1.6. The Grand Order
The light burns through her eyelids. Artoria cracks her eyes open before closing them again. A muted groan leaves her lips. Every inch of her body is screaming in pain. She isn't ready to wake up, but her mind kept her awake.
"...ll …u."
"... Can… w…e talk thin…gs out?!"
She picks up the commotion over the white sounds inside her ears. It takes her a bit longer to make out the words.
"How come you can grab a lady's neck?! This's a breach of manners!"
…Artoria doesn't think she heard that high-pitched and feminine voice anywhere.
"Says the old perverted man having crossdressing as a hobby." A much lower, and familiar grunt replies. Honestly, they are like blasts in her ringing head. The girl tries to move her limbs and grimaces at the odd feeling of a hollow in the middle of her chest.
"Listen, you! The desire to become a beautiful girl will become the norm one day. This is the ideal beauty I pursued during my life. I see nothing wrong in having become that beauty itself— Oh, you are up!"
The heat inside the voice drops the instant its owner spots her sitting up. Right afterward, a yelp comes off from them along with a dull sound of something, or rather, someone is dropped to the floor.
"Master!"
She hears footsteps approaching. Her Servant, Berserker, the first thing that registered in Artoria's mind. Although some of her nerves have calmed down in the presence of someone she's acquainted with, the rest is just... numbed. The phantom throb at the back of her head doesn't go away. She doesn't even get enough strength to lift her heavy head to meet him when she can feel his concern beginning to form as the silence prolongs.
"Artoria…?" Berserker calls, carefully. At the lack of response, his eyebrows are knitted together. He instinctively knows something is off. The long golden threads of hair hanging over her eyes are preventing him from seeing her expression.
"Master, if you don't speak up, I won't know how to help you." He tries to coax her, in his own way. His hands fiddle uselessly by his sides. Still no reply. To add to Berserker's unease, there's nothing able to be detected from her side through the link.
Empty. That void is unnerved.
"Geez, talking about rude…" The other forgotten person inside the room grumbles while massaging her sore bottom. However, her annoyance seems to quickly warp into worry the moment she senses the grim air between the Master and Servant.
"Dear, are you alright?" With a motherly tone, the mysterious woman asks the girl as she hurries to approach the bed. "Where are you feeling unwell? Let me examine you."
Artoria remains muted. After a long while, she finally turns to them. Instantly, the other two bite inside their cheek at the gaunt look on her face.
"Where…" The girl murmurs, her own voice sounding so hoarse even in her ears. "Where can I make a phone call?"
In another sector of Chaldea, Mash purses her lips. Lavender eye carefully watches the figure resting on the bed beside her. Although his peaceful face soothes her restless mind a bit, it doesn't completely quell her anxiety. On his blanket, Fou is dozing soundly without a single care for the world.
"He refuses to let go of your hand even when he collapses, huh."
A voice rouses the girl out of her turmoil. She turns her head at Romani, who is taking a seat on the stool next to her.
"Senpai…"
"No need to worry. He's just exhausted." He reassures her. "Fujimaru ran more magic through his circuits than he could handle. Different from Artoria, that was the first time he activated his magic circuits. His body needs a bit of time to readjust."
A small, relieved smile graces her lips, and Mash nods. Observing her, Romani titles his head.
"I only came here to inform you that I'll hold another briefing with more details about the current situation of Chaldea once both the Masters are awake. But now I'm curious about something." He initiates. " Mash, why do you call him《senpai》? I thought that's more of Gudako's thing."
"He feels human, just like Gudako-senpai. I feel no threat from him at all, so I have no reason to be hostile towards him." Mash answers. Her choice of words might weird people out, but the doctor simply chuckles.
"Yeah, true. You're rarely able to see good samaritans like him in Chaldea."
Especially among the researchers she had worked with, Romani bitterly adds in his head.
"Among all those flames, senpai held my hand, even as he trembled at our impending deaths… He held on to the tiniest of positivity, he looked out for me, he smiled. He couldn't change the death I was facing. He just wanted to make my final moments calmer, more reflective ones." Mash expresses. She squeezes the hand she's holding, feeling Fujimaru's fingers unconsciously responding with a faint smile. The warmth she felt back then is here.
"When I was granted human life, I was probably guided by someone like him… or at last, it'd be nice if I was."
The doctor stares at her, eyebrows arched. Although the girl doesn't seem to be aware of it, Romani never sees her eye twinkling like that, not even when she learnt something new, or spent time with Gudako.
The corners of his lips curl up slightly. He follows her gaze to the sleeping young man.
"So that's the kind of person your senpai is, huh? Well, you've got a very good one, but be careful. Gudako is gonna make a fuss if she knows she lost her favorite senpai place."
Perhaps, he owes Fujimaru a big thanks. With that in mind, Romani stands up. Mash suddenly addresses him when he's about to leave to give the youngsters some privacy.
"Um, Doctor… About the name of the Noble Phantasm I was granted…"
"Ah, yes. I heard the Director had given you that name herself. What is it?" Stopping, Romani faces her. After a brief hesitation, Mash speaks up.
"Director told me that… my Heroic Spirit《resonated》with my hope." She places her free hand on her chest. "Does that mean I have a hope worthy enough to be called [Lord Chaldes]?"
Right before they parted away, Olga had granted her that name. The young woman reasoned that it would be hard to deploy a Noble Phantasm without a proper means to call. Thus, she entrusted it to Mash, a name that holds much meaning to both of them.
"Foundation of the anthropic principle, huh? Director really had a knack for naming." Romani muses then shake his head ruefully. He looks at her.
"Keep it, Mash. It's a spell that pseudo-triggers the phantasm for now." He instructs. "That's a placeholder until we learn the real name."
"... When it comes to your real hopes and dreams, it's better if you aren't aware of them."
Mash titles her head at the doctor, failing to catch the last part he said since it's dropped down to a whisper. Romani just gives her a soft, almost tired, chuckle, his eyes avoidant.
"Everyone has their own hopes." Leaning on the table nearby, he switches his words. "From here on out, you should seek out your own along with Fujimaru. Your real hopes, beyond your borrowed ones. You'll find them at the end of your journey."
There is a much deeper meaning in his words, like always. Mash falls silent. Following his line of sight, lavender eye wanders back to the hand in her hold.
From here…
Her thumb traces the faded Commander Seal on the back of Fujimaru's hand. There's an unnamed feeling swells in her chest, but she doesn't hate it.
Yes… until the moment of this life ends, she's been allowed to live as this person's Servant. She couldn't be happier about that—
"UWAHHH…!"
Mash and Romani jump out of their skin as Fujimaru suddenly bolts upright in brad, screaming, and unintendedly jerking the girl along with him since their fingers are still intertwined. He even knocks Fou off the blanket. Yelping, the small beast drops to the ground.
"Senpai? Are you okay?" Mash's shock immediately switches into worry the moment she notices how short and shallow he's breathing. When blue eyes darts around the room as the young man tries to get ahold of his bearings, she squeezes his hand.
"Mash…?" Fujimaru utters, blinking slowly before focusing on her. Mash nods her head. Before she can voice out her concern, the young man surprises her and Romani by pulling her into a tight hug with their linked hands.
"Er… um…" A stammer escapes from Mash while a blush quickly invades her cheeks. Her other hand flails in the air awkwardly while her brain's function has crashed by the sudden turn of events.
"Mash… I'm so glad. You're safe."
The girl stiffs. Despite being muffled by her shoulder, she can hear the relief and happiness overflowing in Fujimaru's words. She purses her lips. Before long, her hovering hands carefully settled on his back.
"... It's because you held my hand, senpai." She admits in a small voice, feeling the same sensation of ease washing over her. "I'm… I'm very glad you're safe, too."
Romani smiles from his place as they lose in their own world. It's a sight that can warm anyone's heart...
…Still, is a hug supposed to last that long? As a caretaker of Mash, and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the fact his bachelor's heart is bleeding, he can't help but feel a bit complicated.
Before the doctor can clear his throat to remind them of his presence, someone else steals his light.
"Mashu. Is your sleeping prince— Ohhh~" An orange head slams the door open and invites herself in. Gudako doesn't even bother to hide her grin the moment the pair yells in startle and hastily separates from each other, releasing their linked hands in the process.
"My, did I come at the wrong time? Pardon my tactlessness, I'll wait outside~"
"S-Senpai, wait!" Mash stammers when the young woman turns her heels, streaming coming off her head. Meanwhile, Fujimaru can't bring himself to glance at either of them, his whole face bright red.
And that is his clue to the rescue.
"Gudako, have some mercy. He's just woken up." Romani coughs into his hand to hide his not-so-small smile. However, his eyebrows fly up for Gudako suddenly jumps in surprise.
"OMG…! Doctor?! Knock when you come in! You spooked me!" She scolds, clutching her chest to tame her heart whilst the doctor squeaks.
"I was here from the start! Can you guys stop treating me as a scarecrow? I'm the only great doctor of this Chaldea!"
In reply, the young woman makes a show of rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, excuse me if your presence is too dull to notice sometimes."
Romani choked on his spit, an invisible arrow stabbing his heart. His head swirls to the other two, green eyes look as though asking whether it was true, in which they both scramble for something to look at—
Something that's not him.
"I can believe it! You are all ganging up on me!"
Beads of sweat rolling down their heads, Fujimaru and Mash watch the doctor wailing in the most heartfelt and sprinting out of the room. Thanks to it, the awkwardness from their previous little incident was washed off completely.
"Drama queen." Gudako lets out a mocking sneer. With the last huff, she faces Fujimaru who has just gotten off the bed.
"Nice to finally meet you, Ritsuka, I'm Gudako Archaman. Thank you for taking care of Mash and Artoria back there." She smiles, clapping his hand and shaking it up and down.
"It was more like I was the one being taken care of." The young man shakes his head. Absently noting she just jumped straight into his given name without a lick of shyness, he asks. "But 'Archaman'…? Are you Dr. Roman's relative?"
The young woman chortles. Withdrawing her hand, she waves it.
"Yes and no. He's more like the older brother next door."
Fujimaru blinks whilst Mash gives him an apologetic look as he sneaks a glance at her from the corner of his eyes, utterly not knowing what to reply. After years of living together with Gudako, she understands the young woman's affability and upbeat nature can be a little overwhelming sometimes. But, they're also her charms.
Which leads to Mash's heart attack the next thing she does.
"Anyway, Mash's most favorite senpai is ME, you hear?" Gudako looms into the young man's face whilst he shrinks in alarm. Her finger is jammed into Fujimaru's chest in a way that screams threatening. "I won't give up my cute, adorable kouhai to anyone that easily! You can have the second place, but the first is absolutely off-limits!... Although I don't mind you two being lovey-dovey, no premarital se—"
"SENPAI!"
The rest is muffled by Mash's hands. Panic sets off inside her mind. The girl can tell her face is on fire, based on how hot it feels.
—Yes, this overwhelming senpai is a storm. A disastrous storm is going to be the death of her at this rate.
To her immense relief, Fujimaru, just regained consciousness, struggles to follow her train of thought and fails miserably. Which meant he didn't hear what Gudako had said.
"They make a good couple, don't they?"
A voice halts Romani in his grand escape. The doctor turns his head around to be greeted by an outstandingly beautiful woman. Her back is leaning against the wall of the other corridor and her arms are folded under her chest, apparently having waited for him.
"He's a regular person, no hero or mage. And Mash may have Servant's power, but she's far too green to be called a brave fighter. Fate has a funny way of weaving people's lives, indeed." Brown curly hair sways slightly along with her movement as she gestures her chin to the empty beside her.
"How is it over there?" Taking up the invitation, the doctor slumps against the wall. Fatigue rests in the cease of his eyebrows. The hall is empty since everyone is busy repairing the mess Lev left, there's no need to keep up his facade.
"Artoria came around about one hour ago. She requested to have some time alone so I let her off after making sure there was nothing wrong with her body. Don't worry, I informed her about the briefing." The woman reports without batting an eye as his goofy 'everybody's friend' guise melts away.
"Overall, her physical condition is fine, but I can't say the same about Artoria's mental state." She continues with a hint of concern laced in her voice. "Rather than fatigued, the shock caused her Magic Core to become erratic and made her body shut down to protect itself. The poor thing appears to be trying to find her way to cope with it… And before you freak out, Berserker's with her, keep an eye. Just let's hope for the best."
Romani purses his lips. While he is relieved to know his co-worker wasn't crazy enough to leave a girl having a mental breakdown alone unsupervised, it evokes another concern in him.
"Um… Isn't that Servant…?"
"All clear. The curse of black mud doesn't extend to the Master." The woman answers, eyes fixating on the snowstorm raging outside the windows. "Berserker possesses some sort of resistance against its tainted ichor and corrupting influence, it seems. Shadow [Blackened] Servants tend to not have precise control over their magic energy consumption. Their fighting ability jumps significantly at the cost of their radiation. But against all those theories, Berserker's doing a great job of refraining from exhausting his Master."
Finally, the doctor allows himself to have a sigh of relief. They are currently short of manpower, so he and she had to split up to tend to each Master. He was actually on his way to visit Artoria before this woman stopped him.
"Or perhaps, he's already distorted to the point this level of madness no longer affects him. Honestly, I'm leaning toward the second. That Servant is disturbingly calm for a [Berserker]."
A grump rouses Romani's back from his thought. He arches an eyebrow to see a faint scowl emerging on his companion's beautiful features. It's rare for her to be this cranky. Something must have happened between them...
"So, it's safe to confirm Berserker is our ally?" He inquiries purposely before those complaints turn into full rambling.
"As long as Artoria is." The woman breaks out a huff. "Berserker and Artoria's pact is an old-fashioned one. Technically speaking, he is her Servant, not Chaldea. And thank God it was Artoria who became his Master."
At the confused gaze she receives, the young woman tosses him a question.
"You know how Servants remain materialized and fight?"
"They need a certain amount of energy to maintain their physique. That's why they must have an anchor to the world." Romani answers right away. "During the Holy Grail War, the Grail itself provides most of the upkeep for Servants, while Masters provide them the rest. Here in Chaldea, we have FATE to supply energy for all Servants summoned through the system."
"Excellent. Someone studied his homework." Grinning, the woman tussles his hair. She laughs further when the doctor half-heartedly glares at her and swats her hand away.
"Now tell me. There was no Master in Singularity F, which meant the Servants had to depend completely on the Grail. How come Berserker didn't disappear like Caster after Lev extracted it?"
"Of course because he was—" Romani trails off, the hand smoothing his hair stopped. He almost said《Chaldea Servant》out of habit until he remembered Berserker was summoned in a very traditional style.
And it clicks to him. Green eyes enlarged, and he snaps his head in pure astonishment at the woman who merely nods.
"Yup. As crazy as it suggested, Artoria had sustained him herself for the rest of their fight, without any alter resource." She elaborates. "Were it anyone else, they would have been drained to death in an instant. It was a huge pain to attach their magical path to FATE… And you know how my hard work paid off? My arm was nearly dislocated from my shoulder just because I was suspected to have touched Artoria the wrong way!"
Automatically, weak chuckles leave Romani's lips while listening to her whine, but all of the words seem to fly over his head. There's a lump stuck in his throat.
"... Do you think it could just be a coincidence?" The question comes out before he realizes it. Honestly, he doesn't even recognize the sound of his own voice. The woman pauses. Her blue eyes trail on him, Romani can tell, squinting, gauging. He just can't bring himself to meet her.
He's sure she's giving him a pitying look.
"Who knows?" The woman pipes up after the long silence. "We got a long lost twin sister of the most famous British King, and a [Guardian], the very humanity's Counter Forces itself, gathered here in Chaldea after mankind was incinerated. Sounds pretty《coincidence》to me."
Snorting dryly, she shakes her head.
"But it's a good thing, isn't it? Whether this was the World's last retort or not, it is proof humanity has yet to come to an end."
Romani purses his lips. Instead of answering, green eyes peek at the world outside the window through his orange bang. That perpetual snowstorm is like reflecting his inner.
He is afraid. As a forward he is, he admits. The dread growling day by day, which he has tried to bury deep into his mind, rears its head once more.
... It's swallowing him up.
Lev's betrayal. Olga passed away. And now, he is chosen as Chaldea's acting director. Everything is a mess, and it slaps him in the face. The doctor doesn't even know where to start. The sense of responsibility is pinning down his shoulders. He is aware those close to him have noticed his ugliness under the mask. This woman knows because she's literally the one he consulted with, and Gudako knows because he refuses to tell her.
Yet the young woman never once pesters him. Instead, she attempts to be optimistic for both of them while trying to help out as much as she can. Since recovering from the shock of the explosion, not once had he seen Gudako sit still without treating the injured or patching something.
A numb pain seizes his brain from his grinding jaws His hands are balled tightly by his sides.
"... Maybe you are right."
His companion titles her head at him as he speaks up.
"Those children, they never ran away. They overcame serious hardship for us. Despite not being the best, they've always tried to find the best path." Romani forces the word out. Those metal rings under his gloves grind against his skin as he clenches his fists, but the pain keeps himself together.
Artoria, Fujimaru, Mash and even Gudako. Even when it was the most desperate, those youngsters still pushed on while carrying a tiniest hope.
"... I want to believe in them… No, I do believe in them." Romani states. For them, he at least has to do something, even if that means he's going to be the most despicable man ever.
Resolve washes over him. The doctor doesn't notice a wry smile lifting the woman's lips after she hears his words. She picks herself off the wall.
"If that's what you say, then I'll play along. But a word of advice." Picking herself off the wall, she flicks the long brown hair over her shoulder.
"You shouldn't let the kids see you look like that, Romani Archaman."
"I know, Leonardo..." He grunts back, watching her walk away. The doctor brushes his long bangs, his jaw set in tension.
—He can't stop now.
Fou strolls down the corridor, with Fujimaru, Mash, and Gudako walking behind. Upon catching a glimpse of the familiar blonde and a blue ribbon near the window's hall, it quicks up its steps and hops.
"Fou. Fouu!"
"Woah!?" The girl jumps before picking up the small beast off her head. "Oh… it's just you. Are you wandering on your own again?"
"Artoria—AH?!" Gudako's call morphs into a weird, high squeak the moment the girl spins in their direction. Even Mash and Fujimaru can help but drop their mouths. Unlike them, Artoria simply greets back without much change in her tone.
"Archaman, Fujimaru and Kyrielight."
"Oh my gosh, Artoria!" The young woman exclaims and runs up to her. "What happened to your eyes?! They are... puffed up!"
The girl's eyelids are swollen to the point they barely see her emerald irises. However, Artoria herself doesn't appear to particularly mind it. She waves them off.
"Don't worry. They're always like this after I… resorted my stuff." She reassures while the rest grimaces at her bleary eyes for her. "They should be back to normal after five minutes or so."
"No, sit down. I will make a cold compress." The young woman repeats in a tone that left no space for argument. Gudako urges her to settle down on the windowsill by her shoulders despite her protest.
"But the briefing—"
"It can wait." Shutting Artoria, she fishes her handkerchief out from her pocket and folds it. She doesn't understand how this girl's treating this as normal, but there's no way Gudako can afford to leave her in such a state.
She means, Artoria looks like she just stuck two tennis balls over her eyes!
"Seriously, how can you walk around like this? The Nurse's Office exists for a reason." Gudako chides, applying an ice spell to the handkerchief and draping it over the puffed eyelids. "Do they feel itchy or hurt?"
"Huh? N— No. They're perfectly fine. Thank you." Stammering, the girl laughs awkwardly at the end of her line. Gudako frowns. This is the first time she saw swells this big. Personally, she'd like to have more information to dissect it. However, Artoria doesn't look comfortable enough to say any more than that.
Well, at least it isn't an allergy...
"You could cool the handkerchief with magic? That was convenient."
A voice coming from her left breaks Gudako out of her thoughts. She turns to Fujimaru with a smug grin.
"Of course, what kind of medical staff I am if I can't do that much?"
... It was actually one of the most basic spells. Then again, they don't need to be bothered by those trivial details. She bashes in the young man's admiration until he suddenly remembers something.
"Hey, where is Berserker?" Fujimaru glances around.
"He... huh?" Artoria mumbles, peeking from the handkerchief and mimicking his action in confusion. "He was just here a minute ago— Ah."
She halts, and seems to hear something. Humming in affirmation, she answers Fujimaru.
"He is inside my shadow. Stated my body was still recovering so he didn't want to put too much burden on it with his manifestation."
"Berserker isn't in his spiritual form?" Genuinely intrigued, Gudako asks. Artoria tilts her head a bit before shaking it.
"He couldn't." She clarifies. "Berserker had been [blackened], his words, so he lost the ability to return to spiritual form."
Mouthing an 'oh', the young woman bounces her head. Mending into Master's shadow to lower the upkeep cost? She oughta note it down later although it might be deemed unnecessary with Chaldea's FATE system. Still...
"Pretty considerate for a scary guy, huh." The corners of her lips curl into a mischievous grin. She had gotten a glimpse of Artoria's Servant when they were transferred back to Chaldea. At first, that guy scared the crap out of her, and the other staff, with those creepy black veins on his face and eye. But after seeing him fussed over an unconscious Artoria and refusing to leave her side, her impression of him has improved.
"Servants have that many forms?" Fujimaru inquires by her side, eyes involuntarily moving to Mash.
"I don't call two as《many》." At his question, Gudako snorts in good nature as she sneaks a glance at Artoria's shadow. "But apparently, there are some forms yet to be recorded. In general, Servants are beings who can switch between a Spiritual Body and a Material Body at will. I heard somewhere they can even get [Ascension], in which their [Saint Graphs] evolve and they become more powerful. However, no one has ever seen it in effect and the required conditions for the trigger are unknown. It just remains like an urban legend in the mage world."
The young man clasps his hands, rather impressed as she finishes.
"Wow, you are better at this than you look."
"What do you mean by that?!"
Mash chuckles slightly, shaking her head as the young woman corners Fujimaru for the flippant comment. For someone just met, they surely get along well.
From the corner of her eye, she notices the other girl has taken off the handkerchief. The swells in her eyes have subsided. However, the lack of luster on those emerald irises troubles her.
"Is everything alright, Waston—"
Abruptly, a heated glare is thrown her way whilst Mash flinches. It makes Fujimaru and Gudako have to stop dead in their tracks as well. An awkward air hanging in the air. Artoria jolts back to her senses as soon as she notices they all are staring at her owlishly. Lowering her head in embarrassment, she hurries to fix her expression.
"Sorry, just… Waston is my father, so I was startled a bit. Please just call me Artoria." Her muted murmurs bring them back, the tips of her ears colored.
"Oh, um… Artoria, then." Mash nods, vaguely getting a feeling of deja vu. "Is there anything that bothers you? You look... distracted."
The other girl grazes her lower lips. After a long moment of deliberation, she manages to force the words out.
"I want to ask… Is the director…?"
Her voice becomes smaller for another silence sinking in, brittle and fragile like newly formed ice. The other three exchange a hesitant glance among themselves, mutedly conveying why she was left in the dark.
"Oh- um, right, you were unconscious..." Fujimaru scratches the back of his head. "Berserker didn't tell you anything?"
"He said he wasn't the one I should question."
While Mash and Fujimaru shoot each other a look, a crease forms between Gudako's brows. That Servant couldn't have intended to push hard work on them, right? His place in her favor list just drop a few ranks.
In the end, the young woman decides to take up the job to deliver the news, feeling it was her responsibility.
"Marie… didn't make it." Trying her best to ignore the lump in her throat, she strings the words. "The Singularity fell apart so fast that we had to perform an emergency rayshift before any of you was swallowed into a crack of time. But, once you were transferred back to Chaldea, Maries had vanished. none of our devices could trace her signs…"
Gudako trails off with a twinge in her chest. The guilt is still there after Olga's confession sent through the rip in space. If only... If only she could be a little more honest, a little braver, such regretful misunderstandings wouldn't happen. And maybe, their director wouldn't have suffered the segregation.
It's the sin she, as well as the rest of the staff, will have to bear for the rest of their lives.
"I see… So it was true…"
There's barely any emotion in Artoria's voice when she mutters those words. She takes a deep breath. They watch her standing up and abruptly bowing at her waist at them, much to their stupefaction.
"I'm sorry. I understand you no longer want to be my friend after everything, but I—"
"Whoa, whoa. Slow down." Gudako frets, trying to help the girl stand back up but she doesn't budge. "What are you sorry for?"
"I had put you all in danger."
"Huh? When?" Fujimaru echoes, sharing with her the same confused face. "All you did is saved us."
"I had acted unreasonable in the end." Stubborn, Artoria insists to which Gudko almost lets out a sigh.
"Artoria, anyone would have gone nuts and wanted to deck Lev in the face after that nonsense he spouted." She tries whilst both Mash and the young man nod in agreement.
"I..." Artoria grinds out, remaining in her position. "I failed to save Director..."
The words come out so weak, it pained her physically to say them out loud. The other three purse their lips. From the corner of her eyes, Gudako notices Mash has taken a step up to the girl.
"Actually, director Olga left a message for you before her termination." She speaks up, gently placing a hand on Artoria's shoulder. "If you may, I can replay it now."
The revelation elicits the girl to finally raise her head. Meanwhile, Fujimaru just smiles mysteriously and gestures toward them when Gudako gives him a questionable look.
After receiving a hesitant nod, Mash clears her throat. Placing her hands on her hips, the girl attempts to impersonate Olga.
"《Since I might be gone by the time you wake up, I'll leave some words behind:" She jabs a finger onto Artoria's face. "Artoria Waston, don't you dare feel bad about my death! It's inevitable, and sucks, but at least, it's nice to know I'm coming home…》"
"《So, thank you》."
While the other girl is rendered speechless and Mash blushes a little for getting over-excited with her act. Gudako can't help but snicker.
Yeah, that totally sounded like Marie, the young woman muses to herself with a rueful smile.
"See, Artoria, you saved her. Marie, and even I, won't forgive you if you said sorry for doing so." Facing Artoria, she chides half-heartedly before the corners of her lips lift slightly. "It might not end the way how we want, but you gave us a chance to see her off with a proper goodbye... Really, I can't thank you enough. Don't be too harsh on yourself."
In Artoria's arms, Fou also chimes up as though supporting her point. Gudako grins and pats its head. The girl stares down at the purring beast and then at her, Mash and Fujimaru. Before long, emerald eyes avert at her feet. Pursing her lips, she involuntarily scoops Fou a little closer to her chest.
Although still seems unconvinced, the hunch on the girl's shoulders has somewhat lightened.
"First of all, as Chaldea's acting director, I congratulate you on surviving and completing your mission, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Artoria Waston. Well done."
The solemnity in Romani's voice rings strangely in Fujimaru's ears. The young man fights back the urge to grimace. Beside him, Mash, and Artoria stand at attention. Gudako, with Fou resting on her shoulders, stays behind with the surviving staff encircling them at a respectful distance.
"While the situation was forced on you gradually, you bravely faced the challenges and overcame them. That earned my respect and appreciation. This has been a major blow to Chalde… And it is not over yet." The doctor speaks. They are in a clean space in the middle of the Command Room. The fire and the crimson light of CHALDEA have died down, replaced by a dim blue hue. The debris and rubble scatter around like a reminder of what they have lost.
"70% of Chaldea's staff died in the explosion. Although all the Master candidates remain alive, they're out of commission apart from Fujimaru and Was—" Romani coughs into his fist as he's reminded by a scorching glare. "Artoria. The most important equipment is the control room and a few places have been restored, but there's a lot we haven't been able to do…"
He takes a deep breath.
"From Chaldea's state, what Lev said was true. The staff who left Chaldea haven't returned… At any rate, I fear humanity has already been destroyed. Outside Chaldea, it's a world of death."
Quiet gasps and murmurs are left in the wake of his affirmation. Fujimaru can feel his palm sweating. No matter how many times he heard it, it still feels too surreal to be true. But the barely concealed strain in Romani's words propels him to realize this is their reality.
Mash's lips are pressed into a thin line, doing her best not to fidget. Gudako glances down at the floor, biting the inside of her cheek. The only one whose demand doesn't change much is Artoria. Ever since entering the Command Room, she has carried that stoic face.
"—But that is only until we defeat this threat."
Sharp as a knife, the doctor's tone cut through the dread inside the room. It evokes all attention back to him, astonishment mixed with skepticism.
"Defeat it…? Can we even do it?" Fujimaru finds himself speaking out loud about the mutual unspoken question. Instead of answering, Romani slightly steps backward and inclines his body.
"Please look at this."
He nods toward the control platform. Instantly, a large screen materializes in front of CHALDEA. It's a projection of the world map, with seven circles of different sizes pulsating on it. Their frequency is overlapping the others and seems to distort the whole map.
"It's the Earth of the past, not the future." Gesturing to the scene above him, Romani explains. "We tried scanning Earth with the resurrected SHEBA, and discovered there are more dimensional disturbances against, which Fuyuki pales in comparison. For now, we have pinned down the location of one of them: Orléans, France, in the year 1431."
A recognized gasp echoes from the back. Fujimaru peeks over his shoulder at the young woman who is clapping her hands over her mouth.
"Ah, that era… Wasn't it around the time the biggest war between England and France happened? [The Hundred Years' War]?!"
Gudako sucks in a breath the moment Romani solemnly dips his chin while the young man simultaneously at them, confused and anxious.
"Uhh… is there something wrong with it?" Fujimaru asks. And the way those golden eyes dart at him makes him regret his decision a split second later.
"《Is there something wrong with it》?" Gudako repeats incredulously. "Seriously, Ritsuka. What would happen if a war that size goes as haywire as Fuyuki did?!"
… Apparently, he isn't the only one on the edge.
"Gudako, calm down. Fujimaru is not as familiar with this field as we are." Romani steps in before she can chew the young man out further. The young woman sleepily scratches her head as though she just remembers it. She mutters a 'sorry' to Fujimaru.
Exhaling softly at her hasty behavior, the doctor turns to him.
"Fujimaru, and Artoria, too. Have you heard of the quotes《changing the past changes the future》?" When both of them dip their chins, he continues. "In reality, you actually cannot overthrow the future by slightly altering the past. History has the power to heal itself. You might be able to change a few things, like saving a person or two, but the end of that era will still end up with its definitive result unchanged."
"The past serves as the footprint that proves what we are in the present. Within it are certain [turning points], the ultimate decision point to determine the current state of humanity. If they were destroyed, then the foundation of human history would likely crumble, and so would the future."
Green eyes settling firmly on them, the doctor drives his point home.
"The only way to save humanity is to rayshift into these singularities and get history back on the correct track... And Fujimaru, Artoria. You are the only people here who can rayshift."
The haunted silence stretches in the air, deepens, until a breathless mutter leaves Fujimaru's lips.
"Huh…?"
"For a person to rayshift, they require particular qualities." The doctor elaborates, looking almost ashamed of himself. "Even if all of us here have the potential to become Masters, our body cannot process it and will eventually break down to the molecular level before disappearing."
… So that was the reason behind his kidnap, Fujimaru chokes when the realization hits him. From all over the world, there are only 48 people meeting all the conditions. He just happened to be one of them, and they were so desperate to the point of picking even a nobody like him.
Romani pursues his lips at the pale expression the young man has. His fisted hands are hidden behind his back so no one can notice they shaking.
"I know I am all but forcing this upon you two. But as the acting director of Chaldea, I'll still say it." He states, tense. "All other Master candidates are frozen. Mash and Berserker are the only Servants we got. You have already rayshifed in the year 2004 and reverted history back to its correct form. If you wish to save humanity— If you wish to have a future beyond 2018. You need to repeat that seven times. In different countries, at different times. We've no choice but for you to do it again."
He forces himself to meet the gazes of the youngsters before him.
"Master candidate number 48 and Master candidate number 45. You will have to face these singularities when it's just the two of you. Do you have that resolved? Do you have the strength? To fight for Chaldea… for the future of Humanity?"
Fujimaru freezes, his breath catching in his throat. Cold sweat begins to roll down his back as he can feel the weight of everyone's gaze on him.
—They are putting him on the spot.
They're telling him to save the world. Him. An ordinary guy, with an ordinary life from an ordinary family who won't even be noticed if he disappears for a few days.
What do they expect from him…? His mind felt like it was being torn apart. Between the fear of the omens and the fear of letting them down, he doesn't know which is worse.
"I will fight."
A voice, refreshed like a chiming bell in the overbearing silence. Reflexively, Fujimaru turns his head to the girl who has stayed silent until now. For some reason, she can so much as not flinch after all the stuff Romani dumped on them.
Well of course, unlike him, Artoria signed up here of her own volition. Skillful, brave. She strikes as the main character than a nobody like him.
At that moment, the young man isn't aware that he'd eat his own words soon.
"Before coming into this briefing, I have a dream." Monotone, she speaks up, drawing him to her once more. "Everyone... the world was burnt to crisps. I... I don't understand. No matter how hard I tried, or no matter how much time I spent, I just... can't. Why all of this happened—《It's your incompetence that you failed to protect what you hold dear. 》... I hadn't know why Saber told me that, and now I hate it. It was a warning... a warning that I... my family...!"
Her eyebrows are suddenly scrunched up as though she's eating a bitter medicine. Artoria lowers her head until the shadow of her golden bang covers her.
"Mother, granny, granddad... I just want to see them again..."
Although the line drops into a quivering whisper, the room is quiet enough for everyone to hear it. And Fujimaru felt the need to slap himself in the face. His nails dig into his palm as mortification crashed down on him.
What made him think this girl, barely past his shoulders, is daring when she is struggling to hold back her tear? She is also afraid, lost, and even plagued by guilt. What the heck did he think she was perfectly fine and prepared for this world-saving business?
That isn't a damn thing a person could be prepared for.
"So... I will fight!"
Fujimaru jumped out of his skin as Artoria suddenly snaps. Stunned, he lifts his heavy head to watch her furiously wipe her eyes with her arm. Sniffing, the girl looks straight at Romani.
"If that's what I have to do, then I will try my best." She states. Even though her voice is hoarse, it holds strong as ever. " There is no way I accept this outcome. I know I am incompetent, and even lacking in many things. But I will do all I can!"
"Artoria…" Gudako breathes, shaken as the rest. Just like fire, the spirit spread to everyone presenting, igniting something inside them. Fujimaru is sure because never before, his mind is so lucid. It's as though the dark cloud that plagued his mind has been blasted away.
《Head for the [clear future] for me》
The last request [order] from Olga, when the space collapsed around them and it was only a matter of time before her defense magic gave out. A smile, bittersweet, resigned, and full of its owner's regrets, the one who stayed behind, and the firm hope for the people carrying her torch.
Fujimaru glances down the moment he feels something tugging the helm of his sleeve. Through the thin veil of water, he can see Mash looking at him, her lavender eye shimmering with concern.
This small gesture reminds him he wasn't alone.
"... Seriously, I'm just a regular guy." The young man mutters, wiping his eyes. "I don't have strength, nor resolve. I can't be some savior or God to save humanity. But…"
His face slits into a wry grin at how lame he must be appearing. Surprisingly, he doesn't find it in himself to care about it. He looks at Mash then at the doctor, their new Director, and nods his head.
"If there's something I can help out with, then I will do it."
That's right. It's fine even if Fujimaru has yet to understand that message, because doing nothing sucks even more. Despite the fear still making his chest feel like it would burst, he knows he isn't walking alone. Mash and Artoria offer him a small smile while Gudako thumbs up at him from behind, all grinning.
The atmosphere becomes sober again when Romani suddenly bows at his waist.
"—Thank you. With those words, our fate has been decided." He speaks up, emotions swelling in his voice. Raising up, the doctor flashes them a smile before turning to the staff. He announces loud enough for all to hear clearly.
"From this point, we will carry out the Preservation of Humanity as laid out by Olga Marie Animusphere, former director of Chaldea. Our objective is the protection and recovery of human history. Our search target will be each era's relic and Grail. This is an act of blasphemy against the past. To save humanity, we must defy human history. It is the only way to survive— No, the only way to take back the future."
"This is now Chaldea's last yet original mission."Romani states, his expression is that of someone on the battlefield. "Operation [Grand Order], the drive to protect Humanity. In the name of the magical world's highest order, we will take back the future, no matter what sort of end awaits us!"