Disclaimer:

I do not own Fate/Grand Order, or any of the related characters. The Fate series belongs to TYPE-MOON. This fanfiction is intended for entertainment only (and for my self-indulge). I am not making any profit from this story. All rights of the original Fate series stories and their creators.

These fanfiction series include ships; central Emiya/Artoria; Fujimaru/Mash. If you don't like it, you can click back.

I will try to update one (or two, depending on my schedule) new chapter every week. This fanfiction is inspired by the mangas Fate/Grand Order -turas réalta- and Fate/Grand Order -Mortalis: Stella and Fate, and the movie Fate/ Grand Order: First Order. So, if you like it, please leave a comment behind. I appreciate all your opinions.

Pardon my grammar and typo, I'm not a native English speaker.

Enjoy~

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"—Base sequence: human genome confirmed."

"—Alignment: Lawful-Neutral."

"This is the Security Organization for the Preservation of Humanity [Chaldea]"

"Welcome to the data center for the future of humankind."


A small beast with white fur strolls down the hall. Its steps halt as it encounters a young man laying on the ground.

"Fou?"

Curious, it approaches him. The small paws nudge his cheek, testing.

"Mh…" The young man moans sleepily. Blue eyes lifting halfway, unfocused, then closing again.

"Kyuu... Kyuu?"

The beast repeats its action until it outright punches his cheek, only for more incoherent words to come out. The youngster shows no sight of waking up any time soon. He even tries to turn his head away much to its annoyance.

"Fou! Fou...Fou!"

"Ack!"

The young man bolts up as soon as his cheek is scratched. Eyes snapped open, he blinks at the culprit who's sitting in front of him, innocently. The squirrel… is that really a squirrel?, tilts its head before leaving without another sound, deeming its job is done.

"What was that…?" Yawing, the young man settles down in a more comfortable sitting position. Blue eyes sweep lazily around the long, empty white corridor.

"...Actually, where am I…?"

Scratching his hair, he murmurs. Nothing seems to return to him. Outside the windows of the hall, a vicious snowstorm is going on.

"How… I got here?" The young man holds his tempers, trying to rack his brain. "Remember… Remember… I was donating my blood… and the cookies, then—"

"...Ahem. Can I ask you a question, Senpai?"

He jolts. Reflexively, his head rotates to the sources of the soft voice—

"I understand you felt sleepy, but was it necessary to do it right here? Can you not sleep unless you're on a hard bed?"

Blue irises dilated, all of his thoughts became an abrupt stop. His mouth drops open while his brain is turned into mush.

"... Senpai?"

The young man rears his neck to the other side so quickly that the other person tilts her head in wonder. His face flushes brightly.

That angle— Goddammit!

"Was— Was I really sleeping here!?" He stutters, in a poor attempt to distract himself from that holy sight. Unknown to his turmoil, the mysterious girl calmly nods her head.

"Yes, like a log. It was such a deep sleep, it was almost like in the textbook, senpai."

The way she phrased it only makes it worse…

At that moment, something jumps on his lap. The young man looks down and recognizes it was that strange animal back then.

"Fou! Kyuuu! Kyao!" It chimes, lilac eyes searching his face.

"What are you?" He wonders out loud, about to poke it. However, the small beast whacks its tail at his hand.

…isn't someone edgy?

Rubbing his hand, he gives it a look while the beast huffs and turns its back to him, certainly smart for… whatever kind of animal it is.

"...I completely forgot. I still haven't introduced you yet, have I, Fou?" The girl smiles in apology as the beast looks up at her, in which the young man almost follows the suit out of habit, and barks at her expectantly.

"This squirrel-like creature is Fou. He's a Privileged Life-Form allowed to freely walk around Chaldea." Clearing her throat, she introduces. "Fou led me here, and that's how I ran into you, Senpai."

It's not a very creative name, but it's not like he is the one who can judge it. Besides, for some reason, he has a feeling he'd be the one being judged by the bearer of that name if he says anything.

"Fou. Mmkyu, Fou!"

Fou jumps off him when the young man attempts to pick it up along with him. Ruffling its white fur, the small beast trots off.

"He does that sometimes, just walks around." The girl comments as the two of them watch it disappearing down the hall.

"What a strange animal…"

"Yes, normally he doesn't go near anyone aside from me, or senpai… I meant the other senpai, but he seems to like you." She adds with a faint smile. "Congratulations. Now you shall be the third caretaker of Fou in Chaldea, senpai."

The young man scratches the back of his head and laughs awkwardly, not sure how to feel about that.

Wait… 'senpai'?

"On second thought …Do you and I know each other?" He squints at her. She is a young woman with short lilac hair covering one of her lavender eyes and fair skin. She wears rectangular frame glasses, a gray hoodie over a black shirt, and a white-collar shirt. Her red tie bears some sort of insignia near the end.

Surely if he happened to know someone this pretty, there is no way he'd forget about it.

To make the situation even weirder, the girl shakes her head.

"No, senpai. This is the first time we met."

"Then why do you call me—"

"Ah, there you are, Mash. That won't do, you know, wandering about without permission…"

Another voice comes from behind that the young man bites back a startled yelp. What's wrong with people keeping sneaking up on him?!

He turns around to see a middle-aged man with a rather peculiar look. Reddish brown ruffled hair under a green hat, he has the same color trench coat with black fur border to match the look. The man approaches them.

"Oh, someone's already with you? You're…" Recognition flashes in his eyes. "I see... The rookie who just got assigned here."

"Welcome to Chaldea. I'm Lev Lainur, one of the technicians employed here. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Along with his introduction, Lev processes to grab his hand and shakes it without waiting for him to reciprocate. He gets he is an approachable type, but there's some misunderstanding here.

"Uh, I'm not. I—"

"Candidate number 48." Lev cuts him off. "Ritsuka Fujimaru. You and the other forty-seven candidates will become a [Master]."

The young man, Fujimaru, blinks at two people in front of him before tilting his head.

"What…?" A big question mark appears above his head. "Um… I don't understand—"

"Well, let me explain it better." Again, Lev cuts him off with a clearing of his throat. "When you donated your blood, one of our staff learned that you were a potential candidate to be a Master. So they added a small dose to the cookies and kindly asked a man with a mask to invite you here… to fill out numbers."

Silence settles among them. Both Fujimaru and Mash can only gape at the man.

"Wouldn't it be a kidnapping?! Do not try to soften it." She accuses him whilst Lev flinches. Turning to the young man, he clasps his hands in front of him.

"She's right. I'm sorry. We also apologize for getting you into the simulator before the dose-effect ended," He bows his head, "And leaving you in the zombie state because of chloroform. You were not used to Spiritron Dives and fell in the corridor. Do forgive me, Fujimaru. I was inconsiderate."

Fujimaru is still at a loss for words. What one could possibly say in this situation?

"It doesn't matter, haha. It's not as if they have done it on purpose…" He eventually manages to say, waving Lev off. What happened, happened. Even if he made a fuss, with such harsh weather going on outside, he doubts he could return home right away.

"So, what am I supposed to do?" With a weary sigh, Fujimaru asks.

"There's an orientation by the Director at the Central Command Room in 5 minutes." Lev rubs his chin with a finger, answering. "She's putting on a presentation for the newbies. If you join, you'll understand why you were brought to Chaldea."

Checking his watch, the man frowns a bit.

"Although I'd like to take you to the infirmary just in case, you seem to be fine… Sorry, hang in there a little longer. The Director's orientation is about to start." He continues. "You should hurry over. Since the Director is not the type to forgive and forget, if you show up late, you'll be on her radar for the entire year."

Fujimaru winces, that doesn't sound promising at all.

"Where is the Command room?" He inquires. Lev opens his mouth, but Mash speaks up first.

"Dr. Lev, do you think I'll be allowed to sit in on the orientation, too?"

"Hmm? Well, if you stand way back in a corner, I think she'll look the other way... But why?"

"I just thought I should take senpai to the Command Room. It's possible that Senpai might fall asleep on the way again." She explains whilst the man hums.

"...If I leave you alone like this the Director might yell at me… Then again, it seems that lil'Miss Archaman is also there." Lev shrugs. "Well, if that's what you want to do, Mash, go ahead. You okay with that Fujimaru?"

The young man closes his eyes thinking before raising one of his fingers.

"Just… one more question." He points at Mash whose shoulders jump. "Why does she keep calling me Senpai?"


"Welcome to the Chaldea Security Organization."

On the stage of the Command Room, a young woman speaks. Long white hair sways as she places her hands on her hips. She appears to be around the age of twenty-two to twenty-three. Despite her young age, amber eyes sweep authoritatively at the group before her.

"I am Olga Marie Animusphere, the director of Chaldea." She raises her voice. "You have been selected from all around the world for your unique talent: The ability to conduct [Spiritron Dives], the right to bear [Magic Circuits], and the qualifications to become a [Master]."

"That being said, it's only the talent you wield that is special. There is nothing special about you yourselves."

Many attendees raise their eyebrows at the harsh words. They whisper among themselves.

"Here, you all stand on the same starting line. Understand you are still new recruits. And I'll say this to those of you sent from the Mage's association in particular." Olga grounds, amber eyes are narrowed. "You seem to think you're still students. Make sure to rectify that immediately. You are no more than tools whose sole purpose is to protect humankind's history."

The chatters increase inside the room. Many make a face and are displeased with the way she phrased them. Olga, however, pays them no mind. Her attention is settled on one particular girl standing in the corner of the room, far away from the rest of the candidates.

Why is she here…? She frowns. Olga doesn't mind if a staff is mixed in here for their own pleasure or whatever, but that girl? She surely told Lev to keep a constant watch over her…

The noise of protests inside the room is starting to get on Olga's nerves.

"SILENCE!"

Everyone claims their mouth in an instant the moment she hammers her heel on the ground.

"Listen up: Here, my orders are law!" The young women grounds. "I will not allow any comments or backtalk. If you don't like what I have to say, leave Chaldea immediately! "

Pointing to the door, she scans the whole room, challenging. No one dares to meet her eyes, or perk another word. Of course, even if they want to, there isn't a single plane that would take them home from this remotest place in the world, constantly surrounded by snowstorms.

"Fine then." She huffs, satisfied by the reaction. "You must keep in mind that you are mere tools. Tools to protect Human History, nothing more. And—"

She was happy too soon.

Her blood boiling, Olga stomps down to the last round of the seats, where she's caught an idiot snoring out loud. Without hesitance, she yanks him up by the collar

"You've got guts, napping right in front of me!" She hisses. The young man woke up completely, and gulps at the dead glare he received.

"Do you understand the importance of this mission?! The state that humanity is in right now?!" She spats, which makes him shrink further. Both his action and clueless face irks her more.

"Director! He's part of the general pool. The simulator's exhausted him…" Running up to them, Mash hastily explains.

"The general pool…?" Olga echoes before gritting her teeth. "The simulator was enough to exhaust this amateur?! Do you take Chaldea for a pack of fools?! You have no right to be here… or to even wear this!"

"Wh-Whoa...!"

In a swift motion, she snatches the white uniform off him and shovels him toward the door.

"GET OUT OF HERE AT ONCE!"

And that's the story of how Fujimaru is unceremoniously kicked out from the briefing.

Breathing through her nostrils, Olga tries to calm her nerves down. She folds the uniform on her forearm and returns to the stage.

"Seriously, don't make me waste my time on such matters." She grumbles. Clearing her throat, the young woman decides to treat it as if nothing happened.

"...Now, then, back to the topic." Olga begins. "Today of all days, we at Chaldea will achieve something that will be written in history. The science of learning. The invention of religion. The acquisition of navigation. The focus of communication. The voyage into space. Our legacy will be on par with the [Pioneers of the Stars]."

"...No, it will surpass them."

With a confident voice, she continues.

"Rather than expanding civilization, we will be in the hands of God protecting it. Stabilizing human history, we will transform the future into a solid resolution." She says. "The principles of mankind— in other words, to ensure the continuation of humanity. That is Chaldea's, and now your only and absolute purpose."

"Chaldea has achieved many results to date. The development of observation cyber daemon, [LAPLACE]. The Global Environment Model, [CHALDEAS]. Completion of the Near-Future Observation Lens, [SHEBA]. The Heroic Spirit Summoning System, [FATE], and the launch of the Spiritron Calculation Engine, [TRISMEGISTUS]. With these technologies, we at Chaldea have observed humanity's progress one hundred years into the future."

Olga smirks at the surprise and awe she's receiving. It's a good sight that these candidates are starting to realize the importance of Chaldea.

"We do not predict the future, but observe it. Like many who observed celestial bodies, Chaldea has been observing the future." She states. "Whatever it sees, our job has been to ensure that humanity will survive 100 years into the future."

"Look up. That is Chaldea's proudest achievement—" She gestures to the blue orb behind her. A reimagining of the Earth is placed in the middle of the Command Room.

"Created with advanced magical theories, the Global Environmental Model, our CHALDEAS."

"Planets have been defined as beings with souls. We copied them into this miniature Earth." Olga elaborates. "Because of the difference in scale, we are unable to read each single human mind. But whatever's on the surface, the city lights that can be seen on land, can be observed through SHEBA. Currently, it's been set to reflect the Earth one hundred years from now. CHALDEAS may very well be the future of Earth itself. As long as there's light people will live in cities, and serve as proof of civilization's survival. As long as the light of civilization shines within Chaldeas, we can guarantee humans will exist a century further."

Stopping a few seconds for the information to sink in, she carries on with a much more serious voice. She looks at the candidates.

"But— Lev, could you normalize SHEBA's polarization angle?"

As soon as she spoke to the communicator on her wrist, a visual image of the World's map appeared in the air above her.

"This is the current state. Starting six months ago, CHALDEAS changed color, and it became difficult to observe the future." She explains. "The light of civilization, our beacon till now, has become largely unobservable to us."

The gasps and shock filled the room. Many hold their breath as they notice there is no light on the map.

"Hmph, the right response. Good to see you've got some sense." Olga nods. "That's right. Although this was considered highly classified, you have the right to know. The lack of light means that civilization has become extinct. Our observations indicate that the light of humanity is only visible up to the year 2018—"

"In other words, we've observed, no, proved that humanity will become extinct in that year."

Her voice turns grim, as well as the atmosphere. None of her audiences are sure how to take in this disclosure.

"Obviously, this future is not possible." Clearing her throat, Olga reassures. "It cannot happen, and physically speaking, is impossible. There's neither an economic collapse nor some sudden seismic event. We can't explain how humanity would suddenly just disappear. Over the past six months, we've found the cause of this strange phenomenon— the disappearance of the future."

She swift her hand for various data screens displayed, including one with Japan's map. On it, a mark is pulsing.

"If the reason is not in the present, then it is in the past. Using LAPLACE and TRISMEGISTUS, we've reviewed all data for the past 2000 years. We tried to find something that didn't exist in history, or was on Earth until this point in time. As a result, we finally found something new. It's this—" She gestures at the mark. "Spatial Singularity F, a city in the Japanese countryside in 2004. We discovered an [unobservable zone] that did not exist in history up to the year 2017. Chaldea hypothesizes that this is the cause of humanity's extinction. We proposed the Rayshift experiment to the U.N. and received approval."

"The Rayshift process transforms a human into spiritrons, sending them into the past and allowing them to alter it. Simply put, it's time travel. But not everyone can do it. Only people with exceptional magical circuits, and the ability to become a Master, can be transformed. Now— I'm sure that cleared things up. Your task is the investigation of Singularity F. You'll travel 14 years into the past, find Singularity F, and destroy it."

The candidates look at each other, uneasy after hearing her explanation. Olga has noticed, but chooses to ignore it.

"We are now entering unknown territory. There's no telling what you might find there." She states. "But you've been selected from among people all over the world. You can do this, and we have high expectations for you. The higher-ups want to know the cause of this immediately. We don't have time to waste."

"We'll be performing the first Rayshift experiment in an hour. I'm sure you've all had enough training. For the first experiment, we'll send Team A, the top 8 scorers, to Singularity F. I haven't told the later groups, but they're Master candidates who have been chosen from Chaldea. Team A has been active for a month now. You can call them trained warriors."

There are two alphabet symbols manifest, representing two teams. Olga points to the digital map.

"Team A will go on ahead and establish a base camp at Singularity F, guaranteeing your safety." She instructs. "Teams B and below will monitor their situation and prepare for the next experiment. Teams B through D will be on standby, in case of trouble with Team A."

"For the next, let's register your information with the Klein Coffins, the arks that will send you to the past as spiritrons. There's one for each person, and there are no spares. Be very careful with them."

A whole minute has passed, and no one bugles an inch. Olga scolds. Her patience is running thin.

"—What are you doing? I told you what you have to do." She growls. "You were brought here as a potential Master. You're practically a soldier now. You will obey orders and be ready for a fight. Do not make me repeat myself."

"Or do you have more questions?"

Amber eyes narrow. Those who glimpse her gaze immediately turn to the other side or avert their eyes. Olga's frown deepens until she spots one only girl who doesn't shy away. As a matter of fact, she appears to be distracted.

"You, the seventh one in the first round!" She pinpoints. "You look unsatisfied with the mission. I'll give you the chance to ask one question."

The girl is startled, while the candidates around her all give her a pitying look. After being sure it was her who got called, she stands up. Emerald eyes look straight at her despite their owner's nervousness. Olga squints a bit at the additional subject on her shoulder.

"Is it safe to change the past?" The girl inquires. "I want to know how we can be sure our present won't be affected, in the wrong way after we travel to the past."

The question jerks Olga's attention back to her immediately, who, on the other hand, wonders whether she said anything wrong for the director to abruptly become annoyed again.

"Does the word《Singularity》mean nothing to you?" Olga snaps. "The singularity we found doesn't exist in any of our observation records. It's like a hole that just appeared out of nowhere. The hole itself is cut off from the proper temporal axis."

"The 2004 singularity exists apart from the past and future. There's no need to connect it to our present. It's more stable than regular time travel, and whatever happens, the timeline can still repair itself. Singularity F is like a tiny stain on the dress that is human history. It ruins beauty just by its presence. Your job is to extract it. That's what will return humanity to its proper, observed course of history."

The girl mouths an 'oh' that Ogla resists slapping a hand on her face.

What is the Association thinking?! Send someone who barely understands basic spacetime theory. She'd told them this plan was a [Grand Order], the highest possible duty in the world of magecraft.

How dare they look down on her like this!

"What team are you with? Show me your ID." She grits her teeth. Per her request, the girl shows her profile on her own communicator, and Olga's eyebrows are knitted tightly as soon as she reads it.

"Another civilian!? With combat and training experience only stay at our simulated battle?!" She shrieks, much to everyone's shock. "Just what the hell did they think?! Chaldea is much too important to be wasting valuable slots on you people!"

"Lev! Lev Lainur!" She demands at her communicator, unable to keep her calm. A few seconds later, the man enters.

"I'm right here, Director. Why the yelling? Is there a problem?" Lev calmly addresses.

"There are problems everywhere!" She hisses. "First a moron who dozed off during my speech, now this! Just get this country pumpkin out of my sight!"

Lev follows her jabbing finger to a blonde girl who is standing awkwardly. He hums in amusement as he notices she appears to frown a bit at the insult Olga threw at her.

"Oh… so that's it?" Lev shakes his head slightly. He turns to the young woman. "Director, she is a chosen Master candidate. Sure she might lack experience, but it's inappropriate to be that rude… Besides, she is a special case."

He leans in and whispers into Olga's ear. Amber eyes widen in an instant, the director then has to double-check the girl, whose head is tilted at them at the sudden change of attitude.

"S… Still! Having an inexperienced amateur here is a problem! What if something happens to my Chaldeas?!" Olga stubbornly insists. Hand resting on her hip, she jabs a finger at the other girl. "At least get her some basic training in!"

Letting out a sigh, Lez scratches his chin.

"...Hmm, I'm busy with the Rayshift experiment and can't. Well, orders are orders. Archaman!"

"Yes!" In the second round from the last, a young woman with orange hair stands up to attention.

"Fill in this girl here with the primary knowledge. I will take her in 2 hours after the experiment is over."

"Got it." The young woman nods at his instruction. Leaving her spot, she beckons to the mentioned girl.

"Come on, newbie, I'll show you around."

Unbeknownst what else to answer, the girl mutely processes to the door, not after sparing Lev a certain look. Before exiting, the girl glances at him over her shoulder once more, at which the man arches an eyebrow. He chuckles the moment she gives him a hesitant nod as a thank you.

Meanwhile, Olga scoffs.

"That's unusually kind of you, Lev." She grumbles. From the corner of her eyes, she glares at the man with suspicion once the door closes. "Do you know each other from somewhere?"

"Not at all. I was just thinking things like eternal rivals and fated encounters are very important." Lev shrugs with a mysterious smirk. Ignoring the inquisitive gaze, he dips his chin at her.

"Now, if you excuse me. I need to return to my position."

The man leaves without another word. Olga exhales, pinching the bridge of her nose. She can feel a mirage forming at the back of her head.

At any rate, she's seriously concerned about the future of her Chaldea.


During that time, Fujimaru and Mash are walking to his room on the other side of the corridor after he was dismissed from the first mission.

"Man! 'Amateur' this, 'idiot' that…Why do they even have a general pool in the first place, huh?" The young man complains. It's not like he joined here on his own volition or something, but that still felt pretty offended.

"We need many Masters to put the experimental [Rayshift] to use." Mash explains while giving him an apologetic look. "However, only a handful of magi are suited for it… Normally, magi would be prioritized by their bloodline or parentage… but in situations this dire, we can't be tied to those priorities anymore."

Fujimaru hums in response. His annoyance quenched a bit after hearing her gentle voice.

If only that miss director possessed half of Mash's kindness, it would be nice.

"You sure know a lot. Have you been here a while?" He inquiries, genuinely curious. The girl's silent for a second before replying.

"... A fair amount of time."

He arches an eyebrow.

"Then wouldn't you be more of the 'senpai'?"

Lavender eye enlarges at his pointing out, Mash looks away.

"N-No… um…" She trails off. Seeing her flush like this, Fujimaru scratches his head. He feels a little bad. Perhaps, he has brought up a sensitive topic that shouldn't be discussed.

Before he can apologize to her, something slams into his knees from behind in full force.

"Euk…!"

"Kuu! Foou!"

"What's wrong, Fou-san?" Fujimaru exclaims, massaging his sore knees. It was such an amazing strength for an animal of its size.

"It seems Fou sees you as a rival." Mash pipes up whilst he looks at her in surprise.

"You understood that?!"

"More or less. Anyway, we've reached our destination. This is your room, Senpai." She announces, gesturing to one of the doors in the long corridor. Fidgeting her fingers, she adds with a little smaller tone.

"I have the first mission to attend to… I'll be in the control room."

"I see. Be careful… And thanks for coming all this way." Fujimaru nods, in which Mash blinks at him before a faint smile dons on her lips.

"It's fine if you ask me, Senpai. I wouldn't mind even if it's treating you to lunch."

She turns around and runs off, leaving behind a dumbstruck Fujimaru. At his feet, Fou looks up at him.

"She's kind of an interesting girl, isn't she?"

He grins as it tilts its head up at him, ear flicking. With a last look at the end of the hall where Mash has vanished, he enters the room—

To see a strange man who appears to be in the middle of putting on his pants right inside his room.

"… …"

As they keep staring at each other, only one thing registers in Fujimaru's mind.

So, underpants with that many strawberries do exist…

"Wh-Whaaaaaat?! Who are you?!" The man shrieks, so does he. Fujimaru winces as the other person trips on his own pants and sprawls flat on the ground. That oughta hurt... even for some pervert.

Then, at a speed he doesn't know humans are capable of, the man jumps back up on his feet and zips up his white pants.

"This is an empty room! It's my slack-off chamber! Who gave you permission to come in?! In your underclothes, too!" The man demands, pointing an accusing finger at him. The fact his face is still red from both the fall and humiliation has made it less threatening dramatically.

"...I was told that this was my room…" Fujimaru replies, peeking from his hiding spot behind the door. The man's eyebrows raise up.

"Your room? This place? Oh…" The man mutters under his breath. "I see, so the last one finally showed up, huh?"

Dusting himself, he poses as if nothing happened at all.

"Well, nice to meet you. Didn't think I would run into you like this, but let me introduce myself again." He clears his throat. "I'm the head of the Medical department, Romani Archaman. For some reason, people just call me 'Dr. Roman'... I think Gudako was the one initiated, but it is easier to pronounce."

Noticing him rambling, Romani laughs awkwardly and offers his hand to Fujimaru.

"Anyway, go ahead and call me Roman. The fact is, 'Roman' has a nice ring to it, no? It sounds cool and vaguely sweet."

… He's so chill'n bubbly for real, Fujimaru concludes, seriously deliberating whether this guy really is the head of the Medical Department. The young man glances down at the hand given to him.

"Erm… can you wash your hands first?"

"Hey, that's rude!" Romani squeaks, blushing. "Just so you know, it's my fresh one. I was just ironing it!"

He exhales at the skeptical look he received. Sulking, he wipes his hand on his long coat. Only then does Fujimaru accept his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Doctor. My name's Fujimaru Ritsuka. Please just address me as Fujimaru."

"Yes, nice to meet you, Fujimaru. I look forward to getting to know you."

Smiling, they shake hands until Romani spots Fou hiding behind his leg. His eyes immediately widened in disbelief and excitement.

"Huh? Is that the mysterious creature I've heard so much about? Whoa, nice to meet you!" He kneels down before it. "Mash told me a lot about you, but I didn't really think you existed... Hey, why don't I teach you some tricks?"

"Okay, shake hands. If you do it well, I'll give you a snack." Romani extends one of his hands while wavering a small sweet with the other.

The result is fantastic to say, at least.

"...Fou."

"Huh, what? Why're you looking at me like I'm the most pitiful guy in the world!?"

Even Fujimaru has to feel sorry for the doctor, who's slumping in a complete rejection, when the small beast doesn't spare him a second glance and walks out of the room.

"A-Anyway, isn't your rayshift experiment about to start? Are you sure you can waste time here?" Sniffling, Romani asks him as he stands up. He squints at Fujimaru who's suddenly gotten interested in the spotless white wall beside them before snapping his fingers.

"Aha, I got it!" He exclaims, his face smug. "You're the rookie who just got here and then got on the Director's bad side! Stripped bare, even!"

"What about you, Doctor? They all looked pretty busy out there." Fujimaru jabs back, sulking, whilst Romani scratches the back of his head. He laughs wryly.

"You and I are alike." He admits. "I got yelled at by her too. The Director said,《When you're here, Romani, everyone slacks off!》then threw me out. So I've been sulking here."

"I… see." Fujimaru says. For some reason, the director's decision makes perfect sense after he met this guy.

"Well, partner… Since we're both outcasts, why don't we sit and get to know each other more?" Romani suggests, dragging the stools out. Realizing Fujimaru is still in his underclothes, he halts.

"Right… Wait there, I got something you can use."

The doctor dashes out of the door and comes back with a set of clothes. He puts it into Fujimaru's hands and urges him to try it on.

"How're those feel on you?" Romani inquires after the young man finishes changing.

"It fits great!" Fujimaru smiles, checking out the long-sleeved coat he got. It feels like he's become some character in a series about schools of wizards he watched before.

Well, the reality might not be far off the mark, but this feels much cooler.

"That's a mage's robe I wore back the day I still studied. It functions like a Mystic Code, supporting a mage when casting magecraft." Romani nods satisfied as he's watching him. "The white uniform you used to wear is another type of that. This one's geared more towards magecraft… great for amateurs like you."

That prompts Fujimaru to look up.

Speak of which…

"By the way, Doctor. I don't really get this talk about [magecraft] or [rayshift]..." he confesses, remembering the strange term Mash mentioned. "And what's our [mission] all about."

"Hmm… I'd better tell you about Chadea first, then." Taking a bite of one of his snacks, Romani decides. He pulls out his laptop and brings Fujimaru up to speed on some basics.

"... And that's the structure of Chaldea. An underground workshop built on a snowy mountain 6,000 meters above sea level." Romani finishes. Meanwhile, Fujimaru is zoning out somewhere in the galaxy as he tries to ingest that large amount of information.

"Maybe you are not used to these places and more without knowing why. I could even say that you think this was a kidnapping." The doctor chuckles a bit, in which the young man sighs and scratches the back of his head.

"You have no idea…"

Romani arches an eyebrow at him, a question mark floating beside his head. Before he can ask, his communicator rings up. He switches it into the sound-only mode.

"Romani, we're going to start the Rayshift soon. Could you come in case there's an emergency?" Lev's voice comes out of it. "The A Team's in perfect condition, but the B Team on down is less experienced and they are displaying some slight abnormalities."

"It probably comes from anxiety. The inside of that Coffin is like a cockpit. I'll anesthetize them, then." Romani replies.

"Then hurry up, will you? It's just two minutes from the medical office to here, right?"

The call is hung up.

"Uhh… This isn't the infirmary, is it?"

"It's more like five minutes from here…" Romani confirms Fujimaru's inquiry, shrugging. "...Ah, well, a couple of minutes isn't a big deal! I'm head of the Medical department, remember? A leading figure like me looks more prestigious coming in late!"

"Talk about chill…" The young man's sweat drops while watching the man tossing another sweet into his mouth.

"Brain work like mine requires a decent sugar intake. Even a run-of-the-mill doctor has so many things to think about." Romani justifies, sipping his tea. He turns to the young man with his box of sweet, grinning.

"I'm team Koshi-an by the way. I used to be team pancakes, but I got addicted to these on a trip to Japan!"

"Shouldn't you get going…?" Fujumaru asks with serious concern for this man.

At that moment, the lights are suddenly out. Before either of them manages to understand what is going on, he and the doctor nearly trip over because of a tremendous earthquake.

"What was—"

"Emergency! Emergency! A fire has broken out in the Central Power Station and the Central Command Room." Fujimaru's startled exclamation is cut off by an announcement. "Central Area's containment wall will activate in 90 seconds. All staff must evacuate from Gate 2 at once. The containment wall will close in 40 seconds Those remaining in Central Area, evacuate immediately—"

"An explosion…? It was an explosion just now" He echoes, panicking. "Doctor, what on earth is happening—"

The words stuck in his throat. The pale complexion on Romani's face says it all.

"Fujimaru, evacuate right now! I'm going to the Command Room." The doctor hastily points as he bolts out the door. "The containment wall is about to close. Get yourself out before it's too late!"

"Doctor?!" Fujimaru calls after him to no avail, Romani's already left. His head is spinning.

He… he needs to get out of here. He'll be stuck in here if he doesn't go. Following the doctor's instruction, he heads in the opposite direction—

The image of a purple-haired girl flashed in his mind.

The Command Room...?

Fujimaru freezes. He's breathing hard, hands are balled tight by his sides. He's aware, painfully, that even if he went with Romani, there is nothing some regular guys recruited to pad the numbers like him could do…

But—

Her faint smile, somewhat sad, always brings up a feeling she might vanish like a bubble once he blinks.

"I can't just… leave Mash there."

Without a second thought, Fujimaru rotates his heels and sprints after the doctor.

"Wait, what are you doing?! Wrong way, Gate 2's over there!" Romani yells over his shoulder the moment he sees him.

"I know! Trust me, I wanna run away!" Fujimaru shouts back. He is gasping for air while trying to catch up with the man. "But I'm here now. I don't want to think that… there's nothing I can help with!"

Romani stares at him. Blue irises seem to be gleaming with determination. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he gives in.

"Ugh… Look, I appreciate that! But make sure you get back before it's too late!"

The youngster grins and nods. Finally, two of them reach the Control room, but...

It appears they are too late. There is nothing but aggressive flame and ruin.

"...No survivors. Only CHADLEAS is safe." Romani chokes, hand covering his drained-of-color face. "This was where the explosion originated. This was no accident…"

"It was sabotage."

The word struck Fujimaru like lightning. He gulps, squinting his eyes over the fire and the heat.

"Generator operation stopped. Power level critical." Another announcement rings out, snapping them both from their stupefy. "Switch to the backup generator, error. Please make the switch manually. The containment wall will close in 40 seconds Those remaining in Central Area, evacuate immediately—"

"...I'm heading down to the underground power station. We can't let Chaldea's light go out." Romani says, fumbling for a map on his communicator. "Hurry up and go back the way we came. You can still make it. Don't stop anywhere on the way! Go outside, and wait for help!"

He scurries away again. Left behind, Fujimaru bites his lips. Covering his nose with the sleeve of his coat, he turns to the blazing flame.

"Mash! Where are you?!"

Only the silent answer him. Not giving up, he pushes on through the heat. The young man checks every coffin he passes by. All people inside have either fainted, or are even dead. He doesn't know... doesn't want to know. The one he is looking for is nowhere to be found.

"MASH!"

"System switching to the final phase of Rayshift. Coordinates, AD 2004, January, 30th, Fuyuki, Japan."

"LAPLACE's shifting protection established. Singularity's additional factor slot secured."

"Unsummon Program set. Please start final adjustments."

Sweat drenches Fujimaru's face, clinging to his back. Everything in his cells is screaming that this is not going to end well, and he has to hurry back. At the same time, something inside him believes she is somewhere out there. Gritting his teeth, he pushes on.

He has to look for survivors till the last minute…!

"MASH!"

"Sen… pai…?"

There. Among the destruction, he finally finds her.

"Mash! Hang in here! I'm coming to help you—"

Breath hitches in his throat, and his mouth is dry at the sight of her.

Mash is laying in the puddle of her own blood. Large pieces of glass penetrate her orange combat suit, as well as her abdomen. Meanwhile, her legs are crushed under large rubble.

With those injuries, she's…

"...It's all...right. You can't...save...me." Mash pants, weakly. "Don't mind me, please... Run."

His head lowers. Instead of answering, Fujimaru falls to his knees beside her. He struggles to lift the rubble off her legs. It's a futile attempt and changes nothing, but he does it anyway.

"Warning all observation staff. CHALDEAS' state has changed. Now rewriting SHEBA's near-future prediction data."

A new announcement catches their attention the moment he successfully removes the rubble.

"Unable to guarantee mankind's future."

Sensing the light inside the room has a deeper shade of red, Fujimaru turns around. Immediately, something akin to a cold terror courses through his body. He thinks he's forgotten to breathe for a moment.

Beside him, Mash murmurs, choking.

"It's... bright red…"

"Unable to confirm human survivors."

"Unable to detect the existence of mankind 100 years in the near future on Earth."

Floating in front of them, CHALDEAS has turned into an orb of crimson. If anything, it's reminding Fujimaru of a dead star, the one that no longer has hope.

"Central Area, sealed. 180 seconds till internal containment procedure."

Two of them are brought back to their senses as all the doors of the Command room are slammed down.

"...they, shut off, the area." Mash echoes, regrettably. "...senpai... I'm sorry…"

Fujimaru stares at the door, blankly before shaking his head.

"... Nah, we'll figure it out, somehow." Letting out a shaking chuckle, he flops down by her side. To the other girl's surprise, he has a small smile on his face as he turns to her.

"More importantly, your name. I haven't yet asked you for your name properly."

Mash is speechless. She can only stare at him, before her lips quiver.

"Coffin Vitals: Masters Baseline not reached."

"I… I couldn't think of a good way…" She chokes. "To introduce myself, so I…"

"Rayshift requirement not met. Searching for qualifying Masters... Found."

"Candid̶̟́a̵̫̕te No. 48, Fujima̸̹͠ṟ̶̈́u Ris̶̖̎tuka reś̶͍e̸̲͋t as Master."

"Candidate No. -̸̬̕4̵̼͂-̸̺͒ , A̶̻̒r̶̪͝t̶͎̎-̷̜̆r̷͈͠-̵͙̀a̵̢͘ ̷͓̕W̷̱͊-̵̮̃ṡ̴͖t̸̮̂o̵͇͌n̶̠̂ reset as̶̭͘ Mas̴̮̊t̵̤̓e̵̛̼r."

"Unsummon Program, start."

"Spiritron Conversion, start."

"...Um...Sen...pai?"

Humming, Fujimaru looks at her.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind… Holding my hand?"

"Rayshift starting at 3."

With great care, he clasps that small hand in his trembling ones. Mash's hand is soft, and a bit cold, but he can still sense a faint warmth in his palms. Fujimaru gently squeezes it.

Not far away sits a small beast. Lilac eyes are carefully observing the pair.

"2"

"It's all right… I'm right here with you." He reassures. The corners of his lips curl up when the girl nods, shyly reciprocating his gesture.

With a faint smile, Mash closes her eyes.

"1"

"...Yes…"

Around them, the world continues to collapse.

"All procedures are clear."

"First Order, commencing operation."


Fujimaru pants. He can feel it harder and harder for him to take a proper breath.

He swears…

This is the first time he's been running so much in his damn life!

"Just where the hell am I?!" The young man's scream echoes through the deserted street. "Who're these guys?!"

In response, the group of armed skeletons hot on his heels merely clangs their jaws, sounding like indistinctly laughters. The tattering blades swing frantically.

Biting back a curse, Fujimaru attempts to pick up his speed. This doesn't make any sense at all! If this is the afterlife, he wonders just what the hell he did to deserve this.

At that moment, a skeleton leaps up at him. The young man hastily jumps to the side before the blade slides him into two.

And just his luck, he loses his foot in the process. Fujimaru falls flat on his butt. He watches in horror as a skeleton has approached him. Its blade is swung high for a finishing strike—

Only for its body to be shattered into pieces.

Fujimaru shields his face with his arms at the sudden current. Blinking, he stares up at his savor. Every word has escaped him.

Standing in front of him protectively, Mash faces the skeletons. In her hand, a great shield shone under the crackling flame of the ruined city.