Principle of magic.
Disclaimer: I don't own the fate series.
Chapter 16
The room was dark, the only light coming from a single monitor, showing what looked like a train traveling across the globe.
Suddenly the image flashed red as the train reached Germany before completely vanishing from the screen.
From the darkness a man came in, his brown eyes blazing with glee.
"So close " he muttered as he approached the screen, the light illuminating his face.
Juliusreached the monitor and fiddled with it for a few moments, causing the screen to flicker before the image returned to showing the train moving.
"Much better" he muttered before turning around and leaving the room.
Corvus ran forward, the long empty corridors of the rail zeppelin stretching around him, the sounds of his people outside reaching his ears, their pained groans resounding in the halls of the train.
The visage of a woman, her face pale and her eyes as stormy gray as his own looking at him with a pained scowl "You are but a third rate Corvus" her voice was soft but her words were as hard as steel, searing him like fire. "You shouldn't involve yourself in the life of a magus, you aren't ready for that.. you can never be a magus"
The pain in his palm intensified breaking him out of the memory.
Shaking his head and forcefully banishing the memory as he reinforced himself and dashed toward the first wagon, were his price waited.
To his surprise the door to the wagon was opened, and from where he stood he could see the shelves filled to the brim with mystic eyes of every grade and level.
Carefully he walked in, his eyes darting back and forth looking for the only occupant he did not see yet.
His gaze fell upon the mystic eyes projector and there it was, the shade of thedead apostle , her body glowing blue and purple, eyes hidden under magenta hair mouth set in a light smirk as she looked at him.
"Rita Rozay-en" Corvus said lightly a small smile tugging on his lips "Or what's left of her at least".
His eyes in contrast to his voice were alert and hard.
The shade smiled at him, the unnatural color of her body reflected by the light of the florescent as she slowly rose up from her chair.
"Welcome to the rail zeppelin uninvited guest" her voice was surprisingly melodious. "Unfortunately it is our policy to send anyone who came uninvited back home" she paused, her red unnatural eyes half visible from under her hair as they focused on his gray eyes "By any means necessary" she emphasized the word any.
Without a word Corvus called forth his prana, a series of ethereal writing in different languages appeared around him before chains of pure silvery white sprang out of them, heading toward the shade.
The shade dodged to the left before turning around and with a simple flick of her hands shattered them.
As her back was turned on him, Corvus didn't waste any time creating more runes around him, feeding them the ambient mana around them, among them a single letter glowed darkly before vanishing .
The runes released their power and the temperature spiked in the room.
Smiling slightly, Corvus used the high temperature to create a fire right beneath the shades legs, the flames burning hot enough to melt the floor.
A noise alerted him , causing him to reinforce himself and rolling to the side, just as the shade it's body no longer glowing , burst from the flames and smashed where he just stood, leaving a deep crater.
It whirled around, glowing eyes gazing deep into his own before it slowly straightened up, it eyes now completely uncovered.
"Pathetic little magus" it sneered "You are a weakling, a third rate at best" it hissed.
Corvus was about to activate another spell when it spoke, the words capturing him by surprise.
Corvus's eyes narrowed darkly, his eyes flashed "I am not a failure" he said slowly, the pain in his hand intensified but he ignored it, without wasting another moment he activated the spell, causing a pillar of flames to erupt from under the shade.
A cold, hard laugh resounded from the middle of the pillar and Corvus took a step back, his eyes narrowing even more.
The shade stepped out of the flames, slightly burned but not impeded in the least.
It's face had a mock pity look and it shook its head as if in sympathy "Poor , poor magus what's wrong? Have your little sparks fail you?"
Instead of answer the temperature around it dropped suddenly, freezing it's legs the ice slowly getting higher.
Corvus stood there, his eyes narrowed in concentration as dark runes appeared around him quickly.
The shade looked calm, a smile creeping on its face "Is that all?" It taunted "A third rate is way to good of a praise for you" it shook it's head slowly.
Corvus froze, his eyes widening .
Where just a moment ago he stood in the half destroyed zeppelin, now he was standing in a warm room, with a fire crackling pleasantly in the fireplace, his feet drowned in the soft carpet.
But what he was looking at was a tall woman seating in a chair with her back to the fireplace, a small book on her laps, her hair was a dark silk wave falling on her shoulders.
Her eyes were on him, cold and dark, disgust written all over her expression.
"You are pathetic Corvus" she muttered "I am ashamed to have birthed you" her voice was as hard as steel "Thankfully you are not needed any longer"
He felt the pain in his hand now, sharp and strong but he grit his teeth.
"I have outgrown this time" he said darkly "I have no need for your acknowledgment any more" he said forcefully.
The woman's expression didn't change, instead Prana filled her and a tendril of wind hit him across his face sending him flying.
The pain in his hand erupted as if someone spilled molten lava on it.
With a start his mind cleared and he found himself face to face with the shade, his runes already lost as he lost concentration.
Desperately he jumped right, but a blow from the shade hit him in his right hand.
He howled in pain as he felt bones shatter.
When he finally was able to get a semblance of control over himself, he looked up from where he was sprawled his eyes widening as he saw the shade standing over him.
"It's over little magus" it said darkly "You were so close, just a few runes away from freezing me completely, how does it feel?" It asked before shaking its head "I guess it doesn't matter , goodbye pathetic magus" it said lifting it's leg.
Corvus knew it was over, he failed. A smile crept on his face, he failed it was finally going to be over.
A bright light appeared from behind , striking the shade and enveloping it completely, when the light faded there was nothing left of the shade.
From the entrance, Rin burst in and ran toward him .
"Are you alright Corvus? She asked giving him her hand to help.
Instinctively he gave her his right hand, flinching at the pain he expected only staring surprised when none came.
Startled he looked at his hand, surprise written all over his face as he moved the hand back and forth, no pain at all.
"Corvus?" Rin asked wonderingly and worriedly "Is everything alright?"
At her words he stopped looking in wonder at his healed hand, his gaze lifting to meet hers "What was that light you used?" he asked.
She looked sheepish, red coloring her cheeks "You remember the theoretical ability we talked about?" She trailed off as he nodded.
"I see interesting" he muttered more to himself than her. Shaking his head he turned toward the projector and with a flash of prana disabled it.
Turning back toward her he motioned outside "Please call the survivors, we will need to take everything here and get out before the inner circle will find out what happened here"
She nodded and turned around, leaving in a hurry.
Corvus turned toward the mystic eyes containers , carefully stacking them one by one.
Rin looked perplexed for a long moment, surprise and hurt playing on her face.
She stood in front of the door to Corvus's office, unable to enter.
She sighed, it's been three days since their operation , three days after the man locked himself in the office, refusing to see anyone.
For the life of her she couldn't understand what the man was thinking, first his stony expression as they rode back and now this.
She visited the place every day for the last three days, but the man was stubborn like moose .
Shaking her head she was about to leave when the door opened, and Corvus came out his face ragged and clothes cramped but his eyes shown with determination.
For a moment he stopped as he saw her but then he smiled genuinely.
"Rin" he started "there are some things we need to talk about, including the power you used to save me"
She was about reply when he halted her.
"However there is something we have to talk about first, are you busy right now?"
To say Rin was surprised was an understatement, she didn't really remember asking her if she wanted to talk ever.
Instead of answering she nodded.
"I" he started before stopping to take a deep breath "I owe you an apology, for everything I made you go through. Our talk right before the mission.. it hit really close to home and... I was angry, I told myself that you were wrong, that you only said that to hurt me as a petty revenge for my actions"
Rin looked stunned but said nothing, letting him finish.
"When you saved me, I was shocked. You could've let me die I was completely helpless! Yet you didn't. Instead you saved me and that was when I realized that I was lying to myself" he looked pained but continued speaking "Which is why when we returned I decided to be truthful with myself. For the last three days I destroyed my own lies one by one and by the end of them.. I realized you were correct"
"Corvus I" she started again but he lifted his hand stopping her.
"Please Rin, listen to what I have to say first alright?"
At her nod he continued.
"With this realization, I've also realized that I can't trust myself with project ouroboros , I am not a magus rational and emotionless, I am nothing but a sociopath." He swallowed "That's why I decided to let you head the project. You are a real magus, someone who won't let emotions stop you from achieving your goal, I will give you the mystic eyes and full control and if that's not enough I'll swear a geas to you"
She stood there, dumbfounded and the only thing she could say was a croaked yes.
End of chapter 16 .
An: I wonder how many of you will be able to recognize what exactly did Rin use.