* Fata Morgana – Assento Dele

* Umineko – The first and the last

* Yakuza 5 – The Battle for the Dream

Chapter CXXIII: Claim the Future

* Fata Morgana – Assento Dele

Leo flinched and returned to reality.

He barely managed to hold back a cry, that was how sudden it felt to him. A cold sweat overtook him and his heart was pounding against his chest. After a few seconds of staring around him with round eyes, he recognized the car he had gotten in with Michael, Hatsuyo, Maria and Ewald.

Yes, of course he was in the car, he had never left it. So what had that been just now? It felt like a substantial amount of time had passed, but he had only blinked ever since they had split up from the others.

(I fell asleep?)

It certainly felt like he had been torn from slumber, and he was tired enough to justify it. But it wasn't that. He was absolutely certain that he hadn't lost consciousness or even felt sleepy beforehand; the tension was so thick it kept his eyes open. And yet he couldn't remember a thing that had just happened, even though they were clearly in a different part of town.

"Hey." Hatsuyo had noticed his distress and gave him a nudge. "What's gotten into you?"

"How long..."

Leo peered outside the window, in a vain attempt to mentally trace back their ride.

He felt... cold. A shiver was shaking his body slightly. Maybe nothing had happened and he was just slowly going insane. All of the built-up stress from yesterday and this morning could be getting to him. Regardless of the reason, it looked like his mind had blanked out for a while there, and it took a moment for him to regain his bearings.

Looking at the town, it appeared they had crossed into the other half of Fuyuki already. Leo turned around and saw the red bridge shrinking behind them. Above it, far above in fact, he saw the same bluish dot they had observed from the convenience store. They weren't stopping for it: their objective was that billowing smoke shining like embers.

He turned back to the window next to him and watched the buildings scrolling by. This city was still in a deep sleep. Everywhere was so lifeless, it reinforced the feeling that they shouldn't be here, like a collection of liminal spaces. It would look even weirder once the sun was shining onto the empty streets. Would he get to witness it though?

"Are you alright?" On the other side of the car, Maria half-whispered to him. She reached across Hatsuyo to touch his shoulder with a sad look. "Say, are you seriously going to fight...? I mean, you're going to... you're not in the right state to do that..."

Leo didn't know what to say; once again, there was that feeling of being out of synch. He couldn't find the right words instinctively, so he nodded weakly. He just wanted to reassure her that he was going to be fine, regardless of the truth. But it occured to him that he was also answering her second question, and suddenly he connected the dots.

He turned to the only person who could help him without being alarmed:

Saber, were we just talking about my condition?

...? Yes. Michael was explaining the situation to Maria.

How long has it been?

Leo?

I'm not sure what was happening right now. It's nothing bad... I think. But...

I see. Sorry, I haven't been counting the minutes. But I think it started soon after we departed.

So around the time his attention span had gone into negative. That explained why Maria looked doubly as concerned for him specifically. Hatsuyo already knew about his imminent death, and if Ewald cared at all, his stony face didn't say it; his cousin was the only one getting a shock here. Even so, how exactly had Leo managed to blank out unnoticed if that was the subject on the table?

What was I doing while they were talking? What did I say?

Nothing. You were sitting. You didn't say anything... I think?

So I was really unplugged, huh. Maybe that didn't look too weird, with how the mood is.

Sorry, I'm not really sure. I wasn't paying much attention myself.

Are you still mulling over something?

I... yes, indeed. I must also keep watching over you... but my thoughts keep straying.

Oh? That's a first, coming from you. Well, I usually don't know what you're thinking, but... So, what is it? Maybe I can help you.

... ... ...

Saber?

No. I'm grateful for the offer, I truly am. But, I need to know. I cannot let someone else understand for me.

If you say so...

It would have been nice to be the one helping for a change. Galahad had been strange all day, but this was unusually stubborn of him. Both Master and Servant were acting weird it seemed. That wasn't exactly comforting, but now Leo felt he wasn't the only out of the loop.

Meanwhile, the others inside the car were still talking.

"Fight or not, he's gonna gave to brace up. Like all of us." Michael looked at them through the mirrior. "He's fragile like glass, but no one here is looking great either."

Though he said that, there was no ambiguity in the look he gave Leo. Maybe it wasn't too late to have a change of mind. But everyone here had made their choice multiple times over. No matter what, Galahad would be fighting. Knowing that, Leo didn't want to stand back and hide, even if he was fundamentally useless.

This Holy Grail War wasn't something he had started, and he had been dragged into it without really realizing what it meant.

But on that day, when Leo had learned the truth about himself, they had both decided to keep going.

It was his life.

Even if the outcome was growing more and more certain, he wanted to be truly alive until the end. Not waiting in fear.

"We know there's going to be danger." Ewald said. "No one here is deluding themselves."

"It's not like I'm eager to fight, but..." Maria sighed before furrowing her brows. "If there's still hope, I don't want to give up!"

"Yes, yes..." Michael grumbled. "That doesn't mean you have to dive head first into the first danger you see. Remember what happened yesterday; we might be just as helpless as we were back then."

Of course they remembered, that wasn't something they would forget within their lifetime. Although, an argument like that would fall on deaf ears. Leo knew he didn't want to feel useless like that ever again, but it wasn't like he had a choice. And everyone else inside this car had found the will to face that fear – someone to fight for. Someone they could still help, or someone they couldn't let go of.

In the end, Leo was the only one fighting for himself.

That made him almost ashamed to be here with them.

He didn't want to ruminate on this. So as to avoid thinking too much, he stared at Fuyuki City. The buildings were getting smaller and the houses more sparse. The road was going up and down often, but they seemed to be gaining height overall. Even if he wasn't looking at it, he could tell the sky was getting redder; from the corner of his eye, he noticed dark shapes fluttering.

With the moment of truth so close at hand, his attention was latching on to what he had always taken for granted.

Quiet houses. Gardens covered in glistening morning dew. The roads that people crossed back and forth everyday.

He hadn't lost his home, his family or the people he cared about, but he might just lose himself anyway.

Somehow, he wanted to laugh.

(It's like always. Can't help depressing myself before a big moment... ... ... ... ... ...Huh?)

Something seized his attention out of the blue. Like a flash of a light at the edge of his vision. It was momentaneous and inexplicable, but he was almost certain he had seen a white shape. He blinked once and it was gone; all there was to see was the same city shrouded in obscurity.

"Hey, something moved just now, right...?"

He wasn't sure who he was asking. With how tense everyone was, a question like that was sure to rile them up. To Leo's surprise though, there was just a few glances exchanged. Maybe that was also to be expected: even though he had said that, the streets were quiet and still.

"...I can't feel anyone watching us." Hatsuyo was focusing with a sharp gaze.

"I thought I saw something shining." He tried to spot it again, as if it were that simple.

"Hey, is your head really all right?" She looked at Leo with some genuine concern.

"Maybe it was just a reflection or something..."

Galahad added to his Master's puzzlement by observing their surroundings thanks to his incorporeal nature:

I can't see any enemy.

(I wonder what that was all about.)

That was one more weirdness to add to the list at this point. Leo was collecting them. Nonetheless, it seemed to him that while the tension inside the car hadn't increased, it had narrowed. His companions were paying a careful attention to the houses and alleys around them. They couldn't discredit his claim entirely – after all, they were getting closer.

Leo himself was still convinced of what he had seen, but he had only been curious at first. Now their agitation was affecting him too. He didn't spot that white shape again though. It could have been a light someone had forgotten to turn off, and the car's movement had made him think it was moving.

But quickly, that matter moved to the back of his mind:

"Get ready." Michael announced. In the mirror, Leo could see his forehead creasing. "We're arriving."

The vehicle slowed down.

There wasn't that much change as far as the eye could see, besides what they had already seen from kilometres away. The road was winding up, the space between each building had increased slightly, orange glints sometimes wavered among the shadows...

This lack of difference was anxiety-inducing in its own right: Leo couldn't tell when the world of safety and silence was behind them, and when the time for danger had come.

He clasped his cheeks – he had to pull himself together.

It wasn't different from every time before. On the Ark or inside Migdal Bavel, he had set his eyes on an objective. He wasn't here to endure, there was something he had to do. What he had to do... ... ... ...this time it wasn't about staying alive, he had to defeat people. How would that turn out? He could picture Berserker of Black in his head; it didn't help him feel confident. On the other hand, thinking about his other opponent, he realized he had never met him nor his Master.

"Hey... actually, what's up with Caster of White?" He asked out loud. "What kind of Servant is he?"

"As if I knew." Hatsuyo muttered

"I was half-asleep all the time, so I don't remember..." Maria chuckled weakly.

"Pretty sure we've come across him on the Ark." Michael said. "I can't recall clearly, there was so much happening at once."

So no one had any useful information. It wasn't like Leo could complain, he didn't know jack either. But the aura of mystery around Caster was only growing. That was, until Ewald spoke up:

"I saw him only once, at the beginning of the War." The freelancer's reflection stared at Leo. "Aleister Crowley. He's far more dangerous than Berserker."

"Wh... what do you mean?"

Was he doing that on purpose to make Leo feel even worse?

"He didn't show much of what he can do. Even so, he played us for fools. Maybe he's already taken care of Arbonnaux and her Servant." That last comment earned him a glare from Maria. "His abilities are also a pain to deal with. He's a priority target but you won't reach him so easily. Actually, finding him is already going to b–"

* Umineko – The first and the last

Ewald's sentence was cut off abruptly.

The car had braked without warning; everyone was jerked forward, held back only by their seatbelt.

The reason was right in front of their eyes: the road was obstructed. It had been empty just five seconds ago, and yet someone had appeared out of thin air right in the middle. As though he had always been standing there, they saw the figure of a robbed magus with incandescent eyes and a confident smile. Michael had reacted in the span of a second, not only because of his reflexes as a driver but also due to the knowledge that a collision with that apparition would kill them all.

Thankfully, there was enough distance between the vehicle and the figure to slow down, as violent as that was for the passengers.

Unfortunately, before they could even come to a complete stop, Aleister had raised his hand and unleashed a bliding flare of energy. It would have obliterated the car and all five of them, if not for the shield that arose to block it. Galahad had materialized before the Caster and stood as a wall; the mana from Aleister's attack spread like lightning over the shield's surface and ricocheted in many directions.

An exchange of blade and spells followed between the two Servants, but that was too fast for anyone to keep up with.

At the very least though, Leo and the others were in one piece.

"Get out! Now!" Michael shouted at them while slamming his door open.

Leo's hand was already on the seatbelt button. Everyone moved almost in unison, but their movements were dictated by urgency and panic. Leo opened the door next to him and stumbled out of the vehicle which could have been his coffin. His nose was immediately assaulted by a thick, sulfuric stench which he hadn't been able to smell from inside. But it didn't distract him from his priorities: getting away.

The next moment, another discharge scorched through the air and struck the car, splitting it in half before it exploded.

"Urgh...!"

Leo had already broken into a run, but his eardrums still hurt sharply from the shockwave. He dodged a bad fall by grabbing onto a streetlight, which he then used as a support to spring forward. He didn't have the courage to look back; or rather, he was too busy looking ahead for something that would save his hide. The battle between Galahad and Aleister was still storming, he had to seek cover for the time being.

And so, his eyes zeroed in on the house before him: as collateral damage from Aleister's spells, the wall was breached and the door had been blasted open. That was just a straight line away; Leo didn't think twice. He had to get out of Aleister's view, but more importantly out of Galahad's way. Thankfully, no more blast came this way while he was in plain sight and he stepped into the breach.

It was infuriating, but that was the best he could do.

But was it far enough?

(And what am I supposed to do next?!)

He had entered a hall plunged in obscurity, save for the lights flashing outside. As he walked in deeper, he accidentally bumped into every piece of furniture. He didn't stop though, he hurried on. But where to? It only now occurred to him that this was a residence, meaning there might not even be another exit.

He looked over his shoulder.

No one had followed after him. That alone made him stop. All he could perceive of the outside was the clamor of battle and a glimpse of the destruction. The fate of the others was uncertain, but stepping out right now was too risky. There had to be a way to leave this house through the back and regroup.

Just as he thought that however, Leo noticed the smell. It wasn't exactly the same stink from outside. No, this one was much more familiar and alarming: it was smoke. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a violent cough which made him bend over and cover his face. He couldn't see anything right now, but he understood that he was being smoked like a hare out of its burrow. Where the hell was it coming from?

"Bah, who cares?! I can't stay here!"

Instinctively, he searched for the breach he had come in through.

But it was nowhere to be seen.

A chill ran down his heart; had he gone in too deep and lost sight of the hall? Or was the smoke concealing his one path of escape? Whichever it was, Leo simply couldn't find the entrance no matter where he looked. Meanwhile his eyes were starting to sting, and his throat wasn't getting better.

What he had thought to be a safe place had become a trap.

"Cough, cough...!"

(Search, damn you, don't just panic!)

His mind was still clear enough to forage for solutions. Even if he wasn't sure where to go, he couldn't stay glued here. And so he recklessly rushed through the obscurity, all while stooping for air. There had to be something, anything that would get him outside.

A hole to the exterior...

"A window!"

A house could have only one door, but it needed more than one window. Leo should be able to find at least one where he was, which seemed to be a living room. He made it past the table and kept forward to reach a wall. He had better not be mistaken, for it certainly wouldn't be easy finding a light switch in this situation.

The ground shook; he was thrown off course, but the sofa was there to catch him.

"Maybe this house got hit again..."

Getting buried under rubbles wasn't better than asphexiation. Thankfully, his hand reached something hard and flat just in front of him. Now that he had successfully found the edge of the room, he sped up and touched around until he felt something cold. By now, he could see the rectangle showing dark streets even through the smoke. In fact, there was some light on the other side.

(Why couldn't I see it before?!)

It didn't matter, that was his escape route.

But then, as he was about to grab the handle and swing the window open, his hand stopped.

His suffocating brain was screaming to go get some fresh air, but his heart skipped a bit – now he understood why he could clearly see outside, and where all that smoke came from.

The light outside was red.

In the end, he didn't need to open the window: the entire facade gave in and collapsed.

Leo was spared by the pieces of concrete that tumbled around him, but he was almost dragged into the wall's fall. Air rushed in and blew over his face, but it was a hot breeze. Leo discovered with horror the spectacle unfolding here: there was no proper street on this side, only what should have been a verdant hill. Except it was overrun by a pitch black mass. The grass was catching fire despite the humidity, any surface touched by that substance looked like it was corroding.

But worse than that were the people walking amidst that mud.

Humanoid silhouettes drapped a liquid of death, advancing like stalkers in the night.

Naturally there were other houses nearby, but nothing Leo could cross to. The mud covered the whole distance and flowed like a river. He hadn't realized they were this close to the origin of the fires.

The curses turned their heads and noticed him.

Leo felt the blood drain from his face and wanted to step back. But he had more than these to care about - that wall had crumbled for a reason.

There was more distance between the first floor and the ground than he had expected, but the latter had disappeared under a thick layer of mud which kept eating away at the floor. The same one Leo was standing on – he felt his feet sliding. He lost his balance but managed to sway backward and fell against the table with a groan. The floor kept flaking and disappearing into the flood.

While he was staring in terrified silence, the silhouettes shot toward him.

It brought back painful, recent memories.

But now that the danger was visibly coming at him, Leo's gears kicked up. He jumped back to his feet and forced his aching body away from the maws of Hell. The curses latched onto the decaying house, accelerating the processus and spreading the flames through the living room. Now that there was plenty of light, Leo spotted the stairs to the second floor and dashed. In doing so though, he was stepping back into the smoke that was invading the whole house.

In his mind, the thought of calling Galahad for help became more and more alluring.

(No...)

But he held back.

He didn't know the situation outside. In fact, he didn't even have the leisure of looking through his Servant's eyes. But he knew one thing: right now, Galahad was fighting Aleister and hogging all of the latter's attention. If Leo called him back to his side, then his family and friends might be killed for it.

(But where do I go now?! The front and the back are too dangerous, is there even an exit on the sides?!)

He had made it upstairs and peered around. He had expected it to be darker, but the second floor had also lost its facade. If the first floor completely caved in, the rest of the house would go with it. From that perspective, it seemed Leo was only digging himself deeper by cutting off his options. He didn't care about that – he was focusing on a way to climb out of that hole.

He looked up.

The door and windows were a no-go, but if he could get onto the roof somehow, he would get fresh air and a better grasp on the situation. Unfortunately, it also dawned on him that many houses were not equipped with a convenient way to the rooftop, and this might just be one such house.

Time worked against him; he was starting to feel nauseous. Nonetheless, while he considered with dread that he might have to search every room, something clicked in his head. It wasn't without risks, but there might be a way: if this house was starting to fall apart, then maybe the damaged part would offer an access to the roof.

He had to take the bet – he ran into a room that had lost part of its ceiling and more.

"Bingo!"

Just as he had hoped, the broken ridge appeared climbable. It also looked really shaky and likely to betray him, but Leo was already making for it while the fire seemed to be overtaking the whole structure. However-

"Kh...!"

He hadn't made it halfway through the room that his momentum was cut short.

There was nothing in the way that should have made him trip, and yet Leo lost his balance. The one to blame were his legs, which seemed to have lost all strength. Had the smoke gotten to his brain? His head was clear and the rest of his body was fine. More importantly, his legs weren't paralyzed, only weaker.

"Not again, not now! Come one, move...!"

There was enough desperation in him to muster the few shreds of strength he had. He made his legs move against their will and staggered toward his objective. At last he was laying his hands on the precarious ledge that might save him. Would he even make it if his legs weren't cooperating?

"I've got to do it anyway!"

Craaack!

Just as he was starting to pull himself up, there was an ominous noise.

He had no time to even compute – part of the room tipped over dangerously. A second later, it detached itself from the rest of the building, including the wall Leo was clinging to. He couldn't let go, and even if he could it was too late. Huddled against his failed escape route, he was now staring at the mud approaching fast.

At that same moment, there was a sound of broken glass – it came from a neighboring house.

From the corner of his eye, Leo saw someone dashing through a window and soaring in his direction.

"There you are!"

Hatsuyo passed her arm around his waist and jumped off the falling debris. Leo had the feeling of floating lightly for a moment, and then the hard feeling of landing onto a nearby house. His lungs were free at last but the air had a strange taste, and he was still coughing up. Hatsuyo let him down, made sure he could stand on his own and then cast a sharp glance at the mire below.

"Try screaming for help sometimes." She grumbled.

"There was a lot going on... cough..."

Leo too watched the mud flowing between the buildings. It might look safe from their vantage point, but the collapsing house before them was proof of the contrary. He watched it collapse and rote. He had almost ended up like that too. Now that he could see it happen from outside, something crossed his mind: that these were places where persons lived.

"Are there people inside...?" He muttered. He hadn't come across anyone, but what if there were still inhabitants sleeping through the disaster?

"We don't know, so don't think about it! We have a bigger problem right now!"

Saying so, Hatsuyo pushed Leo behind her. One of the figures born from mud had leaped; a tall warrior holding a huge trident. It didn't quite make the full jump to them, but it caught the edge of the rooftop. Immediately, the latter started decaying and catching fire. Hatsuyo delivered a swift stroke which split their aggressor in half before it could climb up. But the deed was done, this place was already starting to crumble.

"It really was a stupid plan, in the end." She looked at Leo.

"I know, I know..."

"But you don't regret it."

"I don't like it, but I'm not going back." He smiled bitterly. "If you think I'm stupid for it, should have stopped me before!"

"What do you mean 'if'? I always knew you're dumb." She glared at the ground fraying under their feet. "Let's go. We'll find the others."

"Yeah."

However...

"...!"

"...!"

They both felt it – as Leo was about to join Hatsuyo, there was a disturbance around them.

A strange feeling, as though the air was wobbling. It surrounded them but seemed to spread over quite the distance. Over there, in the street where Caster and Saber were supposed to be fighting, something large appeared out of thin air and grew larger still.

And it was coming this way.

"Leo!"

Hatsuyo dashed toward him and reached out. But it was too late; they were already within its range. Leo wanted to grab her hand as well, but he was physically unable to – before they could do anything about it, a wall formed between them.

Leo was once again plunged in darkness.

Earlier...

When Aleister's attack struck their car, the driver and passengers were already scattering around the street.

Michael and Maria came out on the right side and followed their instinct of sprinting to safety. They didn't have the experience of moving under enemy fire, but Galahad's intervention bought them the time they needed to make it across the road. They dived behind the corner of an alley and didn't peek out. The beams of energy shooting every which way was enough of a deterrent.

"'Find him', my ass! He came to pick us up himself!" Though they were concealed, it was impossible to feel safe here. Michael's eyes darted left and right to grasp what he could from his hiding spot. "It's all in Saber's hands, but we've been caught up..."

"So we go and we find the others?" Maria asked while getting in position for action.

"Absolutely not! If you take one step out, you'll hear from me! If anyone's got to go, it's–"

"I see. Guess I'll get chewed off then!" Maria nodded quickly and was already on the move.

"Wait, what are you doing!?" Michael barely grabbed her arm in time to hold her back.

"I'm going! 'Cause if I wait around, I'm gonna start thinking and I'll get scared!" She declared and shook his hand off. "So I have to go and help them now!"

"Wait, I said! You're not even in good shape!" He didn't hesitate and followed after her, if only to pull her back into safety.

As Maria emerged into the light, he expected a spell to snipe her any second.

However, at that same moment there was a suspicious sound behind him. Maria hadn't noticed but Michael got a glimpse as he tried to look back – Aleister had appeared right in their back. The smile on the Caster's face told him everything he needed to know.

"Shit...!"

Michael put every muscle into spinning around, desperately lining up his rapier to stop the Servant.

Aleister was too fast.

He held his hand out toward the pair, a hand burning with concentrated light. As he took aim for the father and daughter turning their backs, a hurricane ran by Michael: the intense flash that burst from Aleister's palm was quelled by a holy sword. The incandescent hand stopped the blade; a mighty impact cracked the ground. The energy from the interrupted spell ran wild around them, smashing both sides of the alley.

Michael had been blown off his feet and was forced to roll away to avoid the falling rubbles. Unfortunately for him, once he took his eyes off the ground he saw a long shape over his head – the damage had also reached a nearby street light, which tumbled toward him.

"Tracassain, Tracassain!"

Just as he realized he was about to be turned into pulp, someone else rushed in: Maria's fist had turned grass green, whereupon she threw a jab and sent the lamp post flying away from her father. Michael watched it roll away heavily with consternation. Then, he sweeped the cold sweat off his forehead and accepted the hand Maria was offering.

"So we're going, now?"

"Damn right!" Michael got back to his feet and threw a cautious glance around. "But pay attention this time – that guy is really slippery."

Just as he had feared, something blinked above them; Aleister had teleported out of his deadlock with Galahad, with a clear view of the two humans who could only look up. But he did not take advantage of it. He teleported again and again, never far yet never staying in the same space for long.

And the reason for that trailed behind him: Galahad's sword split the air and was hot on the magus' heels. Even if Aleister's movements were instant, the knight wasn't far from that point either. Michael hadn't seen him in battle often until today. Even so, the way Galahad fought seemed exceptionally aggressive to him.

Each time, it seemed he got ever slightly closer to cutting Aleister down. It wasn't until the latter reappeared at ground level and raised a javelin of raw energy at his stationary targets that the Saber relented. He stood in front of Michael and Maria, a sharp glare aimed at his opponent. The attack crashed against his shield and Galahad dispersed it frantically.

"Such vigor." Aleister chuckled before teleporting again to avoid the blade that would have beheaded him. He reappeared a short distance away, gauging them. "That dilapidated appearance of yours is deceiving. You seem ready to fall apart, yet what is this fire inside your soul?"

"...This is not Migdal Bavel." The knight replied. The fissures over his face didn't damper the determination that shone in his eyes. "I am weakened but I can still fight."

"'Migdal Bavel', hm?" Aleister turned his face to the South, toward the sea. "So you've tangled with Pedilefey's project. Frankly, I expected him to be knocking on my door. The Temple would have been ready by that time, and we could have pitted our ideals against one another. Instead, I received a lot of surprise guests."

"Sorry to upset your freaky doomsday playdate." Michael spat out.

"You apology is duly noted, and I accept it." The corners of Aleister's mouth stretched thinner. "That man would have posed a serious threat to my future. Compared to him... this could hardly be called a grandiose finale. Would that the 'intruder' had not waken from sleep, I could have offered you my undivided attention."

Michael and Maria frowned. It wasn't like they could prove him wrong; they hadn't come here to oppose whatever scheme the Caster was hatching on his lonesome. There was something they had to see through to the end, and people they wanted to keep beyond that. On the other hand, what was that about an intruder? From the sound of it, Aleister didn't seem to mean the Berserker of Black, but then what? Wasn't all that commotion caused by the battle between the two of them?

"The Ark must be no more either. A shame, it would have made a fine husk to repurpose." Aleister mused. "You rode on its crumbling remains... I see, so that's why you've made it here sooner than anticipated. Even so, you were preceded by a different guest."

"...!"

"Yes, you must know who I'm reffering to. She is as much of an unwanted presence here as you are... but I don't really have any interest in her." He shrugged nonchalantly. "She's undertaken to brave all odds and fight her way to the Holy Grail. She will never reach it, sadly. Far from me the intent to stop her valiant effort – it is entertaining, if tragic. I am also something of a writer, you know? I can appreciate such vain hopes."

Aleister bowed and waved his arm dramatically at the canvas of rising smoke and ember sky behind him.

"No matter the path you walk henceforth, it won't leave the palm of my hand."

* Yakuza – The Battle for the Dream

Michael looked at his daughter.

He knew without asking from her expression; she set her sights on the destruction that lied just beyond their view. Without thinking of anyone, even herself, she sprang into action and ran. And he ran with her, since that was the best her father could do. They passed Aleister, but despite Michael's warriness the Caster didn't so much as look their way. He only had eyes for Galahad, watching the knight in amusement while welcoming the ardour roused against him.

And so, Michael and Maria made it past the main obstacle and headed toward the great fire like moths.

It was closer, much more than they could have guessed from afar.

Or, was it spreading?

None of that mattered to Maria. Silvelune was that way, and with that conviction she rushed forth.

On their way, they were joined by someone who emerged from an adjacent street.

"You're still alive." Was all Ewald commented on.

He began running alongside them without questioning their objective or destination. At the same time, another figure appeared by their side: Hatsuyo descended from above and caught up with them in a blink. As it happened, both of them had survived in their own way. Ewald knew how to hide in a urban battlefield and had kept a low profile. Meanwhile, Hatsuyo had immediately taken to the rooves of Fuyuki and used her unusual athletism to move in unpredictable ways. By offering a harder target, she had evaded Aleister's attention.

When she rejoined with Michael and the others though, she looked around and asked:

"Where's Leo?"

"Huh? He's not with one of you?!" Michael's eyes widened.

"Tch!"

Hatsuyo clicked her tongue and looked back. Galahad was still fine, which suggested the well-being of his Master. However, there was also the flames spreading from one neighborhood to the next, invading even the way whence they had come. Without losing a beat, she turned her back to them and darted toward the car's fuming remains. She then broke into a house at random and that was the last they saw of her.

But Michael couldn't stay back and hesitate, not when his daughter wouldn't stop.

And so, they kept going with Ewald in tow.

"Maria! Wait!" Looking at the raven-haired girl leading the way, Michael couldn't hold back an ominous feeling. "Listen, okay? No matter what happens there, don't be reckless! We don't even have Servants anymore, we're just three persons out of their depth! Even if we find your friend, it's gonna be up to her! Do you understand?!"

"..."

Maria didn't reply, but he saw her clench her fists.

"The same goes for you." Ewald glanced at Michael. "You don't look like you'd care much what happens to you."

"Yeah, I get it!" The middle-aged magus grumbled.

The top of the slope was in sight.

And, when they reached the end of the winding path and looked ahead...

"Ah..."

They stopped.

Finally, the mystery was laid bare – they saw a disastrous landscape and the mud scorching its way through

While Michael and Maria ran past them, Galahad and Aleister were eyeing each other with opposite emotions.

They had clashed more than enough to paint a full picture of the gap between their level. Which was to say, they were surprisingly even. Aleister should have the upper hand on his own territory, not to mention his overwhelming control over space and his perfect grasp over every aspect of the situation.

And yet, in spite of the knight's fragmented state, there was something about him that couldn't be thwarted with a flick of the wrist. It was the same phenomenon Aleister had observed against the Archer Maui; no matter how cornered, the odds never seemed to dwindle for them. It was unrelated to the Divine Construct existing at the core of Galahad – it was a demonstration of the human power that Aleister wielded and respected.

He glanced at the humans making off behind him.

They were still within his grasp, a factor that might as well not exist. Even so, it would be oh so simple to eliminate them where they stood.

"...You won't harm them." As though reading his thoughts, Galahad spoke. His tone indicated this wasn't a guess: it was a threat. "They are Leo's family. If you lay a finger on them, I won't forgive you."

"My, how terrifying!" The Caster laughed. However, that didn't mean he was making light of that statement. "That's fine by me. They can run around and play – the one that interests me the most is you."

As he said this, his gaze strayed toward the house where the knight's Master had foolishly hidden. Aleister could see exactly where he was and what he was doing. With the Temple set up, all he had to do was blink and that desperate life could be snuffed out prematurely.

"Hmph." Aleister frowned.

His vision blurred and the information became chaotic for an instant. This type of disturbance was to be expected: he was so close to the tide causing such inexplicable mayhem. And so, his vision of Leo Argas was interrupted, as though to mock his confidence. But Aleister found it quite amusing himself:

"What a waste, don't you think? I made my Temple to encompass the whole city, so as to gather as many dreamers as I could. But in the end, Fuyuki doesn't have much to offer. And of all places to wage battle, it had to be in this area. I should praise your luck."

Shh - !

He vanished.

The blade coming for him whistled through empty air.

Although, Galahad's eyes had already found the runaway magus. Aleister had to teleport away again and yet again; but every time, he left in his wake a magic circle. When Galahad rushed at him like a gale for the umpteenth time, Aleister stirred the magical energy contained in those sygils – they became spheres which rose and drew luminous lines across the air, closing all at once on their target.

They struck the knight in the back.

If he felt anything though, none of it showed on his face; Galahad used the power of the blast to increase his momentum.

The tip of his sword barely missed Aleister. Immediately, he spun around and dashed, drawing a demicircle with his blade that would slash the magus from the shoulder across to the hip. Once again, all he found was an empty space where his foe would have been. But his accuracy and swiftness were not faulty by any measure. With the speed at which they both moved, he was pretty much constantly waving his weapon, just as Aleister was constantly running away from it. The latter didn't really feel pressured however: even while operating so many leaps in a row, he also moved his arms and played his cards.

Upon another dodge and another leap through space, he revealed them; pillars of light arose from the pavement in great multitude. The timing was exact, and Galahad was stopped dead in his charge before he could repeat the same dance. He didn't brush it off this time, yet neither had he fallen to it. After the dust settled, the figure of the knight was standing there, bracing defiantly.

An invitation Aleister couldn't refuse.

One would certainly expect him to keep the Saber under intensive fire to pin him down and wear him out. But there was no need for such tactics, which would fail regardless. The light burst from Aleister's back and drove him forward, in a straight line for his opponent. His hands shone intensely – he and Galahad met head on, and another shockwave shook the street. His right hand had collided with the holy blade and proved a match. His other palm was turned to Galahad's face and released the power contained within.

A wave of power swept everything in front of him; everything save for the stalwart knight who couldn't be made to budge.

Nonetheless, Galahad winced.

"Surprised?" The Caster smirked. "Aleister Crowley is a magus born and raised during the last century. From that fact, you must have assumed my magecraft wouldn't affect you whatsoever. Your Magic Resistance would certainly be a major hindrance under normal condition."

"...That is not magecraft." Galahad's gaze sharpened.

"Oh? You can assess that much? You're not far from the truth. I didn't strip any of your abilities from you. While this place is entirely under my dominion, you are like a clot of old rules woven into an eternal existence. My regular spells wouldn't leave a dent on you. But the power at my disposal is not modern thaumaturgy, nor one of its more ancient form. It is brand new. A power that belongs to the future."

Aleister broke away.

At that same moment, the knight took a step forward and rushed over him. With a snap of his fingers, Aleister projected the energy that came from within; a power that was not the property of magi, but of humans themselves. The ability to manifest one's will and to reshape reality, a befitting ability for the future where humans would be free of the planet's shackles and become celestial beings.

Blinding beams shot at close range all around Galahad. It was like a cage of light hindering his field of sight and harrassing him at the same time. Bits of his armour were chipped away and slight burns marked his face. The result spoke for itself – Aleister could harm and defeat even the knight chosen by God.

But could he make him yield?

"..."

Galahad saw that pursuing was pointless.

As Caster's attacks were surrounding and lacerating him like a storm of claws, he planted his shield into the concrete floor.

Then, he brandished his sword with both hands.

He swung it twice, in the shape of a cross. With a horizontal swipe, he seemed to cut space itself; the buildings on both sides of the road were scarred and windows were shattered by the pressure. As for the vertical strike that followed, it raised a gale in its wake; the blade buried itself in the ground and tore it wide open, as though the hill itself had been cleaved. The sheer violence behind these two swings had chased the lights away. Aleister himself had teleported high into the air to escape the destruction.

Galahad looked up at him with the same determination, a flame neither waning nor burning too brightly.

He stooped and picked up his shield.

"I'm the one who should be surprised, that being said." Aleister's expression hardened. He considered the damage, and even more so the knight who had caused it. "You say you have been weakened, and yet... Do you even realize it? I'm know of your battles against our Saber and against the Rider of Black. You were different then. Where does that fervor come from?"

"...Caster, what do you wish for?" Galahad asked gravely. "Why do you fight?"

"To make my dream come true, of course. I answer the calling heard so many years ago – to break the status quo and guide Humanity toward a new future. Even if that future is radically different from the outcome we would naturally reach, I will forever endeavor to make it reality. I will make a new world."

"And the old world will cease to be?"

"I'm not talking of merely guiding the hand of History. Once a genuinely new era comes, everything will have to change, I'm afraid. Including those who live in it."

"I see." Galahad closed his eyes. "I've seen wishes similar to this, but yours is also different. It's always different..."

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide and he leaped. By using the nearby houses as stepping stones, the knight soared up to the same height as the magus. Aleister moved to ground level with a thought, and raised his arms to create a large magic circle above Galahad. The latter was hit by amplified gravity and repulsed downward. On arrival, he was greeted by orbs of light on every side, laid out in the shape of a cube with him at the centre. The space within exploded with raw energy and heat; the concrete underneath melted.

And also, a voice.

"There's so many wishes in this world, yet they always have something unique to them."

A great slash ripped the cube apart.

Galahad bolted out of the trap undeterred.

While it was true that Aleister's spells could bypass the natural resistance of the Saber class, his opponent had far more going for him. His sword still guarded him from flames and heat to an extent, and even were it not the case Galahad simply didn't seem to stop. Caster waved his hand: at once, many moonlight skewers appeared out of thin air to shoot toward Galahad. Each and every one of them was cut down or reflected in the span of a second, unable to even slow him down.

"That's because... humans are not shaped by their desires. Their wishes are born from them, as an expression of their heart."

When the holy sword came swinging too close, Aleister teleported away.

Galahad instantly spun again and leaped. Despite the quickness with which the magus slipped away each time, the knight never seemed to lose track of him. With each displacement through space, a spray of spells poured over him in Aleister's wake. They all crashed harmlessly into the white shield; though they had the power to tear through buildings and the hardest of metals, they couldn't rattle him. And so the dance went on, where a fraction of a second separated the hunter from the hunted.

Sometimes Galahad was getting closer, sometimes he was falling behind.

But no matter what, he was implacable.

Aleister reappeared in the knight's back and fired a dozen of beams concentrated into one. As soon as his spell burst out of nothingness, he leaped through space in a blink. While Galahad turned around to face the threat, his target was already standing in his blind spot.

"Humans are not born with a purpose to fulfill."

"...!"

Even so, his blade was precise to a fault.

The knight raised his shield and gritted his teeth to endure the magical onslaught. In the same breath, he had swung his sword at Aleister's new position despite not seeing him. The latter was forced to teleport again. The blade hunting for his neck didn't stop for even a second. Every time it missed the mark, the street around them paid the price for it. Regardless, neither the Saber nor the Caster registered those as 'misses' – they were both focused on the next exchange.

Despite all the power and swiftness behind each swing, Galahad's hand was steady and without hesitation. Aleister would take the time to admire such display, if not for the concentration this fight demanded of him. Even when he teleported much farther away, Galahad was sure to there. And while pursuing, he continued:

"They're just like you, Caster: they find ambitions and dreams along the way. Although they are simply born into this world with no reason other than to live..."

All of sudden, when his arm was already in the middle of a swipe, Galahad veered off and swung at the empty air a few metres to the side. Blood splattered on the pavement. Aleister brushed his coat and looked down at the crimson stain on his chest; he had appeared exactly when the holy sword had struck. Of course, it had not been a daredevil thrill on his pary – he had avoided a dire injury only through fast reflexes.

Somehow, Galahad had known exactly where to hit before Aleister had even materialized.

Was it something he had determined by watching the magus' movements? Aleister had made sure to erase his teleporting habits after Maui had pointed them out. There was no pattern that could be gleaned from him.

...

No.

Aleister knew from looking into those adamant eyes – Galahad was following nothing but his instinct.

That sheer intuition, made to fight through the mightiest of ordeals, was not something Aleister could play around. Actually, he could barely fathom that the knight was keeping up with him despite every condition being against him.

Nonetheless, his composure was undisturbed.

Galahad closed in to take more than blood from him, yet as the blade was to bite into Caster's flesh his body exploded like fireworks.

"...!"

Many skewers were molded from that energy and rushed over the knight who showed surprise for once. Many more of those appeared simultaneously in every direction. There was no escape; the attacks that couldn't be parried with a blade or blocked with a shield sneaked past his guard and stabbed into the cracks of his skin. Galahad winced and his leg bent slightly. Then, a pillar of light erupted at his feet and struck his chest dead on.

The armour cracked and fell to pieces.

His body underneath was as equally fissured as his face.

He gritted his teeth.

After taking a step back, he took a deep breath and sweeped Aleister's whole arsenal away in a single stroke.

"...I've been thinking. About my life as 'Galahad'. About this second life as the Saber of Red." He lifted his gaze towards Aleister, who looked down with the light of the Moonchild in his back. "I've seen so many people in this era, coming from many paths of life and holding many different hopes. I've witnessed the grudges and the passion that hope can create. And... it finally struck me. The reason why they all seem so incredible to me."

Once again, he let go of his shield. He seized his sword with both hands and shot a challenging glare to the magus.

Instead of attacking he waited.

"I was born into this world with a purpose, a mission I couldn't escape. I devoted everything I knew and was. For 'Galahad', there was nothing else. I also met many people throughout my journey, yet I didn't pay them any heed. I never noticed their hearts and the dreams born from them. All I saw was the goal handed to me; I made it into my wish. I was selfish... I only really cared about what I'd been given."

Aleister raised his hand.

The pale light shrouding Evangeline Golodïaiev expanded.

Bluish lines ran across the firmament, showing for all to see the invisible hand weighing above Fuyuki. A magic circle traced itself upon the air before the magus, larger than himself. In that catalyst, the light focused as though it were a glass lens. And through the other side, Aleister unleashed it as a single concentrated flow of light, of a magnitude greater than any of his previous attacks.

Galahad gripped his sword – and he swung.

The sheer power released from the blade met the beam of ether and parted it from the middle. However, that light was a continuous flow, and soon the scattered energy reconverged.

"After fulfilled my purpose, I was lost." Thus, he swung again. "I didn't know what to do. What to be. It didn't make sense to keep living like this, so I wished for death. And now, I have been summoned as a Servant. That should mean my mission is to win, but... 'Galahad' still has no reason to be. There is no genuine Holy Grail to quest for, no greater will for me to follow. Here I was, empty again. Without a purpose, I lived with them, I watched them struggle and move forward."

He swung again and again, as long as the flow of energy discharged by Aleister didn't dry up. He brandished his sword firmly with both hands and repeatedly cut apart the attack that would obliterate the entire street if he let up.

"And I wondered who I am; if it made a difference to live a second time; why I didn't ask to be like them. I wanted to understand. I want to understand. I want 'Galahad' to see the truth for once, not just to accept it. But... I think I know. I'm already like them. Breathing and standing without a true reason, forced to embrace life with our own strength. Hundreds of years ago, I was already like them. But I was scared. Terrified to have no guiding star, as though I'd been emptied and abandoned. I was scared to be human."

The knight pushed on his legs.

Against the ethereal river that poured forth without end, he leaped.

The edge of his blade glided seamlessly through the light.

"I couldn't face it. I couldn't imagine asking for it. It was easier to disappear."

As he drew nearer to Aleister, the moon beam completely parted – with a final swing, the magic circle itself was sliced apart and shattered. The magus had escaped once more but the sky returned to its original state, and Galahad began to fall. He landed heavily, punching a crater into the concrete.

"But I will not lament it: this is the life I led. Purpose or not, it was always me. Even now..." He turned toward the magus who stood further up the road. "In this very moment, the Holy Grail is at hand. The dreams I have observed, the wish I was entrusted with – I can't let them turn to nothing. Making them a reality is my desire."

He pointed his blade at Aleister.

And he smiled.

"I am Galahad, a human."

.

.

.

"Is that so."

Next to the magus, another Aleister appeared. Another and another – a dozen of clones materialized and moved their hands in unisson. The scenery around them moved: rubbles and broken lamp posts floated up. Stray dirt and smashed concrete filled the gaps they had once belonged in. Even the houses lined up on either side reconstructed themselves. The street was returning to its original state as though no battle had ever taken place here. Likewise, the blood on Aleister's coat disintegrated and his wound closed.

"If it makes you happy, I will remember what you said. In the new world, at least one person will remember who you were."

All of the Aleister's turned their eyes toward Galahad.

Together, they raised their arms up.

"..."

Galahad put his guard up. The air was wobbling, starting from the very spot where Caster was standing in circle with his images. If the knight was expecting an attack though, he would be stupefied: what appeared was a shape, a rectangle which unfolded to make a box. Following it, many cubes appeared and became solid, propagating outward like a single mass. In an instant, it grew to a size where it could encompass the buildings around them and kept going.

Galahad too was caught up in their expansion.

But he wasn't hurt or consumed. He had received Aleister's invitation.

Once the commotion died down and the disturbance ceased, it became obvious what exactly was happening: the two Servants had ended up in a large room, poorly lit and eldritch in its architecture. It was a manor; in spirit at least. Aleister's projected selves fused back with him, leaving only one chuckling Caster.

"Now that I have every one of my problems gathered in one place..."

The manor's interior shuffled around. The very layout of this domain obeyed to his whims, and thus it quickly came to ressemble a more proper mansion. Yet at the same time, the ground rumbled. The newly created Boleskine House was floating up, flying towards a destination. In the same process, its final shape was decided: rather than a simple building, it was a star of stone facing the sky and turning its back to the earth.

The space around Galahad shuffled again – the floor opened up, revealing the black tide and the scorched land beneath, as well as the lost souls who raised their heads to behold the rising manor.

Floating above that hole, Aleister looked upon the knight with star-filled eyes.

"...let us write the final chapter of this Holy Grail War."

Thank you for reading.

Man, for some reason, writing this chapter made me feel like I was writing some old school Rongodamiant action. Speaking of which, it's been a while so maybe I should refresh memories: the structure summoned by Aleister at the very end is the same one that you've seen back in the Himalaya. Or at least, the foundation is the same.

~Legends Storyteller