Chapter One: Type:Reincarnation
I awoke with a sharp pain in my chest, which I was sure was where the knife was thrusted into me.
My eyes fluttered open, a low grunt coming from my mouth as I clasped the wound, only to find that there was no blood.
I looked down, and instead of seeing my white shirt stained with my own blood, I saw a pair of hands too light to be mine clasping a blue shirt, with my right hand having a red bruise.
"Wha-"
As soon as I uttered half a word out, I immediately closed my mouth. My voice was lighter. Younger. I knew I didn't have the deepest voice, but I at least sounded like I had already gone through puberty.
I looked around me, and realized I was in a bed, in a room I had never seen before. The walls were wooden, with bare amenities placed about. Mainly just a white dresser with a window. I got up from the bed, and as my feet hit the floor, I almost fell over. My legs seemed weak. I managed to walk over to the mirror, stumbling as I got used to my more slim frame.
The face that stared back at me wasn't me. Instead of my brown skin, black hair, brown eyes and slightly bulky frame, I stared at a caramel toned body with white hair, purple eyes, and a slim frame. I looked younger too, not eighteen, but more like a sixteen year old. I was the same height, although I wasn't tall by any means.
This definitely had to have been a dream.
I held out my hand, looking at the inside of my palm. It was smaller, more smooth looking than my calloused hands. My hair was messy, getting in my eyes no matter how much I pushed it aside.
"What is this?"
My voice was definitely younger than it should be, being a slightly higher pitch.
"How do you like your new body?"
I snapped my head around at the foreign voice. There was a woman who was sitting on the bed, which was out of the view of the mirror. She was wearing a black business suit with a purple tie. She had light skin with black hair, and yellow eyes.
"Who are you?" I demanded. She ignored my question, and rose to her feet. The sound of her clacking heels filled the room as she came closer to my. My heartbeat increased, and I felt a slight pain in my arms.
"Calm down there, wouldn't want any accidents," she said, eyeing my arms. I looked at them to find that glowing blue lines suddenly appeared there. They...they looked exactly like magic circuits.
"That's right," she said, her voice starting to get on my nerves. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it. It wasn't blaringly loud or anything of the sort. If anything, it was somewhat soothing. I would be calmed, if it were not for the fact that her sudden appearance and my current predicament was both concerning and confusing.
"You...let's just say that your fate was in my hands. You, Clay Bell, died. Stabbed in the chest during a walk home. I could have just sent your soul to whatever afterlife wanted it, instead I decided to do something fun. I flung your soul into a body I created...or rather...designed, more or less. Your vessel has an interesting secret that I know will be interesting for the future."
"Who are you!" I reiterated, my voice sounding ridiculous with the amount of anger I was putting into it. She merely laughed. She came closer to me, and she suddenly began growing so that she was looking down at me. Her smile was irritating.
"My identity...if I showed you my true form, it would drive you insane. As such, I have chosen this form so you don't lose your mind. As for my name, that I can make known unto you. My name is Kaalut. I am an Outer God that has chosen to send you into an alternate reality for my own amusement. Are there any other questions you wish to ask?"
"You're joking, right?"
The woman...Kaalut...rolled her eyes. She snapped her fingers, and for a split second, I saw something that nearly made me vomit. In her place was a giant insectoid...thing.
I was not one to curse or swear often, but I fucking hated insects. They're nothing but disgusting entities that only exist to look abhorrent. They were one of the few things that made me uncomfortable just looking at. That was normal, earth insects. But this thing? It made my heart race. It had dozens of pincers and other organs. The look in its eyes bored into my soul.
Despite it being half a second, it was burned in my mind for the next minute.
"Does that clear your suspicions? Now, for your situation, you are in the world that you know to be Fate. As to which iteration, I shall leave that for you to discover. Your vessel has powers that you will soon discover, and as for why you are here specifically…"
Kaalut manifested a sheathed katana out of nowhere, which had a symbol on it. I recognized it to belong to the Oda clan.
"This will be your catalyst for the War."
"...Catalyst? War? You're talking about a Holy Grail War?"
"Indeed I am. You shall participate in a Holy Grail War for my amusement. After that...you shall travel to other realms for my amusement."
She reached out her hand, and I took the sword from her.
"There. I believe that is all you need, so I shall take my leave for now. Your mind is filled with memories of your past in this world, and your first name is the same as it was when you were solely Human. Your last name is Myrn. You are a Homunculus, the result of a woman creating an heir for her bloodline, as she herself cannot bear children. You also have a pair of Homunculi maids by the name of Arabella and Kiara. Your Mother's name in this world is Vivian."
If she hadn't specified Homunculus maids, I would've had a genuine heart attack. The last thing I needed was Kiara Sessyoin attending to my needs.
Anyway, she finished those words, she began to fade away, her smile being the last thing I saw, before her monstrous form flickered once more, forcing me to withstand vomiting.
As I stood, processing the information, that after my late night murder, I was given a second life in order to satiate some elder god's boredom, the door to the room opened. In stepped two pale women with black hair and red eyes. They both were wearing maid outfits.
"So you're awake after all," said the one with long hair. Arabella, if my newly implanted memory was correct. The one with the ponytail was Kiara.
"Yea..I guess," I replied. The flood of new memories informed me that these two were the ones who mainly took care of me, while my "mother" was away at the Clocktower.
"I see you've already prepared the catalyst." Kiara said. I looked at the item in my hands, and simply nodded. Apparently, my responses didn't raise their suspicions, and they continued speaking.
"Your mother expects you to be dressed and ready for breakfast within the hour." Arabella said. I nodded, and they turned to leave. Closing the door behind them, I was finally free to collapse back onto the bed.
I had been dragged into another world against my will due to the machinations of the seemingly omnipotent entity known as Kaalut. Obviously my Servant would be Oda Nobunaga, or perhaps Nobukatsu, maybe even Chacha.
Anyway, I could ponder that later. Now, I needed to get dressed. I placed the item on the bed, and walked toward the drawers. Opening them, I found an assortment of clothes that seemed far more expensive than what I would've worn in my first life.
Speaking of, If I were to be honest, I couldn't necessarily be saddened, at least immensely. Sure, I had loved ones, but my life was far from ideal, or even bearable. I dropped out of College after being made to take a course in engineering (which I had no interest in whatsoever), forced to take up a job cleaning toilets at some high end hotel for a while, and as soon as things were looking up and I bought myself a fancy jacket, I was killed. My parents...were definitely devastated, but I'm absolutely positive Kaalut wouldn't let me back to my home world. The only reason I'm here is because of a singular whim of an omnipotent being. And now, I have to fight in this world, and others for her entertainment.
I didn't want to think of how mom and dad would be handling this...I was their only son. Their pride and joy...and I was killed. Murdered.
If I focused hard enough, I could still feel the cold steel plunging into my chest. The sight of blood on my body and the coldness of my fingers as my vision faded.
Just imagining that seemed to bring my circuits alive. I calmed down, took deep breaths, and put on my clothes. I chose a simple white button up shirt with a stylish vest, consisting of red designs on a black background. My pants were black as well. I looked to the corner of the room, and saw several pairs of shoes. I chose a black pair, looked myself in the mirror, and sighed.
It seemed that my fashion sense hadn't changed much, if at all. I took a deep breath, and left my room.
The place I was in could only be described as immaculate. White walls ordained with paintings of people in various art styles, most of which sharing my white hair. There were statues, and the bustling of Maids and Butlers keeping the place tidy.
According to my memory, these people were the Homunculi who served the Myrn family for decades, centuries even. There were also previous heads of the Myrn family still living here, as well as other members of the bloodline.
As I walked over to the dining room, more memories flooded my mind. Most of them were background information. How I came into being. What Magecraft I was taught. What Magecraft the Myrn family specialized in (Which was Rune Magecraft). However, the most needed information was what the wish I was supposed to ask upon the grail was. To put it simply, my wish was supposed to be knowledge of the Fourth True Magic. From what I knew of my past knowledge of this world, combined with my current knowledge, all that's known of the Fourth True Magic is that it exists.
Groundbreaking information, I was sure.
Anyway, I arrived at my destination, with a hot plate of food waiting for me. The dining room was large. The walls were white, and covered with paintings of food. Chandeliers illuminated the room, alongside light bulbs. The table was long and covered with a white cloth. At the head of the table was the woman who was my "Mother", Vivian Myrn. She had pale skin with white hair and green eyes. She looked to be around her early thirties, but given how Mages tend to keep their youth, I doubted she was that young. She had a warm smile on her face as she saw me enter the room. She hadn't started her plate yet, so it was likely she was waiting for me. Behind her stood Arabella and Kiara, hands clasped in front of them with a look of neutrality.
"So there's my sleeping beauty," she joked. I felt a slight grin on my face as I took my seat. "So, how was your rest?"
"It was...ok" I answered, picking up my knife and fork and digging into my food. Instead of eating the delicious meal before me like some animal, I somehow ate like I had some sense of class. I can say with pride that I didn't melt into my seat as I tasted the cut of meat that was on my plate. The taste was nothing like I ever had before. It was savory. I could taste the individual flavors, the lemon, the pepper, and other tastes. I finished the meat, and I looked up to see Vivian smiling at me. She had somehow already eaten her food, leaving her silver plate clean. I didn't even hear her eat, not even make a sound.
"Seems like you'll be done soon," she said. I looked at my plate, which was practically clean. I ate the remaining food left, and looked toward Vivian.
"Now that you're done, we can get into business. Follow me. Kiara, retrieve the catalyst."
She rose from the chair, and I was able to get a better look of her clothing. She was wearing a blue dress-shirt with a black jacket and a black skirt with heels. She left the room, and I followed after her, with Arabella being behind me.
We came to a secluded room, which was well lit and had no amenities. In there were three people I recognized to be the oldest living members of the Myrn family. Augustus Myrn, who would be my great, great-grandfather. Anastasia, my great-grandmother, and Ulysses, my grandfather. All of them seemed to be human, all had white hair, and all had an expectant look in their eyes.
"We have high hopes for you, Homunculus," Augustus said, his old, weathered eyes looking into mine. His voice was deep, his eyes were gray, and he was wearing a black robe. Ulysses and Anastasia both nodded, with Anastasia speaking up.
"We need this in order to rise up within the Mages Association. Our bloodline is losing its influence. You may be our greatest achievement so far, yet you alone are not enough. We need this in order to prove our worth to those dogs."
"In this war, you will face a multitude of challenging opponents, no doubt having their own aspirations. You will need the strength of fortitude to deny them their wish, no matter how right it may feel to you," Ulysses added. I nodded at their words, and he nodded back.
Kiara came back with the catalyst. I was too busy listening to them that I didn't notice the summoning circle in front of me. She placed the object into it.
I took a deep breath, and the summoning chant was suddenly made known to me. I looked at the bruise on my hand, now recognizing it to be my budding Command Seals.
I parted my lips, and began the chant.
"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill."
The bright, white room soon became overcome with a blue aura. My mind was still thinking of the situation I was in, about the absurdity of it all. However despite what I was thinking of this situation, my mouth continued chanting.
"Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled. A base of silver and steel. A foundation of stone, and the Archduke of Contracts."
Listening to this new voice of mine for such an extended time was surreal.
"A wall to block the falling wind. The gates to all four directions close. From the crown come forth, and follow the forked road to the kingdom."
The lights in the room were destroyed by the oncoming energy emitting from the catalyst. The glass shattered against the ground, yet I continued on.
"I hereby propose. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if you accede to my will and reason, then answer me!"
The light from the artifact shone, the wind causing my hair and vest to move like a flag in a storm. Still, I remained determined. Something inside of me...of the old me...was coming out. A feeling, a want to carve my own path, one separate from expectations placed on me. One separate from the Outer God that set me up in this world. The defiance that I wasn't able to live out in the old world was now able to be manifest.
"I hereby swear, that I will be all the Good in the world! That I shall defeat all the Evil in the world! Seventh heaven clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of balance, Guardian of the Scales!"
The room became overtaken with a bright glowing light, blinding all of us in the room. I felt a sharp sting on my hand, and as the light dissipated, and as we were in the dark room, I couldn't see a thing, until flames suddenly illuminated the room.
"So, this me has become an Avenger…" said a voice, slightly Japanese in accent, yet also alluring. I looked up to see a tall woman with hair as red as the flames in the room. I knew who they were immediately.
"Servant, Avenger, Oda Nobunaga. To be summoned by someone so young...I hope you don't disappoint."
A snap echoed throughout the room, and suddenly it was filled with light once more. The Servant Maou Nobunaga, was now fully visible.
Nobunaga walked up toward me. She was huge, almost six feet tall. Her gaze was indecipherable, and frightening. Red eyes as bright as the flames she could conjure. I must've looked like a rat caught within the gaze of a cat.
She chuckled.
"You look like a small mouse...yet something about you caused this form to answer your calls, not my Archer form. However, for me to be one's Servant...perhaps I should decapitate you for such an act."
I swallowed the saliva in my throat as she said that. She looked at my frightened expression, and laughed.
"However, if I were to do that, then I wouldn't be able to keep my form. In that case, it cannot be helped. That would that be called... a Win-Win, correct?"