna wait until the next Rayshift. So get on it! Save the world so I can go back to working on my fledgling career!"
"You need to have an actual career before you can say that sort of stuff, Lizzie," Misaka said, arms crossed as she glared at the lancer. "You don't even have fans, and the people who have listened to your songs say they are absolutely grating. We need to give you some vocal lessons first."
"Oi! How dare you insult me to my face like that? I thought you were my friend?!"
"I am your friend, but I'm just being realistic," she replied, a hand on her hip. "Besides, we don't have time for any of that idol training crap! I have to keep training and refining my sword skills so that I can save my cousin. I'm his retainer, it's the only thing I have left. I don't even have a home to go back to if I wanted to leave. So let's get on with it."
"Ugh… training again? We've done that for the past few days already. I'm tired of getting all sweaty and doing nothing. No, we are going to make dresses and practice singing. You promised to be my backup singer!" Elizabeth wined, puffing her cheeks out in annoyance. Misaka sighed, giving her a nod.
"Yeah, I did promise that. Fine, but you aren't getting me into one of those tight-fitting dresses. I'll practice singing with you for an hour, that's it okay? Then back to training."
"Two hours!"
"An hour and a half."
"I'll take it. Come on!" she said cheerfully, pulling Misaka along. Misaka looked back at Mash and Ritsuka, a look of 'help me' on her face but neither of them said a single thing. She was on her own.
"Thank the gods these walls are soundproof, or else I'd summon Billy the Kid and have him put me out of my misery," Olga said firmly. "We should get back to the Command Room. Eiji should be calling back soon with his battle plans. With hope, we should be able to finish our mission in Fuyuki and get him and Hinako back here."
"I still think I should have done with him, the title of Director is far too heavy for me. My job is out there in the field,"
"Senpai, you are doing an excellent job coordinating Eiji and his servants. You have learned a lot over the time we spent, both saving the world and generally working here. I think this is a natural progression for you." Mash said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Da Vinci believed with her entire being that you were ready, and I trust her in that assessment. Now, let's get back to work. We can't rest until Eiji and Hinako are back safe and sound."
Ritsuka found himself smiling, giving his best friend a nod. "You're right Mash, let's get back out there. Commander, you have the next few hours off. You've been working hard to get Chaldea back to full power, you need a break. You're starting to get bags under your eyes."
"Yeah I know…" she said, holding back the urge to yawn. "I'm gonna take a hot bath and then a nap. Call me if you need me, Anastasia is in charge while I'm resting."
"Will do. I'll gather up the reports so you can read them later. I hope you enjoy your bath." the young man said, as the Commander took off, finally letting herself yawn. He and Mash, however, headed back toward the Command Room.
"This is gonna be the first time we won't be resolving a singularity. It's rather odd isn't it?"
"Well, Eiji did handle the final battle in Akihabara just fine… though he did fail to get the Grail, and the Singularity itself collapsed before they could take down Asahi Tachibana," Mash said, rubbing her arm. "We need to be careful, we can't afford to lose this Grail, and we can't afford to lose Hinako or Eiji."
"We won't… I believe they'll handle it this time, and if they are losing, we'll just go in there and give them a bit of backup," he said with a wink. "Okay, we should be set, let's keep our fingers crossed."
Mash nodded, crossing her fingers inside her jacket pockets. Though she had a neutral look on her face, internally, she was worried. She didn't know what would happen when Eiji and Hinako faced off against Kotomine. But she had to hope that everything to be alright. It was the only thing she could afford to do.
A/N: Well, with this, the Finale is set. As of now, I have finished the Fuyuki Arc of this story, ending the first part and setting up for Genesis Order 2. I will be revealing the name of that singularity at a later date, as currently, I am planning the plot as well as some other odds and ends. But I am also working on a filler arc, as it is December in Canon, which means we need a Christmas event and I am planning on delivering. There won't be a new years event, as it will cut to the end of January/beginning of February in order to begin Genesis Order 2. I have already selected the servants that will be in that Order and I hope you are all looking forward to it because it's gonna be one of the most fun ones to write. After such a long time in Fuyuki, we need a change of scenery.
I would like to thank you all for reading this story of mine, it's been really fun getting back into it again. I hope you are all looking forward to what is coming next because it's gonna be fun, wacky, and hopefully memorable. Have a good day everyone!