… ke up!"

"Urgh!"

Where… was he? He should be at the Clocktower with Rin… Wait no, he should be at home with Sakura and Rider… Not that doesn't seem right either. With Miyu?

No, no, no! He must keep searching for her! That's where he should be! Out there, helping and searching! But Alaya! And what about Chaldea!? Which is it!?

"Ugh!"

Nothing makes sense! None of his memories feel right, yet they all feel right! But one thing does connect them all. He needs to be there, whether to help or to care for, he needs to be there! So why isn't he!? Wait, where is here?

"… Wake up!"

Wake… up? But wasn't he awake? No, that can't be right. There isn't anything around. It was all in his head. Maybe actually waking up will give him some answers. And so, Shirou Emiya opened his eyes.

"I said wake up!"

"Alright, I'm getting up, so could you stop hitting me?" The red-haired young man opened his eyes and started to sit up. The first thing he noticed was this was definitely not a place he'd seen in any of the memories he now had. It was a dark and damp cell in what seemed to be a dungeon. Even if he was captured, magi tended to not have such fantasy-like cells.

"Jeez, I thought you might have been dead." Ah yes, the one that woke him. They sounded rather androgynous, and they were also stuck in this cell with him, so they might know what is going on. He was rather interested in finding out what they…

Was that a cat?

"What the hell is a cat doing here? And who was the one waking me?" He couldn't see anyone else in the cell, so it had to be the cat, right? But cats can't talk, Servants excluded. They didn't really count because they weren't just cats.

"I am not a cat!" So, it was the cat that talked. That is definitely not normal. However, now that he had some time to get his bearings straight, this whole place felt… off. It felt kind of like the place was saturated with mana, but the mana itself was not normal. Almost… tainted, and it smelled heavily of lust.

"Well, if you're not a cat, then what are? You're not a phantasmal, are you? You don't exactly feel like one, and I have a feeling you would be a lot more savage." Phantasmals tended to be rather dangerous creatures that were fairly uncommon. According to some of his memories, he had fought them both as a Counter Guardian and when with Chaldea, but they were not this… cute.

"I'm a human!... I think. Maybe? I don't really remember much. But what are you doing here! Regular people shouldn't be in a Palace, just the puppets! Plus, how did you just appear!? I was just minding my own business in this cell when, bam, there you were!"

Well, that answered somethings, but brought along a slew of questions with it. So, something outside his control brought him here suddenly. No clues to what it could be, though. But what is all this about Palaces and puppets? He knew about Aozaki's puppets (wait, wasn't he one of those… no, that's just another set of memories), but this being didn't seem to be referring to those. And Palaces, as in a building of a leader.

"Okay, I have no idea about almost anything you're talking about, but I believe I was brought here by an outside force, possibly the Counter Force, Chaldea, or goddamn Zelretch. But what is this about Palaces and puppets? I know some things about puppets, but you seem to have a different thing in mind."

"What do you mean what are Palaces? If you're here, you should know what they are. And I don't know what this Counter thing, that call line, or that weird last one you said was, but what I do know is I'm probably our only way out of here!"

"And how are we going to get out of here?" The cell was locked, and the being didn't seem to have any keys on it. Also, it felt kind of rude to refer to this thing as a being. "Hey, while we're here, we might as well introduce ourselves. My name is Shirou Emiya, a third-rate magus and the Second Magus Killer. And you are?"

"Who introduces themselves as a killer!? But you don't seem all too bad, so I guess I can humor you. My name is Morgana, and I happen to know all about this place! Also, what was that you said about magus? I've never heard of that."

"How have you not heard of a magus? I felt comfortable enough telling you because this place is extremely saturated in, well, something that feels like mana. And because we both seem to have questions, why don't we go back and forth? I'll start by saying that a magus is someone who enacts a mystery through the use of magical circuits."

Morgana was even more confused at that statement. "So, like magic, because if so, you could have just said that. I actually know about magic."

Now that was a surprise. This couldn't be one of the worlds in his memories, then. "No, magic is the actualization of the impossible. Magecraft, which is what a magus utilizes, is doing something that is already possible in a more efficient way, such as creating a flame or strengthening something. But it's my turn now, so what do you mean by Palace?

"You're really just going to keep leaving me with more, huh. Well, whatever. A Palace is the manifestation of someone's distortion, or corrupt thoughts. It can cause their corruptness to become even more pronounced, which can cause problems for them and others. Now it's my turn. You said that Magecraft can create flames, but magic can do the same. What exactly is the difference between the two, at least, in your terms?"

A… manifestation of one's distortion. That sounded alarmingly close to a Reality Marble. But with the way Morgana explained it, it sounded like not only did he not know what a Reality Marble is, but also, these Palaces are rather common. There were many more questions he had now, but first: "Well, you see, magic…"

This Shirou guy was weird. Morgana thought he'd at least know something about Palaces considering he was in one, but he was clueless. He didn't eve know about basic spells! And the way he was explaining his "craft" was way to complicated! Even after a discussion that took who knows how long, Morgana had no idea how this magecraft thing worked.

"I just have one last question for you, Morgana. How are we getting out of here?"

"Urk!"

In all honesty, he was just waiting and hoping a poor schmuck found their way int other palace so they could release him, but it seems Shirou wasn't going to take that for an answer. "W-well, I'm sure we can figure something out! How about you melt the bars with that fire you were talking about!?"

"First, earlier you said you had a way out." -HIT- "Second, don't you have access to this so-called "magic" of yours?" -CRITICAL-

"I-I only have access to wind magic right now, and it's not strong enough to cut through those bars. And what about your magecraft? You said it can produce all the elements, plus more."

"While normally, yes, I happen to be cut from a different cloth. Remember when I said I was third-rate? That's because I'm highly specialized, meaning I can't use any of the normal elements?"

What? This guy led him on like that, and then decides to say that everything he talked about is pretty much moot? What the hell! Now they really were going to have to wait, and it wasn't even entirely his own fault!

"Well, now we both have to wait! And you made me listen through that entire lesson just for it all to be-"

Clink

That wasn't their cell. Does that mean someone else did find their way in, but got brought down when they weren't paying attention? Maybe they would be able to get out of this sooner than they thought!

"ARGH!"

Or not. Man, what did that guy do to gain the Palace owner's ire. Well, maybe they could still get lucky if that guy is able to escape… Where did Shirou get that sword?

Shink, shink, shink

And how was it able to cut through solid steel!? "If you could do that before, why didn't you!?" And he's gone.

"Well, can't really have someone as clueless as him running through a Palace. Gotta go after him… How the hell is he so fast!"

As soon as Shirou heard the scream, his body was already moving. No matter what world he was in, the man of known as Shirou Emiya never ignored someone in need of help. He may have led Morgana to believe he didn't have a way out, but he didn't want to have to play his hand this early. Even if Morgana seemed trustworthy, he couldn't be sure yet.

"Come on, I've got to be close," he muttered. If there was one thing he was learning about this Palace, it was much bigger than he originally thought. And there seemed to be much more to this place then just the dungeon. Wait, were those blue flames?

"ARSÈNE!"

The next thing Shirou knew, a bunch of weird-looking knights were thrown out of the cell where the flames originated from. Then two guys around the same age as him made their way out, though one of them was in some very odd attire.

"Suck on that you piece of shit!" There seemed to still be a person in the cell the two teens just locked, but the blond one must have held some type of grudge against him if his words were anything to go by. As the blond threw the keys in the river, Morgana seemed to have finally caught up to the scene.

"There are more people in this Palace!? And one of them has a Persona!? Looks like getting locked up in here wasn't so bad after all!" Shirou couldn't help but disagree with that statement. And what was this about a Persona? Is that what caused the dark-haired teen to look like a thief? More questions for later.

"Hey Blondie, Frizzy Hair! If you guys want to live, get over here!" Morgana seemed to have no problems with calling over two unknown individuals. Sure, the blond just looked like a school kid, but the other teen not only looked possibly dangerous, but he felt somewhat like a magus. He smelled of flames and darkness and seemed to be utilizing this tainted mana.

"Woah, a talking bipedal cat and… a regular dude. Huh, thought you might be something crazy too. Wait, are you with Kamoshida!?" The blond suddenly looked on edge. That must be the name of the guy in the cell if the way he was acting said anything.

"I have no idea who this Kamoshida guy is, and I just so happened to wake up in this dungeon, so I am still rather confused. But Morgana here seems to know how to escape, so it would be in all our best interest to follow him." There were a lot more questions he wanted to ask, but it would be best for them to leave while they had an opening.

"Oh, thank God. Really didn't want to have to deal with anymore Kamoshida… So, Morgana, right? How do we get out?" The blond seemed to be taking talking to Morgana rather easily. And the other teen didn't seem to talk much, but Shirou wasn't gonna take any chances.

"I know we should be punctual in escape, but we should probably at least introduce ourselves. I'm Shirou Emiya, and, as already stated, this is Morgana. He would prefer if you do not refer to him as a cat."

"Yeah!"

"Oh, yeah, probably should do that. Well, I'm Ryuji Sakamoto, and this is…"

"I'm Ren Amamiya. Nice to meet you."

"Well, getting to know each other is all well and good, but we should probably leave before more shadows find us. I would suggest fighting, but I don't know what Shirou can do, I don't have the firepower to take out the number of shadows we'd attract, and Ren here seems to be facing the backlash from his awakening." More unfamiliar terms. Shadows and awakening, huh? The awakening must have something to do with the Persona thing that was mentioned earlier, but the shadows were new.

"I can fight, if necessary, but I would much rather not do more than need be. I am not sure how well my circuits can process this world's mana." He would more than likely be fine, but he didn't want to play his cards just yet. But there was one thing that needed to be discussed…

"You said something about shadows? What exactly are they?" He knew what shadows were, of course, but these were definitely different and sounded like something hostile.

"Oh, shadows are essentially the corrupt thoughts of the human. They act as a kind of defense for one's Palace. Think of them like monsters." So phantasmals, essentially. But based off how nonchalant Morgana was, they don't seem to be quite on the same level in terms of danger.

"Now's as good of a time to leave, but I have many more questions about some of the things you mentioned when we get out. So, lead the way, Morgana." He has had a lot of his questions answered, but the Persona thing was still on his mind. What could it be?

"Just leave it to me!"

"Phew, I really thought we were going to get caught! And I didn't know you were so capable of stealth, Ren." It was rather surprising, as Sakamoto put it. He didn't seem to have any training, but Amamiya was very capable of stealth arts. As long as Morgana was telling him where to go, Amamiya didn't have any problems with avoiding the shadows.

"I... I don't really know how I did that. I definitely wasn't able to do it before today." Did it have something to do with the apparel he was wearing? True, it did make him harder to detect, but that wouldn't explain the skills he portrayed. With what Shirou saw, Amamiya was performing as well as weaker Assassin-class Servants.

"It's because of his Persona. It strengthened him and allowed him to move in the way he thought would be most beneficial."

… How did that work? That almost sounded like True Magic. Being able to do something just because that is what you believe will work the best? If not magic, then some very high-level magecraft. "Since we're out, I think we deserve an explanation for this Persona thing, Morgana."

"I guess that much is due. A Persona is the manifestation of one's personality. It's like a shadow, but it is in a controlled state, and allows the user to not only wield magic, but also strengthens them and lets them perform feats they never thought possible. They're usually very uncommon, so I was surprised Ren had one, even if it was just awakened."

A manifestation of one's personality? It sounded similar to a Reality Marble, but also different. "Would I be able to see what both of your Persona's are? I was able to sense it a bit on Amamiya a bit after he awakened it, but now I can't sense it on either of you."

"Sure, you can see mine, but I don't know if Ren has enough energy too. ZORRO, come on out!"

Okay, this thing was strong, maybe on the level of a weaker Servant, but nothing too bad. But that was just the aura it gave off. What about what it was…

Zorro, also known as Don Diego de la Vega. This being was much closer to a Servant in nature than Shirou originally thought. The rapier he was holding told him everything he needed to know and found its way into his Blade Works.

"Woah, that's sick, isn't it Emiya!" Sakamoto seemed rather excited over seeing a being that could be considered extremely dangerous to him. And those wouldn't be the exact words Shirou would use, but it was rather interesting.

"It is indeed interesting, Sakamoto, but how were you able to summon something I can only consider as a partial Servant? I have seen many Servants, but never have I seen one of Zorro, the masked vigilante of California. And feel free to call me Shirou, I'm not one for formalities."

"A… Servant? I've never heard of that before. And how were you able to tell who this is so quickly? Just a name shouldn't have been enough." Ah, he probably shouldn't have said so much. But also, how could he not know what a Servant is? He pretty much just summoned one.

"I happen to be able to read the history of any weapon I can see, excluding ones from an image. I am able to read blade much better than anything else, due to it being the basis for my magecraft." It was a bit more than he would've liked to say, but it felt necessary at this point.

"You mentioned earlier something about mana, and now you're mentioning magecraft? Isn't that all fake, like only something you'd seen in stories or games?" And he forgot there were two high school students here. Sakamoto was much more observant than he originally thought.

"Whatever I say here can not be told to anyone else if you would like to continue living. I am a magus, someone who utilizes magecraft. And before you ask, no it is not magic. Magi are able to do anything within the means of science almost instantaneously, while magic makes the impossible possible."

"While that's cool and all, what was the first thing you said about continuing to live? Are you going to kill us if we tell anyone?" Sakamoto sounded rather frightened at the statement. Rightfully so, being that death is usually not something one gets threatened with often.

"I will not, but the Clocktower does not like the secret of magecraft being out in the open."

…Wait, did the Clocktower even exist in this world? Well, it would still be safer if the secrets of magecraft didn't get out. "Just make sure not to tell anyone, and you will be fine. Also, even if I would like to see your Persona, Amamiya, I believe it would be better if we leave. There seems to be a lot of beings making their way to the entrance of this Palace."

"Sorry about that Shirou, but I believe you are correct. Plus, I do not know if I would be able to summon it at this time. Also, feel free to call me Ren."

"And you can just call me Ryuji! I'm with you on getting out of here, though. I don't really want to have to deal with more of those shadow things."

"Well, we're right next to the exit, so we can make our way out. When we leave, we may not all end up in the same place." Morgana seems to be ushering them out quite quickly. Seems they angered the Palace owner a bit.

"Until next time, if there is one! Cool meeting you two!" Ryuji and Ren quickly move through the exit and disappear. This further proves this isn't a Reality Marble, because those can't be left so easily. He may as well make his way out.

"Seems this is goodbye, Morgana. It was rather fruitful meeting you, and if we do meet again, I believe there will be a lot of things to go over." He may not have gotten all his questions answered, but he got enough to know what his next step is. First, he has to figure out where he ends up, and make ends meet there. Then, he needs to take care of this Palace. He has no idea how he'll get back, but if this is doing what he thinks it is, it is going to bring harm to many.

"If this encounter is anything to live by, we'll meet again, Shirou. But until then, good luck." And Morgana made his way through. All that was left was for Shirou to take that final step…

This is… Tokyo. Not only that, but the atmosphere feels exactly like his home world, if not a bit more mana rich. Okay, he can work with this. He's been to Tokyo before, so as long as it isn't too different, he should be able to survive.

And the first thing he needed to do was find a place to sleep. Yes, he could just sleep in an alleyway, but that was begging for trouble. But as much as it pained him to do, he traced money for a hotel in Shibuya. He knew it was morally wrong, but he promised himself he would find a way to actually make money as soon as he could. Just, for right now, he was still trying to process all the memories he had, and it was very much draining him.

"Ugh, what the hell is going on?" All the different memories he had were contradicting each other. His sister was Illya, but it was also Miyu, and he loved Saber, no Rin, no Sakura, no Rider, no all of them. He was a Counter Guardian, he was at the Clocktower, he was in Chaldea, no he was at home in Fuyuki. He won the Grail War against Gilgamesh, the Ainsworths, Angra Mainyu. Nothing was going together, yet they were all his memories. It was like someone took every version of himself and put them into his 17-year-old body, creating an amalgamation of different souls. Even his Unlimited Blade Works was having trouble distinguishing between the different memories. At least he had access to all the weapons from each.

"Screw it, some sleep would do me good." He finally gave up trying to sort through everything and gave into the sweet release that was sleep.

…

And just when he thought he would be able to relax, something else happens. As he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed that everything was dyed in a bluish tinge. He himself seemed to, yet again, be in a cell, but this time, the door didn't seem to be locked. As he sat up from the prison bed, the first thing he heard was,

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, Ren Amamiya."