The Past
A giant minotaur-like creature with bat wings fell to the Earth, almost as if it were dragged down by gravity itself. Looks like it was trying to get to something... or someone. However, unexpectedly, the creature instantly started to take a humanoid form. In a matter of seconds, the beast had turned into a male, human-like creature with fully red eyes, elongated ears and spiked hair, albeit he was still incredibly muscular and tall compared to normal humans.
Even the Earth going against the man wasn't enough. He slowly started to crawl towards his objective, before being stopped by gravity itself.
That's right. Gravity itself had pinned him down. It had become a thousand times stronger just to put the man down. He pooled his strength just barely enough in a tug of war against gravity to raise his head and look at his goal, the objective he was heading towards...
A cloaked figure stood on a piece of rubble above the former beast, clearly a male. He was incredibly tall, even taller than the man below him. His cloak was dark, it had a raised collar. Normally, that cloak would belong to the archangel of Causality, but, someone has usurped that position. Absorbed. Someone oh so greedy, that he might as well be greed itself given form.
"I am so sorry, Zodd..." A voice like a lullaby... "This hurts me more than it hurts you, but it has to be done. I can't risk it all now."
Zodd grit his teeth in fury. "You already defeated him at the cost of your own kingdom... why do this to your remaining pawns?! You are a fool!"
"Why so much rage?" The figure looked down on Zodd, revealing his face. It was the Falcon of Darkness himself, but he didn't have a helmet on unlike the form that was given to him at the first Eclipse. His face, his beauty was exposed, even in his more angelic form. His hair had been shortened by a lot however, and while it kept its form, being as wavy as ever, it only reached his neck at best, presumably to avoid contact with the raised collar. "There is no other way. The death of an entire kingdom along with so many people will surely bring attention. If we do not disappear from the Earth, then it will respond to us. The Counter Force; it will send its agents. We will die if that happens. Even if that wouldn't happen, you should be happy."
"For my own death...?!"
"Yes. You should be happy because your time has come, you are going to contribute to my grand purpose that shall come later. Not only are you giving me more power, but I will also be able to hide from the Earth. When down in the Vortex of Souls, know that you were made into a cobblestone in my path to perfection and rejoice. Now..." The archangel put out his now abnormal hands with six fingers each, revealing his body under the cloak. While he had lost the 'helmet,' his body underneath the cloak was still the body of the first form he was given, the Falcon of Darkness. "I will give you mercy, but you needn't worry. You will not be alone down there. I shall drag all mine Apostles, all mine followers into the Vortex to fuel my power, to hide in the shadows."
Right below Zodd, a portal to the abyss itself opened up. To hell, as some might say. The souls from the Vortex attacked like starved dogs, slowly yet surely dragging Zodd's soul into the Vortex. In a matter of seconds, Zodd was gone; now in the Vortex, only his body was left behind, but as if the humiliation wasn't enough, his body had reverted to its human form, an incredibly frail man.
The Present
"You killed the last of your own demonic soldiers. That seems rather..." Kiara paused for a moment, thinking. "Idiotic. You had already dealt with the Black Swordsman and the mages after you; infact, this seems to have been always your problem judging from what you told me from the start. Your idea of solving a conflict seems to be killing both sides and then taking all their stuff. I genuinely want to help you but you've left me confused."
"I have already told you, it was to hide from the Counter Force. Every single movement I've made is not without rhyme or reason. With the entirety of Falconia gone, it was only a matter of time before the Earth would start sending its disciples to deal with me. I had to rid of them, and then go into hiding myself. And, as much as I hate to admit it, the seal that witch had placed on me had some effect. I had to take all the abilities that the former archangel had given away to replenish my own. Besides... would you not want that? To die for a purpose as grand as mine. Zodd had lived his life, in the end, he was meant to be my nourishment. That was his only purpose. It was written in the stars."
"I am a therapist, I don't believe it's in my right to judge those that I listen to, but you sound very unhinged. All lives have value, no life exists merely to nourish another."
"There, you are wrong. While most lives do possess a purpose, there are lives that have to have a purpose given to them. Zodd was one of those lives. Nonetheless, they all lose their value once their purpose is done with. I advise you to not raise your voice again, we are not here to argue. Simply do your job, Kiara Sessyoin."
As if being recorded wasn't enough, from Kiara's side came the sound of the head of a pencil being dragged on paper. She was documenting her thoughts.
2 CORINTHIANS 11:14
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Blink...
Blink...
Saver looked up at a picture in a dimly lit room. Unlike just about the entirety of Chaldea, the room was actually easy on the eyes. Dark enough to not instantly blind you, yet bright enough to navigate. The picture he was looking at featured two people in it, both dressed fancily.
On the right, there stood an adult man in a suit, a wide smile upon his face. He had white hair which was braided at the front. To Griffith, it was obvious who it was. Marisbury Animusphere. He could tell with a single gaze, even though he had never seen him once in person. After all, he was quite a threat, oh so close to discovering the Falcon's true identity, his face will never be wiped from Griffith's mind. To Marisbury's right, there was a young child seated. A girl who possessed braided white hair much like the man besides her. Unfortunately, she didn't seem as happy as he was.
MARISBURY ANIMUSPHERE
OLGA MARIE ANIMUSPHERE
"Is this you? As a child? You look adorable."
"Er, yes. Me and my father. I've been the director ever since he passed away. Can we get back to the topic at hand, please?"
Griffith was spaced out, he had entered a world of his own. His eyes were focused on Marisbury and Marisbury alone.
"Hey! Saver! Are you listening to me?! We're in the middle of a private lecture here! You should be honored! ...And your tea is getting cold."
Relief washed over Saver's mind. "Why, my apologies. Continue, dear Olga."
Romani Archaman's Room
Roman stuck his tongue out, closing his bloodshot-red left eye as he put his hand to his chin. He was gazing at the front wall of his room. It looks like he hadn't slept last night, but what's so interesting about a wall? Maybe it's the writings that he had put on it. That's right, the good doctor has gone full on detective movie mode to solve this case.
On the left side of the wall, there was something written in red: 'PROOF GRIFFITH ISN'T A MEMBER OF GOD HJAND'
On the right side, the opposite in green: 'PROOF GRIFFITH IS A MEMBER OF THE GOD HAND'
And lastly, at the the bottom: 'HOW TO KILL THE ROOT'
PROOF GRIFFITH IS A MEMBER OF THE GOD HAND
Hawks suddenly disappear out of nowhere, replaced by the Band of the Falcon (ASCENSION)
Suddenly and magically fixes the bloody relationship between Apostles and humans (? ? ?)
Keeps Falconia safe from fantasy creatures
Disappears the same day as Falconia and his Apostles. Mass sacrifice?
Reuses the Third Magic, logically impossible as the path for that Magic is closed unless he has access to The Root's records or has inherited it (latter highly unlikely)
World dreamt of a bird of light splitting apart the darkness according to some records found
Currently Grand Saver, even surpassing the messiah? Is Saver even a class? There are only Grands of the standard seven Servant classes anyways.
PROOF GRIFFITH ISN'T A MEMBER OF THE GOD HAND
Almost Jesus
The God Hand get recycled
Unfortunately, the one on the bottom which suggested ways to kill The Root was empty. How can you exactly kill an aspect of The Root anyways?
Romani had a red marker in his hand. He was just itching to get more proof in. Right as he was about to approach the wall to write again, someone knocked on his door.
"Yoohoo? Dr. Archaman? Are you there? Oversleeping? I always knew you were a dreamer-!"
"I'm awake!"
"Well well well... looks like you decided to finally respond. I just came by to tell you the director called you fifteen minutes ago, but you didn't respond so she sent me to come call you. Why'd you lock the door anyways?"
"Erm, private stuff! I'll be out in a minute!"
"You're not doing anything funny in there, are you? Hmmmm?"
"No! Just- Just go!"
"Fine. Catch you later."
Roman let out a deep sigh, throwing the marker onto his bed. He then turned to the door, walking over to it. Thankfully, this is the super-advanced Chaldea we're talking about, as such, the door opened on its own. What he didn't expect however, was Da Vinci, still waiting on the other side.
"Hello, Dr. Archaman! Out of your room at last, I see! Whatcha doing in there?"
Archaman's soul left his body at that moment, spooked, but he quickly came back to his senses, quickly trying to cover up the writings with his body.
"Nothing! Y'know, I'm just a humble doctor, what would I have to hide..."
"Yeah, you're right. Could you just slightly move your head to your left, though?"
"...Why?"
"You have to get your morning stretches, otherwise you'll go stiff."
"Alright, fine."
He closed his eyes, leaning his head to his left, which accidentally revealed some of the writings.
"Ha! I knew it!"
"Wha- Huh?! Wait wait, it's not what you think it is!"
"You're going full crazy back there! C'mon, let me see what you wrote in full, I know it's there now!"
"I'm not crazy, and no! Never! I just couldn't get it off my head, I had to do it, okay?! None of your business!"
"C'mooooooooooooon, you know you wanna." Wink.
"No.
"Please."
"No."
"Pretty please."
"No!"
"Fine, you asked for it!" Da Vinci put her right fingers to her mouth, whistling. "Oooohhhh Fou, Dr. Roman has some snacks for you over here!"
"Wait, Da Vinci! No-!"
"Fouuu!"
A fluffy, small yet cutesy animal with white fur could be seen running around in the hallways, now heading towards Romani's room in no time.
"That's an invasion of-!"
He couldn't defend himself in time. Fou jumped on Romani's chest with full force, knocking him over, which allowed for Da Vinci to step in.
"Looky here... wow." Da Vinci put her right hand on her chin. "This is pretty interesting. Griffith? God Hand? You mean Saint Griffith? What's he have to do with the God Hand? Do you mean the servants of The Root God Hand?"
"Yeah, yes to the both of those questions." Romani picked up Fou from his chest, putting it aside.
"Interesting... why are you looking into them anyways? The God Hand haven't shown any energy signatures for about a thousand years now. I think it's safe to assume they're gone at this point, and Griffith would be the last person to be a member of the God Hand."
"I thought the director already told you, I may or may not have summoned Griffith last night."
"No way! Seriously?! THE Saint Griffith?! Where is he?! Whereishewhereishewhereishewhereishe-"
"Hey, hey, calm down. He's most likely in the director's room as we speak, probably why she called me. I did think she'd want a Servant of that caliber for herself."
"Right, Griffith will offer her a lot of political power especially, I'm sure she enjoys that considering that there are a whole bunch of other organizations trying to take Chaldea out of her hands. I still can't understand the writings here, though. Dr. Roman has gone completely nuts, right Fou?"
...Even the animal had gone silent. Although it couldn't communicate it to the other two in the room, it knew the truth, and it trembled in fear.
"I think he agrees with me."
"Can you just look at my list of evidence before calling me crazy?"
"Yeah, yeah." Da Vinci squinted her eyes, looking at the evidence more closely.
"Even if he is a member of the God Hand, please don't let this slip out. We can't create any panic."
"...How did you even come to all these conclusions?"
"You're the only one I'm letting this information slip out to, and it's only because you barged into my room. Literally no one on Earth knows this except for me, and soon to be you, it's one of the highly classified info. Years ago, the old director and I headed out to the residence of the last mage volunteer to fall against the God Hand. In her journal, she accused Griffith of being the Falcon of Darkness."
"Do you still have it around?"
"No. The Mage's Association caught onto us pretty fast and demanded we hand the book over, all because they're so desperate to get to The Root, what better way to get to it by observing pieces of it? We didn't want the wrath of God on us, no choice but to hand it over. We memorized most of its content, though."
"I... that's..."
"Da Vinci?"
Leonardo turned around. "Dr. Roman... what did you exactly summon? What did you do...?"
Olga Marie Animusphere's Office
"So fluffy..." Marie grasped his hair while he remained seated, emotionless, cold, like a robot. "Can I make my hair like yours? How'd you do this anyways?"
"It's natural."
"You know, this reminds me of our... em, pet you could say, Fou. Its fur is quite like this. A lot-" The door to her office opened, prompting Olga to stand up. "Took you long enough sleepy head!"
"Sorry, director, you're right. I overslept."
"I assume you already know what you're here for."
"Yeah." Roman took off the glove on his right hand once more, revealing his Command Seals. "...I pray to the Command Seal on my hand to abolish the contract between Saber and I."
"...It's Saver. Are you okay?"
Romani shook his head, closing his eyes as he did so. He had gotten too carried away with those writings. "I'm so sorry. By the Command Seal, I wish to abolish the contract between Saver and I."
In an instant, Romani's Command Seals were gone. The contract was finished right there.
"Okay, okay, quick, Saver! Make a contract with me, or you'll disappear any second now!"
Griffith hadn't moved an inch. He had stayed completely still, without a single phrase uttered, a single inch moved. Indeed, he was like a doll; a robot. Even though he felt kind, he was absolutely emotionless, cold.
"Saver!"
"Sorry, I was too deep in my thoughts..." Griffith stood up from his seat, putting his hand out for her to grab from the other side of the table. "I will use my ability to manipulate souls to anchor myself in this world with your aid. I shall link our souls."
Without any hesitation, Olga shook his hand incredibly violently until her Command Seals appeared on her right arm.
"Pheeeeuuww! That was close!"
"...I wasn't even close to disappearing." Griffith squinted his eyes.
"Whatever. Imagine you and I, Griffith, we're gonna become best buddies, alright! Imagine you and I... in politics... yeah... best buddies..." Olga started to enter her thoughts...
Olga Marie Animusphere's Imagination
"Muahahahaha!" Olga cackled with an evil tone as she sat upon a throne high up on the top of a literal ivory tower, surrounded by a few staff members of Chaldea. She had a crown on.
"Wowie, you're so cool and awesome, director! If only I could be as awesome as you!" Praised Romani.
"Not even my kingdom can compare to this! I wanna be as awesome as you!" Praised Griffith.
"How are you smarter than even me?! That's so crazy!" Praised Da Vinci.
"All hail Olga! All hail Olga!" The Chaldean staff all bowed before Olga from afar. Indeed, she had become the ruler of the worl-!
Reality
"That sounds good... yeah..." Olga muttered to herself while looking at the roof with her eyes closed, drooling.
"Director? Are you okay?" Roman poked her cheek, hoping to get her back into the reality.
"Hunh-?! Hey! I was in the middle of my thoughts there!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, really. My apologies. Anything else you want me to do? I'll get back to work."
"Normally, I'd send you back to your ordinary tasks, but you look really tired. Your eyes are almost completely red. You can take the day off, just make sure to get some proper sleep tonight."
"What? No! I can work! I'm not tired at all, I swear!"
"...You sure?"
"Absolutely!"
"If you say so. I'll give you a break from your usual work, though. It very much pains me to be separated from my newly gained Servant, but why don't you take Griffith on a tour around Chaldea? Introduce him to an employee or two."
"Uh..." He initially hesitated, his theories running through his brain.
"Come on."
"Fine. Doesn't look like I have any other choice anyways. We'll head out now. Let's go, Saver."
Griffith stood back up, letting out a light wave at Olga before turning around towards Romani, who led the way.
"See you later, Director."
The door opened once more, the two of them leaving.
Chaldea's Hallways
"It was a short-lived contract, sir, but I enjoyed it. We only spent one night together." Said Griffith as they walked side by side.
"Yeah, it was nice, I guess. I'm not going anywhere though, neither are you, so it's not all that bad."
"...You are right. My apologies, I got carried away, I tend to get very emotional for no reason sometimes." He said with literally the most monotone and bored voice ever. Griffith looked around as they walked. "It is so very awfully quiet in these hallways."
"Weekends. Everyone's back home, almost everyone. They'll come back tonight since its Friday. Some of us basically live here though, that's why the director told me to show you around. There's a few people to meet." As they walked, Romani eventually fell back into thought, deciding to continue his investigation when he had the chance. "So, Griffith, last night you told me that you wish you could be as great as the holy messiah himself, yet you also told me you are the Grand Saver. That... sort of doesn't line up. Something tells me that he would also be Saver according to what you told me, and that Grand would go to him, not you."
"...That is an interesting point you bring up, to be frank with you, I don't know how it works either. It's a confusing world anyway, I was told nothing, I know nothing, I simply... am. I am. That is all I can say."
Griffith had basically ducked that question, twisting its answer. It only added to the suspicion in Roman's
"I see, okay. Thanks for clarifying that."
"I will be in your service too, Romani. Never be afraid to ask me for anything. After all... we're friends, right?"
The latter part of his sentence sent shivers down the doctor's spine. He was charming as per usual, but there was something wrong with that phrase. It's the sense of something hiding under his words, almost as if he was lying through his teeth. It only made him fear more and more, it made him think of his fate, his dark destiny soon to come. Before the situation could escalate, a certain fluffy animal came to the rescue.
"Fouuu!"
There it is.
Fou was running at full speed, perhaps running away from something, or someone. However, it came to a stop in a cartoony matter once it met with Romani and Griffith, the two of them also stopping afterwards. It stared up at Griffith in specific. It knew well, it knew what Griffith was. A Beast parading as a messiah, a monster who feeds off misery, war. Even other Beasts would despise him. At the very least, they'd have twisted love for humanity, but this one has nothing in his heart, absolutely nothing. There's not even a concept of good and evil in his head. He simply exists, he simply does.
"Erm, Griffith, that right there is Fou, our kind of pet, I guess you could say."
"The director did mention it. Do you really think my hair looks like his fur?"
Frightened, Fou turned right back around, running away, only to bump into Da Vinci, who picked it up.
"Gotcha ya little scaredy cat!" She held it up, obscuring her vision. Her tone was a little more down than usual, clearly not as cheerful as usual.
Roman cleared his voice, managing to catch her attention. "Ahem, Da Vinci."
"Oh, hey, Roman, didn't see you-" Once Da Vinci moved Fou to the side, her eyes were greeted with the sight of the Falcon of Darkness. "...There."
"Greetings, madame. I am Saver. You can call me Griffith."
"...Huh, so you're the Falcon of Light... um..." Stress took over her mind for a split-second, causing her to put Fou down, who immediately got out of there. "I- I uh... nice to meet you, Saver. I'm Leonardo da Vinci, Caster class."
"Da Vinci... I like your name. Nice to meet you as well."
"You look really good today. I don't know what else to say."
"Thank you, I'm flattered, very. Would you like to join us? We are going on some sort of tour around here I believe."
"I... e-"
"Hey, Saver, I'm really tired, can we go grab a coffee? The cafeteria is just up ahead, if you go straight for a bit you'll see it to your right. We'll catch up in a second."
Griffith knew they needed time to speak, but members of the Hand of God exist everywhere in this world. There's no hiding information from them. He won't miss a thing.
"Very well. I am itching for another tea. Don't forget to come, Roman, you're my guide."
"Don't worry."
He walked past both of them, the two of them waiting a few seconds after he was gone to speak up.
"The hell are you doing?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... but... he's so awfully naive! So beautiful! No way that guy's a member of the God Hand. I can't see it at all."
"Even Fou got scared by him. Animals know the true personalities of people, c'mon, Da Vinci, think it through!"
"It's very mind boggling. I can't judge until I observe more of his personality and what-not, until then, I can't offer you any help in case he does turn out to be an actual good person. I... em... I just can't have that kind of guilt on my shoulders."
"Fine. That's understandable, I understand you. This doesn't mean that I'm gonna give up just yet though."
"I won't stop you. I just want you to proceed with caution, make sure you know what you're doing."
"...I'll try."
Soon after, a disappointed Romani followed Griffith.
The Present
"The face of God brings all those around him to their knees. It's far too mighty to be seen by mere humans. Such is my charisma. It can capture any being that sees it."
"The face of God, yet the body and thoughts of Satan. If only you had His thought process."
"That part of me will never change."
Chaldea's Cafeteria
"Would you like some tea?"
"No, thank you."
Griffith had offered a young, pink-haired girl some tea from his own cup. She was dressed pretty fashionably, wearing a jacket over a black dress, all of it topped off by a red tie and square-shaped glasses. The two of them had been seated across a white table. The table had four seats around it in total.
"Even as a staff member here, I personally do not like the tea that much. It feels bland. I can't seem to understand why you like it so much."
"I agree. It's nothing compared to the other drinks I've had in the past, but when you stay where I've been for a thousand years, you just want to taste something, anything."
"...Where have you been?"
"Mash Kyrielight, was it?" The girl nodded. "So curious, are you... I can't exactly go into detail about this place, but it was Hell for me. I am a man of action, I couldn't stand that place. Let's just say that it was very boring."
"You must be traumatized. I understand why you don't want to talk about it. I apologize for asking."
"...As you wish."
Before he could take another sip, Griffith's eyes shifted to his left.
"Did you see something?"
"Soon."
While she was initially confused, she also looked at the same direction. This stare lasted for about three seconds before she turned back. "Wait, soon? What do you mean by-?"
Romani came into view, walking towards their table. Talk about foresight.
"Ah, sir Roman, you scared me there. I thought you had really left me alone there."
The doctor perked up at the sight of Mash. "Oh, hey, Mash. How convenient you were here when Griffith came, or did you join him while on the way?"
"The former."
"Okay, okay. Griffith, Mash. Mash, Griffit-"
"We've already been introduced to each other, doctor. There's no need."
"I was just trying."
"You know, sir Archaman, you can have a seat as well. I recommend doing so, I do not like seeing you standing while we sit in comfort."
"Alright."
Romani dragged out the seat to Griffith's left.
"Doctor, did you know about Griffith's prediction abilities? I never knew that he could predict the future, it's pretty impressive."
This time, there was no hiding it. Roman's despair was showed on his face.
"P... prediction abilities?"
"Yes, he was looking your direction before you even came there. Do you have some sort of precognition, your highness?"
"Not any that I know of. It was simply instinct."
"Like a sixth sense of sorts?"
"I wish. I am only human."
It's just a coincidence, right? The archangel of the Hand of God whose main purpose is to manipulate Causality is granted great clairvoyance. It's a bit of a stretch, but not only are they dealing with the God Hand, but also its archangel. Great, just great. Chaldea must be incredibly stoked to do so.
Mash didn't seem to question Roman's down expression. He looked tired from the start anyways.
Roman finally took his seat.
"Tea again?" He let out with a tired voice.
"A warm sense of nostalgia surrounds me every time I drink any type of tea. I can't quite place it, however."
"By the way, Saver, I've been meaning to ask you... just... erm... what exactly happened to you and Falconia?"
The moment he said that, another sip from the cup was interrupted. Griffith's hands started to shake uncontrollably. This is it. This is the first time Griffith has ever shown any form of 'emotion' since being summoned, and even then, it still felt dry, fake. "I... how do I..."
"Your majesty, please don't stress yourself; forget it. Doctor, that wasn't a very good thing to say. Even while he is a man of action who has seen plenty of horrors, I'm sure he suffers from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder. I suggest not talking to him on this subject."
"You seem incredibly protective, Mash. Must hold him in high regard." Romani's tone was borderline frustrated.
"You don't hold him in high regard? I mean, even when he died at the age of 24, he had a whole lot of accomplishments under his belt. He didn't even live a full life yet was able to do so much. I have plenty of respect for that."
" . . . "
"Thank you, Mash. Really." Griffith had returned back to normal in a matter of seconds. It was an act, but Mash had rose-tinted glasses on. It was a messiah that she was talking to after all. "You are a reliable girl. You remind me of my old prophetess, Sonia. I can tell you are a good person, I already cherish you."
"Really? Is that so?" You could feel the sheer joy in Mash's voice radiating.
Griffith only took one last sip from his cup, finishing off his warm drink. It was his way of confirming her thoughts, basically. Mash smiled, however to contrast that smile, there's the doctor, who's just sitting there, all tired, having to put up with Griffith and Mash praising one and another. Any sane man would lose his sanity.
"Another cup, your majesty?"
"I have my limits. That is enough for me today."
"As you say."
"Ah, there you bunch are!" A male voice called out to the three of them, evoking them. They turned to the source of the voice. It was a man who was dressed in all green, a green top hat on his head. He had long, spiked brown hair that reached his back. "I've been looking for you-" His tone of voice dropped when he saw Griffith. "...Everywhere... I take it he's a new Servant...?"
"Yeah. Saint Griffith, Saver class."
"Saver?" Mash questioned.
"Reserved for messiah-like figures from what he told me. Anyway, Lev, Griffith. Griffith, Lev Lainur."
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
It was not much of a pleasure for Lev. The both of them could see through each other's disguises with ease, one demon to another, but Flauros could also tell something else was off with him: His soul wasn't exactly normal. While Lev was just one soul, that being Flauros, Griffith had five other souls inside of his. All of them including Griffith's own oozed darkness and evil except for one of them. One of those souls had incredible light, it was combatting the darkness all on its own.
Nonetheless, Flauros could tell those were absorbed souls. Its best to not engage in a fight right now, or as a whole when he's alone.
"Pleasure to meet you too—! I just wanted to check up on you all, we can talk later. I have work to do. Goodbye."
"C'mon, Lev, have a sea-"
Lev took off before Romani could finish. The suspicion is only adding up. Why was Lev in such a hurry?
"He seemed like a nice man. I will get more acquainted whenever I find the chance."
"...Yeah, sure." Romani put both of his hands on the table, resting the right side of his head on said table. "I'm so tired, I could go for a trip in the sauna..."
"A sauna? In this place?" Thanks to the summoning systems, he must have gained knowledge of those as well.
"I basically live here, there has to be some fun activities."
"Can I come?" And of course, Griffith has to jump in the fun as well, there's literally no escape from this bug. It's dangerous, but Romani couldn't say no either.
"Doctor, this might sound indecent, but don't you have work? I am genuinely curious, I don't mean any offense."
"The director told me to show Griffith around. I guess this counts." Roman stood up. "Lets go, Saver. Do you want to come too, Mash?"
"Maybe someday else."
"Alright. See you later, Mash."
A sauna in Chaldea of all the places...
Romani took a seat down next to Saver, the both of them having towels wrapped around their legs.
"So far, I've been enjoying my stay here. All these technologies, they're so impressive... are they all your work?"
"There's other employees, y'know. With that said, I'd say about half of them are mine. I've been here for a long time."
"I see. You sound like you have a lot of potential, but you're letting it go to waste."
"What...?"
His eyes darted to Romani's left hand, looking to a ring he had on. He knew well what that ring was, but its best to keep up the act.
"Firstly, are you married?"
"No."
"So I thought. What I meant by that phrase is..." Griffith leaned his head backwards, closing his eyes as he looked to the roof. "I think that you should be like me."
"What are you saying, exactly?"
"Never give up control in life. Live life on your own terms, die on your own terms. That's how I lived and will continue to do so as long as I exist, even as a Servant. They told me that I was gonna die any of those days, and I did, but so what? I died on my own terms, I died happy because I was doing what I enjoyed. I say all this because I think you could become greater than me, but not until you take control of the wheel."
"...Those are, erm... some inspiring words, but I don't really know. Times have changed."
"Times have changed, humans never will. You know, I personally have only one self-imposed rule within my mind. I simply suggest you... do as thou will."
A gasp escaped Roman's lungs as he stood up. Those words had struck a nerve with him. That was it. That was confirmation of Griffith's true identity. According to the Mage's Association's information, the God Hand have only had a single rule for those who became Apostles. That rule was 'do as thou will.'
"I have to go— I'm so sorry, so sorry, I got to go-"
Griffith finally opened his eyes again, looking at Romani. "Did I say something wrong, sir Archaman?"
"Nononono, don't get it wrong, I, uh... I just remembered some urgent work I had to do... we'll catch up later, okay?"
"Okay, no worries."
Romani rushed out as fast as he could. There's no telling how much fear was in his heart. Griffith let out a deep breath, before he perked up once more, looking to the roof as he heard an announcement.
"Attention to all staff members of Chaldea Security Organization, our date for the Grand Order missions have been decided at last. Be prepared to service all forty-eight Master candidates in five days. Thank you for your cooperation."
Although his vessel didn't show off any emotion, this was great for him. His plans can be advanced now. The demon king's powers await their awakening.