Welcome back everybody to the start of chapter 14! The area where I live is getting so freaking cold that even inside the house I feel cold, but hey, it's November so that's only natural. Thank god I'm not a mall employee at this time of the year thou. Looking forward to the FGO Yt channel live stream on Wednesday too. This chapter will probably release by the time the stream has already happened.

And once again, with everything said, let's start the chapter!

DISCLAIMER: All the Nasuverse characters belong to Nasu and are property of Type-Moon, with the exception of the OC's that belong to me, the author.


Amidst the woods, Nala was riding on top of a white horse. She had just fled from the Dragon Witch's lair, being lucky to have caught the horse that she had rescued and in favour, took her out of the castle surroundings.

"Now if only I knew where they are..." Nala wondered about her group and where they could possibly be, knowing at least thanks to Romani, that they were alive.

Escaping from that place was quite the dangerous challange, avoiding any contact with the enemy. She must be some miles away from that place now, allowing the horse to walk at a more moderate pace. She never once rided a horse or at least that's what she believed in since Nala couldn't remember of anything of her past.

"I never would have made it if it wasn't for Doctor and Da Vinci. I have to thank them later. That woman also helped me...but why?" The girl tought back at that moment of her escape.


On the day before...

Nala slashed the door open efortlessly with her sword. "Easy." She smirked, seeing that they didn't bothered to make the door more resistant to keep her in. Big mistake on their part.

"Don't you think that was a bit loud?" Romani feared that the sound of the door being destroyed could alert any enemy nearby, altough Nala's screams while breaking the chain were surely more noisy.

"!!!" Nala realized the mistake she may had comitted. "Sorry! It had been a while since I last wielded my sword."

"Let's just be careful." Romani told her. "I sense no one near you so take the chance right now to get out of the cell. If you see any enemy,hide, ok?"

"Understood." Nala peeked her head out of the doorframe and looked to the right and left, seeing stairs at the end of the hall to her right and a dead end to her left. The good thing was that she saw no enemy or monster in the room, feeling safe to get out of the cell.

She couldn't believe that she was free. It could only get better of the exit was literally at her side. She looked at the stairs that would leave to the floor above, not knowing if it was safe to go upwards or not.

She decided to consult Romani and Da Vinci. "Doctor, Da Vinci."

"The stairs are clear Nala, you can climb them." Da Vinci informed the girl as Romani would check the area around.

Trusting in the only people that could help her to get out of the castle without being detected, Nala took Da Vinci's word for granted and went upstairs. She however, was moving at a moderate pace, knowing that wanting to move faster could make alot more sound and call more attention, So Nala was trying to be as silent as possible.

Finally reaching to the top end of the staircase, Nala was right next to another door and peeking through it's small gaps, she saw that it would lead to the main hallways. She didn't heard any step or noise, meaning in her head that the coast was clear.

But as she was about to open the door, Romani stopped her from the other end of the connection. "Wait Nala! I'm detecting something near you!"

"Then what do I do now?" Nala looked at the small area she was in. "There's no place for me to hide!"

The white haired girl started to hear sounds of footsteps, wich sounded more than just a person walking so probably two or more. "Crap! I think I hear them coming." Nala hissed, informing Romani and Da Vinci.

"Are they servants or normal enemies Romani?" Da Vinci asked.

"Servants..." Romani pressed his two thumbs against his forhead, trying to find a solution. The doctor sighed, reaching to a solution not even he liked it very much. "Nala, try hiding behind the door."

"Are you serious right now?!" Nala contained herself from shouting when hearing Romani's idiotic solution.

"It's true that it isn't the most well tought idea, but it's the only option for you now Nala." Da Vinci told her.

Nala was still reluctant about the idea but it was either that or being discovered. Hearing the steps getting closer and a voice talking, Nala realized she didn't had much timr to hide. Going with her instincts, Nala placed herself on the wall to her left, hoping that however opened the door, would go straight down the stairs without bothering to look to the other side.

In that same moment, the doorknob made a sound and the door was opened. Nala, hiding at the corner of the wall, covered her own mouth with a hand, to make sure her breathing wouldn't be so easily heard.

"Do you think she snapped?" A soft and gentle voice talked. Nala recongnized it as being the voice of that musketeer servant. It looked like they where accompained with someone but the person that was with them didn't respond.

"Hope she doesn't end as badly broken as you." The voice from the musketeer D'eon lamented.

"Who could they be talking to-" Nala immediatly remembered of that green haired lady when she first had arrived here. Last time she saw the Archer was when the woman's mind had broken because of the torture she was suffering and Jeanne Alter's manipulation that involved Nala herself.

"You can't even talk now. Such big fall you have suffered, Huntress of Artemis. If it wasn't for our Master, I would put you down out of pity." D'eon stared at the broken servant in front of them, having their back turned against the door, where Nala was hiding from behind.

"Is it really her?" Nala wanted to make a quick glance to confirm her suspicion. So, she decided to lean a little over the door. Her eyes spotted the musketeer's back and the other servant they were talking to. It was the same green haired woman Nala saw when she came here.

The poor servant was completely corrupted. Her clothes were all ragged and wrinkled. The hair all messy and disheveled. Her eyes were now pitch-dark, with dried black tears that painted lines on her cheeks and the servant's mouth being completely removed and replaced with a big stain of the same pitch-dark color.

"What...have they done to her?" Nala could only stare in pure shock, seeing the doom that had befall that archer servant. Nala didn't even knew her well, but no one deserved such cruel treatment.

The broken servant then seemed to look behind D'eon, to wich Nala quickly stopped peeking at the two servants and put her head behind the door again.

D'eon noticed their ally slight glance. "Hmm? You saw something?"

The other servant couldn't said nothing and in fact did nothing, just stand there staring at the door behind D'eon, before changing her view back to the musketeer.

"It was nothing then, I presume." They said. D'eon passed over Archer and started to go downstairs. "We need to now. See of everything is alright with our prisoner."

And so the archer did the same and went downstairs with D'eon, not looking at the door again.

Nala took some seconds to get out of her hidden place, instead waiting for the steps of the two servants to get lower. Once it wasow eneough for her, Nala came out from behind the door and fastly, but not fast enough to make her steps tk be heard, entered the main halls of the castle, getting far away as possible from the entrence to the cell rooms.

"Wow, we're lucky!" Romani's hologram appeaeard to speak. "I don't even know how they did not seen you. They're either blind or deaf." Romani joked a bit. "But what you did was dangerous Nala."

Da Vinci nodded her head. "I have to agree with Romani. You could've been caught Nala."

Nala stopped and laid her body behind one of the many pillars of the hallways. "I just wanted to check for myself who that musketeer was talking to." She whispered.

"Do you know the servant?" Romani asked.

"Yes doc. She was being tortured for not wanting to side with the Dragon Witch when I was captured." Nala explained to Romani.

"That definetly sounds horrible. I'm glad you at least managed to get out of your cell before they'd put their hands on you." The doctor said.

"But I'm not tottaly free yet." Nala told him, reminding that she still needed to get out of the castle.

"You're not wrong. But don't worry. I'm not planning in letting you in there any one more day." Romani watched his screen. "Your surroundings are safe Nala. You can proceed."

And Nala did as she was told. It was kind of surprising to her honestly. She was expecting to found some enemies other than the servants, doing some sort of surveillance in the halls, but they were totally empty. Well, not that she minded to. It thankfullt turned the things easier. She also tought that the Dragon Witch herself was probably not in the castle right now, since she found it a bit odd that she sent two servants to deal with her instead of herself seeing what was all the screaming.

She had to be fast since they would soon see she had fled from her cell. And it would be almost impossible to get out of the castle with everyone looking for her.

Romani came into contact with her again. "Wait Nala! I'm detecting a signal near you on the left."

Nala slowed down her steps, now walking cautiously. The hallways ended up ahead with a direction of either right or left. But more in the middle of the hall she was in, there was a big open door, probably being were the signal was coming from. Nala slowly approached it, and took a peek to see what it was.

It was a big room with large broken windows and torn flags, at the end of it there was a rusty golden throne. This was probably the throne room of the palace. In front of the small throne, there was the second in command and Jeanne Alter's right hand man, Gilles. The wicked man was looking to his book as he put put a finger on his chin.

"Is that creep again! What is he doing?" Nala was a bit curious but not enough to try and get closer, specially to someone like him.

Gilles closed his book and let out a sigh. The caster looked a bit sad. "When do you come back Jeanne? Any place turne borning without you. Not even the spells from my book keeps me entertained alone. If only the person who gave me this gift was here..." Gilles stretched his arms up in the air, looking at the ceilling. "His imagination for evil deeds was the seize of a giant tower when compared to mine. The killing and mutilations we would do. The gore! It would be so cool!"

Nala recoiled in disgust, hearing about what attrocities this man would commit and has already commited. She couldn't imagine such bad monstrous people like him existed. The Dragon Witch evilness compared to this wicked man wasn't that huge. She decided it was enough hearing and decided to move on, taking the chance that Gilles was with his back turned to the gate.

"However, I feel sad..."

Nala stopped, hearing Gilles talk in what seemed like a sad and almost regretting voice. Did he perhaps condemned the things he has done?

"This man I've become. The innocent children that I've killed. It was brutal indeed despite liking it..." Gilles lowered his arms, looking at his pale hands. "But the thing that pains me more, was letting the king die a quick death!" Gilles shouted in anger when spilling out the word 'king'. "He should have suffered more! Unforgivable! I should have took all his organs out while the oaf was still alive for what he did to my Jeanne! He, his friends, and anyone who hurt her hasn't suffered enough!" Gilles threw his book against the throne in anger.

Nala only closed her eyes and shook her head in disdain, deciding that this man was truly lost and had some real deep issues. She continued her escape and left Gilles all alone to his own fury. Reaching to the end of the hall, Nala looked at the right and then at the left.

"Wich way?" She whispered.

"The right one. It's the shortest way to exit the interior of the building." Romani communicated.

"Also hell was that guy disturbing." Romani referred to Gilles, having heard the caster's monologue, as Nala turned right.

"Yep. Hope to never see that freak again." Nala replied. "He's just plain cruel."

"Gilles de Rais is quite the tragic figure." Da Vinci told Nala. "A case of how rage and hate can consume people entirely."

"I wonder what kind of rage and hate can make people into monsters." Nala couldn't imagine there was hate and rage enough to go around killing innocents that never were involved to begin with.

"Probably of the worst kind." Romani told her seriously. "There's some people that when something tragic happens just-" Before Romani finished his line, he noticed something on his screen. "You're closer to the exit Nala! Turn left at the end and you will see it right in front of you!"

"Roger that!" Nala did as she was told and saw the exit to the exterior right in front of her. The moment she stepped to the outside, Nala took out a deep breath of the air from her freedom...only to cough shortly afterwards.

"This smells like hell!" Nala put a hand in her nose, not being able to support the smell of blood and rotten flesh from the bodies hanging outside. Nala could sware it was bad enough to almost make her puke. The Dragon Witch really made sure to make this place look as terrible as it could.

"Hey stay strong!" Da Vinci tried to keep the girl going. "You are almost out. I know the smell must be awful but you need to handle it for now. Try to think on a smell that you like."

As much as she hated the smell, Da Vinci was right and Nala couldn't stop now. The girl took some breaths, this time with her nose and mouth covered, and moved forward.

"Strawberries,Strawberries,Strawberries. Sweet, lovable, red strawberries." Nala tought about the smell of the fruit she liked as Da Vinci told her to do in order to not think about the real awful smell entering her nostrils.

"You may want to summon your sword Nala. There are many enemy creatures in the area." Romani advised her.

"I tought you had told me to not fight if possible!" Nala responded, bracking her tought of strawberries that were slowly turning into a song.

"Not fight! Attack them from behind and take them down quick. Just like a surprise attack." Romani explained.

"What if it doens't work?" Nala asked.

"You never know until you try, right?" Romani shrugged his shoulders.

Nala summoned her sword, just for the case she had to do a 'suprise attack'. Walking a bit more freely as she was now outside and on the top of the castle walls, Nala observed the sky that was entirely clouded with wyverns surrounding the area alongside the bodies. It was really looking the land of the dead that Jeanne Alter was wanting to be turned into a reality.

Up ahead, she saw a skeleton guarding the stairs that would lead Nala to the interior ground of the castle. "Guess it's time to see if that surprise attack works doctor."

Reaching closer, Nala already brandished the sword and pointed at her enemy's head, speculating that it would doe after getting fatally wonded in that area. "Ah!" Putting her strenght on the handle of the sword, Nala pierced the skeleton right from the behind of his skull. It didn't took many time for the enemy to fall down defeated.

"Good news doc, it worked." Nala went down the stairs, being careful in each step she was taking to make sure she wouldn't slip, but also going down at a moderate speed, expecting that the servants had already seen that she was not in the cell anymore.

"Surprise attacks always work! Most of the time..." Romani typed on his keyboard, visibly happy for being proven right about the surprise attack thing. "You're now on the yard outside Nala. Just make sure to get extra careful here. There's many wyverns around."

"Understood. Tell me where do I go now." Nala reached to the end of the staircase and asked Romani for directions. This was an open area, and unlike the hallways, she had many paths other than right and left as well as some wyverns walking nearby.

"Do you see that big opened metal gate to your right?" Romani asked.

"Yeah" Nala replied.

"Go over there." Romani ordered and Nala obeyed.

She sprinted torwards the big black gate, briefly looking behind to see if she wasn't spotted by anyone. "So far so good." She tought to herself. The area now in front of her had only one path: the exit.

"There it is." Nala almost exclaimed, seeing the way out so close to her. And to her luck the gates were semi-opened, with gap enough for her to pass underneath it.

"We're seeing it aswell Nala." Romani informed. "But dont be hasty. Ther-There isS-" The communication on Romani's voice sounded like it was glitching.

"Huh? Is something wrong doctor?" Nala asked him, seeing the hologramic image of Romani failing.

"LiSten NaLA. Be cAReF-" The trasnmission stopped as the hologram of Romani dissapeard.

"Hello? Hello?! Doctor, Da Vinci, are you there? Anybody?!" She was alone. No Romani and Da Vinci to guide her anymore. At least Nala was on the castle's exit, so it would be impossible for her to get lost right now.

"Hey. If any of you are listening by some chance, I'll try to pass over the main gates now. Wish me luck." Nala said, probably to no one but she for the better she expected they were somehow still listening to her.

Spying in front of the gates she was hiding, Nala saw if there was any enemies. The only foe in the area was a wyvern with a broken wing, lying on the ground whilst recovering from the wound it had suffered. The wyvern was also occupied eating rests of human flesh. The white haired girl would make sure to take chance on the monster's distraction to make her way to the exit.

Nala rushed while crouched down, getting out of the wyverns view the best she could while also taking cover in some debris scattered around the ground. She would make her escape flawlessly.

Until she heard a roar behind her. "I-It cant be..!"

Looking behind, the wyvern was now looking directly at her, with it's beastly eyes locked on her. "D-did it find me through the smell?!"

The exit was just some meters away, and Nala would be damned if she failed being this close to freedom. A part of her mind told her to fight and kill the wyvern in a n instant, but she also feared that it would take her seconds enough to alert other enemies and the servants too. So Nala ignored the wyvern going after her and just ran as fast as she could to the main gates.

The monster however, was narrowing down the distance beetween the two. Nala was just a few steps away from being free, while also feeling a hot breath in her back, meaning that the wyverns teeth were close on the girl. That only gave Nala more adrenaline to run faster to the gate.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon!!!" Nala was literally in front of the gate. And at the same time, the wyvern opened his mouth widely to take a huge bite on it's prey.

In a act of pure instict, Nala glided underneath the gate, her legs and back gaining friction and movement from the ground as she escaped from the wyvern's fangs that colided strongly with the metal of the gates while Nala passed through the gap.

She had done it. Nala had escaped from the castle. She had done something that she herself doubted days ago of ever being possible to do it. But it was real. No more chains to bind her or dragon witches to torment her. Nala was free and ready to reunite with Peko and others.

"I..I've done it. I really did it!" Nala smiled of joy, almost jumping and celebrating in happiness. She was still a kid after all. Hearing the metalic noise from behind, Nala turned around to see the injured wyvern going against the metal gates with it's mouth, insanely frustrated for not being so close to catch Nala and now seeing it's food go away.

The girl on the other hand smirked and showed her tongue to the draconic lizard, provoking it. "Guess someone's not going to have a lunch today. Too bad! Hehe."

Leaving the wyvern to it's own rage and angst, Nala focused on the things in front of her. And she immediatly saw that the things weren't so over as she would have liked them to be.

The whole ground in front of her was full of corpses, broken armory and still some wyverns taking their time in eating the bodies. Nala had to pass through this bloodied camp if she wanted to get free for real. After all, she was just outside the walls of the Dragon Witch's castle. There was really no guarantee that she was already far off from Jeannd Alter's domain. The awful smell being a reminder of that.

"It can never be that easy, can't it?" Nala said to herself, sighing.

Before stepping in, Nala prepared herself mentally for the fact she was about to cross a sea of dead bodies. "Alright Nala. You can do this. Just think about the strawberries." And without waiting much longer, Nala jumped into the corpses.

The girl was making sure to not pay too much attention to the bodies and their stench, continuing to move forward. The wyverns seemed to occupied with the other corpses and thankfully for her, her smell would probably get mixed beetween all this, making hard for the wyverns to detect her with the nose.

Walking through the field, she had to force herself to not puke with so many bodies around her. It wouldn't be a very good experience to be recorded. It was clear from the get go that this journey wouldn't be just a simple nice tour, with Nala now seeing how hard and deadly the challanges would be. At least Peko wasn't here too. The girl tought how disturbing all this imagery would be for him.

She continued stepping on the muddy and blooded ground, trying to reach out of the area and enter in the dense woods just ahead.

Nala encountered sloping terrain right in front of her. She put her feet softly on the steep terrain, not wanting to slip. What she wasn't expecting, was that her left foot stepped on a body's armored arm that was covered by the ground, resulting in Nala slipping and falling down the uneven ground.

"Damn it!" The white haired girl lifted her face from the ground, cleaning the dirt from it. She was now surrounded by piles of soldier corpses, having falled in a small crater were many of the bodies were disposed.

"Where did Master go?"

Nala immediatly hiddened behind a small mount of bodies, recognizing the voice easily. Just a few meters away from her, the Assassin woman and the blonde man of Berserker class were chatting while checking the corpses around them and deinking their blood.

"She went with the other Assassin and new Berserker to kill her saint self and her allies." The blonde man informed, turning a soldier's body around with his spear. "Anyways, I've heard that the Dragon Slayer was alive." He looked unpleasantly to the Assassin.

"So you accuse me? It was also your job to kill him. Besides, I wouldn't have a way to guess that Rider would actually hide him instead of killing him for sure." The woman speaked a little indignant.

"Still, if the Dragon Slayer lives, it means your attacks aren't as strong as they should be if it means he isn't dead yet." The blonde Berserker replied with his counter argument.

"Same goes for you idiot." The woman simply decided to ignore her ally's words and continued to recover blood from the corpses around. "Also, can you give me a cup of glass like yours? Drinking with my hands isn't fitting for someone like me."

The man just giggled. "Then get your own cup Carmilla. Because only kings can drink from this cup." He took a sip.

The vampire woman grumbled at her partner smugness. "I'm nobility too you jerk. Just because my husband was a fan of yours dont yo-"

The woman stopped her rant as she smelled something in the air. "Is this smell..." She sniffed some more. Her lips curled up into a devious smile. "...the smell of a young maiden's blood?"

"!!!" Nala's whole body freezed. She had been caught.

"H-how she noticed me?!" Nala was starting to panic. If she was caught, specially by that woman, bad things awaited her in her return to the castle. That's when she noticed a small blot of blood in her knee. "When did I got my knee hurt!?" Nala then remembered about the terrain she tried to go down seconds ago. "I git my knee hurt in the fall?!"

Carmilla walked menancingly to the mount of bodies that Nala was hiding behind. Her smile full of lust and evil intentions.

"Did you detected something?" The blonde vampire man asked, taking another sip of his glass.

The white haired woman prepared her staff. "Yes, I did." She giggled sadistically.

Nala wanted to run. She wanted to run and get away from them as fast as she could. But her legs wouldn't move. She was too scared to make a movement and stayed hiding while her heartbeats would get faster.

Carmilla was with her staff ready, pointing at the pile of bodies. "Aaaaaand, there!" She impaled the staff on a soldier who was lying right in front of the pile of bodies. "Tought you could escape me dear?"

"Huh?" Nala looked to her own body to see she wasn't attacked or impaled by the Assassin woman, having her body just fine. She wasn't close to Nala for the girl even see her. Was this a tactic that she was using to lure Nala out of her hidden spot?

"Were are you seeing a young maiden Carmilla?" The blonde man approached her. "That looks like a normal soldier to me." He commented as he saw the soldier move his arms and legs, revealing that this person was actually alive and only pretending to be dead.

"Hehehe. Your nose can't differentiate other smells of blood Vlad?" Carmilla sneered. "Look closer." Reaching out with her long blue nails, Carmilla took out the soldier's helmet, revealing in fact, that the soldier was actually a young woman with brown hair.

The blonde man, wich name was now known has Vlad, got a but surprised. "Oh, I see. So this poor army is already desperate enough to start recruting women in their ranks?"

"Kinda funny don't you think uncle?" Carmilla said while holding the female soldier by the neck. "They now hate Jeanne D'arc but are trying to do another version of her, waiting for a miracle to happen like the one she did during her lifetime. Hahaha, I dont know if master would laugh or get annoyed at seeing this poor attempt of a copy."

Vlad agreed with her. "Truly. Quite the hipocrasy that I've just witnessed."

The young woman cleenched her teeth and grabbed Carmilla's arm, trying to get free from her grip. "You...will go down..." She tried to sound menacingly.

"Ohoh, trying to act strong now?" Carmilla tightened her grip on the young woman's throat. "Look around and tell me wich one has already gone down dear."

The female soldier felt her breath slowly being taken away, as she was getting strangled by Carmilla.

Nala who was spying nearby, couldn't feel anything but a small need to help. She couldn't let that sadistic woman hurt the soldier as she just watched. But a part of her was hesitant, knowing that if she tried to fight, she would much probably end up losing and get the shortest end of the stick. So Nala painfully ignored Carmilla's cruelty on the young woman.

"But consider yourself lucky my precious maiden." Carmilla let her grip on the female soldier's neck a bit loosened, allowing enough room for the soldier to breath and gasp for air. "I have, some plans for people like you." She smirked evilishly.

The young woman eyes widened in fear. "W-What do you mean?"

"You tought you were going to die here dear? Well, you wouldn't be wrong if it wasn't I to find you but someone else of my allies." Carmilla softly touch the female soldier's cheek with her blue nails. "Your face, body, looks, it's all too beautiful to just rot here." Carmilla giggled before approaching her mouth into the woman's ear. "Instead, why not have some fun with me in my personal chamber? Your blood would be surely tasteful."

"G-GET AWAY FROM ME!!" The female soldier panicked as soon as Carmilla's words came out of the Assassin's mouth. She much rather prefered to perish here than to die a painful and slow death at the hands of a sadistic and psycothic woman vampire.

Nala covered her ears in order to not ear the helpless sounds of the scared soldier. "Ignore it Nala! You have to ignore! I can't help her in a situation like this! Just focus on escaping!" She was aware it was wrong but the girl was also aware that trying to save someone now would put her chances of escaping at risk.

"Now now, keep calm dear." Carmilla tried to calm down the young woman while simultaneously taking pleasure in her fear. "A perfect Jeanne D'arc's copy wouldn't panic and shiver in fear. Unless it's a satire in wich case good job my dear maiden."

Seeing she had no other route, the female soldier decided to take drastic measures. She opened her mouth widely and sticked her tongue out. Unfortunately for her, Carmilla was quick to realize the woman's intention and immediatly shoved two of her fingers inside the young woman's mouth, preventing her from bitting her own tongue.

"I have not allowed you to die now, did I?" Carmilla taunted her, shoving the fingers deeper inside the young woman's throat. "You can only have permission to die if I see nothing of useful of fun to you anymore. Until then you belong to me. Understood?"

"What about the other young woman you kidnapped some days ago?" Vlad questioned.

"Broke already. It's a bit dissapointing honestly." Carmilla frowned. "Only two days and she couldn't talk or think of anything else straight hahaha." Carmilla laughed, remembering the ways how she had tortured the poor incident. "Sorry if she was too fragile."

"If you lowered your brutality, she may had served you longer." Vlad made a point.

"Oh? And you're any different from me? If you're nice enough I can share her with you." Carmilla replied back to Vlad, still with her fingers inside the female soldier's mouth.

"Dont get me wrong. I do enjoy to make my enemies suffer a painful death, so that others get the messge to fear me. However, I'm not one to turn my enemies into personal objects for my own pleasure. Being a ruler of my nation and drinking blood is already good enough for me, even if I used to hate the latter." Vlad told Carmilla.

"Heh. Even with the Madness Enchantment you still act with quite nobility. Impressive for an impaler and vampire." Carmilla continued chatting with Vlad, who gave her a slight mean stare wich she decided to ignore aswell ignore the teeth of the young woman bitting slowly her two fingers. "Also, how's our little maiden doing?" She asked.

"She's still reluctant in cooperating and submit to our master. I got her to talk with me but she shows no sign of giving in." Vlad shared the previous talk he had with Nala to Carmilla, not knowing that the girl was literally a few feet away from them right now.

"I see. She's a bit of a trouble. Am I finally allowed to pay her a visit?" Carmilla licked her lips. "Better crush her spirit now than to let her hopes live."

"You wish, you creep!" That's what Nala wished to shout at that moment altough it wouldn't be a very wise choice.

"If the master deems so." Vlad responded.

Before the two vampired could carry on their conversation, a giant red flare emanated from the castle into the skies above. All the wyverns started roaring and flying around the castle. It was the signal of an emergency.

"Something happened." Vlad straightened his eyes. "Carmilla, leave her. We must go now!" He ordered.

Carmilla groaned in displeasure. "Really?"

Vlad just gave her a more serious look.

"Urgh! Fine..." Carmilla looked back at the female soldier. "Sorry dear." Taking the fingers out of her mouth, Carmilla cut her throat open with the fingernails much to the young woman's shock as well as Nala who was watching.

As the dying female tried to cover her wound to stop the bleeding, Carmilla put her hand beneath the soldier's face, getting her finger wet in blood. "It looks like your death came today. At least your blood will be useful hehehe." She watched gladly the life of the young woman fade away with her body falling on the ground and her skin getting pale. "Farewell my lovely maiden."

Disposing of the woman soldier, Vlad and Carmilla dissapeard in the air, much likely going to the castle.

Nala could finally get out behind of the pile of corpses. "This is not good." They already discovered she had escaped her cell and now where on the hunt for her. It would be a matter of time until the enemies started to search on the field outside the castle too.

Nala couldn't go slow now, she had to hurry up if she didn't want to be found.

The field was now empty of wyverns who where all now flying up above. The woods weren't too far from where she was currently. A couple of seconds running and she would reach there, that is if she was lucky enough to not be spotted by an enemy.

As she was checking the perimeter, Nala noticed an animal struggling beneath some debris a bit ahead of her. It was a white horse. It gave an idea to the girl. If she freed the horse, she could ride on the animal and get even faster and more far away from this place than her legs would allow her.

Putting an arm out of the crater, Nala prepared herself to run for her life. The pressure and adrenline on maximum. She took a deep breath, her nose not feeling disturbed anymore by the bad smell of the field.

She looked at the horse. Her eyes with a glare of determination. She couldn't fail now.

"I'm ready. I'm ready. You can do this Nala." She murmured to herself. Getting her legs in position as well as the arms Nala prepared to sprint torwards the horse.

Filling herself of courage, Nala came out of the hole and run as fast as she could. The bodies and other obstacles on the floor were being avoided perfectly, as if Nala knew by instinct were they were lying. 3 seconds after Nala had reached the horse, the same time as numerous wyverns roared, telling Nala that she probably had been found out.

Nala saw that the horse was stucked in some debris, altough they were few and seemed small enough for Nala to move it out of the way and free the horse.

She put the hands under a large broken piece of wood since it was the main thing trapping the horse. The animal however lost it's calm when seeing Nala.

"It's ok! It's alright! I won't..hurt you!" Nala tried to calm the horse as she made an effort to lift the wodden piece. As soon as the horse's legs didnt't feel trapped anymore under the debris, the horse got out of the wreckage as fast as it could.

Nala let out her grip of the piece of wood, ready to get on the horse since the animal was kind enough to not run away and instead stay by Nala's side, understanding she wanted to flee and meant no harm.

"Good to see we have something in common." Nala commented as she was about to get up on the horse. She never rided a horse, or she didn't remembered if she ever did such thing once. But when the body is full of adrenaline and rushing in a life or death situation, it can do some things to a person.

Nala was about to get on the horse, that is, if things would be that simple until the end.

A wyvern came from the skies, stomping the ground near Nala and the horse, making her lose her balance and fall to the ground.

"Crap!" Nala cursed as she looked at the wyvern in front of her. "Why are you so annoying?!" She tried to summon her sword, deciding she couldn't do other thing than to fight the monster.

To her surprise however, the fight would be over before it even started. The wyvern had just stretched it's neck to attack Nala, when it's head got shot to pieces by a arrow.

Nala could only watch in shock as the body of the wyvern falled flat in front of her. Who killed it?

Looking behind her, Nala got a slight scare by seeing who was behind her, being the source of where the arrow came from. It was the corrupted Archer she saw back at the castle, with her bow pointing torwards Nala.

"One of them already saw me! I'm screwed!" Nala drawn her sword to the woman, preparing to fight an even harder opponent than the wyverns. Except that the Archer didn't shot Nala yet.

Nala slowly lowered her weapon. "She...doesn't want to fight me?" She asked to herself confused.

The servant on the other hand didn't lowered her bow. Instead, her weapon was visibly shakening and trembling. "G-g...go..." She speaked beetween her grunts.

"You-"

"Go..now..!" The voice of the corrupted archer lady sounded that she was in pain, fighting against the Madness Enchantment and other spells of evil nature that were casted on her in order to obey the Dragon Witch.

Without saying a word, Nala dematerialized her sword, getting out of here with the horse before the archer could lost her control again. She mounted the animal and look at the archer one last time before running away into the woods with the white horse.

"GO!!!" The archer screamed as she was about to release the arrow, not being able to hold on her remaining consciousness for much longer.

Nala hold tight onto the horse as it runned faster and faster to reach the trees ahead. She prepared herself for the archer's attack, fearing it would come at her at any moment.

Once the horse's hooves stepped into the woods and no shot came after a few seconds as they went deeper into the area and away from the castle, Nala could finally take a huge relief: she had escaped. She was free.

"I did it. I...I'm free." Nala fell on the horse's back, letting joy and relief spread all over her face. "Doctor, Da Vinci. I escaped. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Feeling tired and exhausted after all the danger she had been through, Nala was just happy to be alive, to have an opportunity to encounter Peko and the others again. She wanted to see her brother again so badly.

"Then, I'll become stronger and rescue you Nala! Just wait for it!"

Nala remembered of the promise Peko made to her. She giggled at the tought of it. Even if she told him those things and was mean to him, her brother still wanted to see her safe, holding no grudge against her. She could tell her brother had a good heart.

"I'm sorry to dissapoint you about the rescue promise you made." Nala looked at the grey clouds above that were slowly dissapearing, showing the bright blue sky. "But I think you'll be way happier with this, Peko."


Hollow Knight OST- The White Lady

"Wake up, Siegfried-sama."

The soft wind entered from the gap of the window, passing through the warrior's face.

"Hmm.." The man gently turned his head to the other side, wanting to sleep for some more minutes.

"It's day already honey. Got to wake up." The female voice started to tease him. And it wasn't yhe only thing as the morning light also iluminated the warrior's bedroom. Or in this case, the couple.

"Let me...relax a bit more dear.." He said, enjoying the comfort of his bed and the sensation of having his eyes closed, ready to fall asleep again.

"Hehehe. The great Dragon Slayer as time for everybody but not for his own wife?" The man felt a soft and lovely hand caress his naked chest.

Seeing that she would poke him until he fully woke up, the man opened his eyes, being greeted by the sight of his lovely wife on top of him.

"Good morning, Siegfried-sama." She said with a lovely voice. Her skin being as white as snow with her equally greyish white hair and ice blue eyes. Altough it gave an impression of being a woman with could touch, her hand felt warm on Siegfried's body.

"Good morning Kriemhild." Siegfried put his hands on his wife naked back. "Had a good sleep?"

"Of course my love." Kriemhild kissed him on his forhead. "With you it's almost impossible to have bad dreams."

"Good to hear it honey." Siegfried returned the kiss Kriemhild gave him by kissing her back in the mouth. Kriemhild happily joined him.

Siegfried was a well known hero of not only his region but the neighbooring ones as well. The prince that defeated the evil dragon and bathed in his blood, turning himself invincible. Not only was he a powerful warrior, he was a generous and selfless individual, always granting favours and requests of nobles and common people. He was to everyone, the ideal image of a hero. A human being that would grant anyone's whishes, believing that's what a great hero would do. Siegfried eventually would met the king of the Burgundians and his beautiful sister, who he would marry later on as Kriemhild.

But he wouldn't have her hand until he done some favours to the king first in order to marry with Kriemhild. Siegfried heard how the king lusted over a queen of the far land of Iceland. With Siegfried's help, the king managed to bring the queen back to their land and have a double marriage, with Siegfried ending up as the husband of Kriemhild.

After that, the couple returned to the Dragon Slayer's hometown of Worms, where they were living an enjoying a happy life. Even married, Siegfried continued to help people and doing them favours, much to Kriemhild's objection.

The two broke the kiss apart. Kriemhild laid in bed next to Siegfried, covering herself with the blankets. "So what are your plans for today love?"

"Happy news, I'm totally yours for the entire day." Siegfried put his arm over his wife's shoulder.

"Kyaaa! I'm so happy to hear that Siegfried-sama!" Kriemhild blushed.

"But a blacksmith asked me to help him find some materials in a cave not so far from here to help him build a weapon. I'll be going tomorrow." Siegfried informed Kriemhild. The woman got immediatly displeased.

"And there goes the hero again. Why do you have to be so altruistic Siegfried?" She crossed her arms, looking with her eyes away from Siegfried, annoyed at her husband.

"But until then I'll have my time just for you Kriemhild." He touched her hair from behind. "Also I can't help but be like that. Isn't that the man you fell in love with?" He teased her and hugged her from behind.

Kriemhild couldn't help but to mellow her own dissatisfaction and let herself into her husband's embrace. "Hmm, you're right dear. But...there's a difference beetween helping and being used." She said.

"If the requests are noble and meant no harm or evil, I'll help the way I can." Siegfried replied with full honestly.

"You're an idiot Siegfried-sama." Kriemhild closed her eyes and exhaled. "But you are my idiot. A very kind one." She gently pushed her body against Siegfried's and the two cuddled.

"You know, I always think about the day were we left my family to come live here." Kriemhild said.

"It pains letting people you knew behind?" Siegfried asked.

"Not exactly that. Also my brother was always a bit of a jerk Being far from him during some time is a relief. However..." Kriemhild looked at the open window in front of her, seeing the white curtains balancing to the wind. "seeing the face of my brother's wife gives me a bit of a trouble. She seemed, uncomfortable. Like if she didn't feel okay to be with him. It honestly bothers me. I hope that idiot brother of mine is treating her well."

Siegfried didn't respond. His mind instead wandered off to something else. Something that wasn't a thing that would make the hero proud. "I-I think they just need time to know each other better Kriemhild. You'll see."

"Hmm. Perhaps is that."

A sound of a baby appeard in the room, catching the couple's attention. It came from a small nursery right next to their bed.

"Hehehe. Looks like someone is awake too." Kriemhild giggled and went next to the nursery, taking the baby into her arms. "Did you sleep well dear? Mommy and Daddy did."

The baby laughed happily, seeing his parents around in front of him. Kriemhild kissed the baby on the belly and took him in her arms, fanning them slowly.

Siegfried smiled, seeing how great of a wife and son he had. He was truly living a dream. Seeing Kriemhild and their son, was perhaps a bigger joy than his duty of helping someone.

Kriemhild turned her back around to stare at Siegfried, the light from the window shinning on her back, with the baby still in her arms. "Do you love this life, Siegfried?"

The Dragon Slayer smiled and stretched his arm to Kriemhild's face, touching her cheek. He had everything he wanted. How could he say that he wasn't satisfied with the life he had? "Yes, my love."

"I'm sorry Kriemhild. I threw everything to lose. I'm...really sorry...I thought this was the best way for all of us. For you..."

"Hagen, I need you to help me on something."

"You deserved more. And I left you with pain. Sorry Kriemhild. I'm so sorry...I'm not...the hero you wanted me to be..."

Present Day

"I...failed you..." Siegfried mumbled with his eyes closed.

"Ah! Everyone he's waking up!"

"Kriem..hild..." The man's eyes slowly opened up. His vision was greeted by a man in bronze armor and long brown hair.

"It looks like you were having a nice dream my friend." The saint knight Georgios commented.

Siegfried tried to get up but a shock on his nervous system stoped his advances.

"Please don't overdo it." Georgios warned him. "Your body is still recovering."

"Where am I?" He looked to his surroundings, only seeing trees around the two.

"With good people." Georgios answered as he saw Ritsuka, Mash, Peko and the other servants walk torwards them.

Jeanne D'arc, stepped to the front of the group, standing in front of Siegfried. "You're Siegfried, the man who killed the evil dragon Fafnir, am I correct?"

"Yes I am." Siegfried confirmed.

"Then we will need your help."


The day had passed has the group planed to attack the Dragon Witch's lair and put an end to this for good. Now it was the last night they had before the final confrontation. They took the time to relax and occupy their minds with other things. Jeanne was sitting on a tree branch, watching for minutes the fireplace of the accampment.

It reminded her of her death. Of how she accepted the way her life had ended. Or putting it better, how this part of her accepted it. The other one had raged and screamed in retaliation, promising vengeance on her return. That was the essence of Jeanne Alter. Using the flames of their death as a weapon for her rage and hate.

Jeanne sighed, wondering if her amter counterpart knew anything else besides the anger she was born with. To think she was actually a personification of Jeanne's restrained hate, was something that made the saint feel a bit guilty. In the end, she was the cause for why innocents were dying and suffering.

"Enjoying the warm fire, Maid of Orleans?" Georgios sit next to her, deciding to have a talk beetween the two saints.

"How's Siegfried doing?" She asked to him.

"All the curses on his body have vanished. By tomorrow he will be completely recovered." Georgios informed her.

"We where only capable of having him thanks to you Saint Georgios. I'm grateful for your help. Without you our chances of killing the evil dragon would be very slim." Jeanne thanked the action of Georgios healing the dragon slayer.

"No need for that Saint Jeanne D'arc. I'm just doing my job of what I think it's right. And the most right thing to do now would be to put an end to the Dragon Witch's tyranny." Georgios took out his sword, making sure it was well polished for tomorrow. The bronze knight noticed that Jeanne was a bit silent.

It was normal for people to don't be much talkative during a eve of a war. They would spent the night before the battle reflecting and thinking about their lives, their loved ones and what comes tomorrow, if it will be their last day or not. In Jeanne's case, Georgios could tell it was something to do in relation to the Dragon Witch.

"Does her existence troubles you, fellow saint?" Georgios asked kindly.

"Yes." Jeanne replied, looking apprehensively to the flames in front of her. Marie was gone. She couldn't make company to the Maid of Orleans no more. She felt a bit empty without her, the person she was more comfortable with to speak about her problems. But now she was no longer here. Marie wasn't here to filter Jeanne's frustration and fear.

"I can see why." Georgios speaked again. "To see an evil version of yourself must be quite shocking. Even more so of someone supposed to be a saint."

Jeanne hugged her legs and put her face close to her knees. "That's the problem. Throughout my whole life...I'd always made sure to never let negative feelings such as hate or anger take over me. I saw it as a sin. Feelings that the devil created to lead men and women astray. Even as I was being burned at the stake, I restrained all the rage inside of me, instead choosing to accept that my death was just how things were supposed to be."

"But your hate was strong enough to create a being on his own after you perished." Georgios commented.

"True. The existence of my alter is entirely at my fault. I decided to close the heart to it for my entire life, never wanting to acknowledge it. And now, it has become a physical manifestation of all the things I was holding back inside." Jeanne bit her lips. "So, the people that hate me arent entirely wrong for it. I'm the whole reason they are suffering now! What I swore to protect and save is being destroyed and killed because of me!" Her voice rised a bit.

"No need to depreciate yourself like that Jeanne D'arc!" Georgios stucked his sword on the ground. "You had no way to know your death would lead to all this. If anything, you tried your very best to help others no matter how they saw you. And this allience is the proof your still doing it."

"But what is done is done. The Dragon Witch has created too much suffering already. I don't know if the people of France will ever forgive me. And honestly I don't mind if I'll never have that forgivness. In the end, I really was never a saint." Jeanne giggled to herself. "I just saw how flawed I actually am during this Singularity"

"No one is truly a saint." Georgios said in a monotonus and calm tone. "It's a concept of a holy and perfect man, but we both know that the man is full of flaws and imperfection too, hence why I believe that the concept of 'saint' is unreacheble for beings like us." Georgios smiled as he looked at the sky. "After all, I'm one but also don't like to consider myself as a perfect man, uncapable of sin. I too know my flaws."

"Georgios..." Jeanne looked at him, hearing his words with attention.

"Hate and anger existences arent a sin by itself. They are merely human emotions that makes us whole." Georgios looked at Jeanne. "So listen, Jeanne D'arc, for I believe every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Atonement is never out of reach for those who search for it."

Jeanne stood silent. What Georgios said was a thing she needed to hear. The Dragon Witch's existence may have been her fault, but she still could make things right. She wouldn't let hate take over her nor isolate it anymore. Instead Jeanne would learn how to accept it and moderate it. But first, she had to confront it tomorrow, remedy the mistake of having let it grow stronger and becime the identity she knew as the Dragon Witch, her alter.

"Thank you for those words, Georgios."


Mash walked nearby the treeline of the woods. She alongside Mozart had just finished eliminating a group of monsters nearby that threatned to attack the group. As the battle ended, Mash lost sight of Mozart. She noticed how the musician looked sad throughout the whole fight. Marie's death probably hit him the hardest.

It didn't took too much time for the shielder to spot Mozart sitting on a rock, surrounded by flowers that were gently moved by the wind. Mozart himself was inspecting his violin, veryfing the strings. Mash walked next to him. But then hesitated.

"Perhaps he only wants a moment alone. I should respect that." Mash then decided to turn around and let the Mozart to his own toughths and violin.

"Where are you going Miss Mash?"

Mash stopped as she heard the musician's voice calling her. She looked at Mozart who had now put down his violin and was looking to the Demi-Servant.

"I'd honestly enjoy a good company right now." Mozart smiled, inviting Mash to stay.

Seeing that he actually wanted to have someone to talk to, Mash did as requested and sit next to Mozart. The two looked at the flowers surrounding them. They were surely beautiful. Such natural beauty that was being ruined by the flames of their enemies. So many flowers like the ones they were seeing, were burned on this quest for revenge of the Dragon Witch.

"Do you miss her?" Mash asked about Marie to Mozart, even if she was aware it was a delicate subject. No words came from Mozart immediatly. The only thing he did, was too look at the trees in front of the two.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't meant to-"

"I had already griefed her the moment we separated from each other." Mozart talked.

"Huh? Do you mean that-"

"Yes. I prepared myself for the worst, that Marie possibly wouldn't be coming back after we went to our seperate way." Mozart told Mash, looking at her.

Mash passed her hand on the flowers. "You really loved her, didn't you?" It was no mystery for Mash that Mozart clearly loved Marie. And she'd bet the feeling was possibly mutual on Marie's side.

"She was a kind and sweet girl. The moments we passed together, will never fade in my mind. But I admit my love for music is still at first place." The musician smirked.

"So you'd prefer to love music than Marie?" Mash was a bit confused by Mozart statement.

"No,no. You didn't quite understand. What I meant is that we humans have very things that we can choose to love. Be it a person or a object, physical or not." Mozart tried to explain.

"How so?" Mash asked with curiosity.

"Every person has something to life for. Something that they love. Or someone. It's through that love that it makes us want to live and fulfill our lives to the fullest." Mozart smiled, picking up his violin. "What happened to Marie was tragic, but as long as my love for music remains, I'll keep on living. She would hate me if her death made me give up."

"So people want to live, because they have something of value in their lifes? Love is what makes humanity carry on?" Mash thinked about it.

"Yes. Love is one of the main reasons for wanting to live. Marie also had something to love, and I guarantee you she died happily for that love." Mozart picked a flower. "You too also have something or someone that you love, right Miss Mash?"

"What I love..." Mash looked at her life. Romani was one of the first people that came to mind. He was and still is a very good friend. The ever first friend to Mash and probably more than that. She also knew Da Vinci for a long time despite not as long as Romani. Mash considered her a good friend too. Ritsuka, Peko and Nala were more recent. She just knew the three of them a week ago, with her first time meeting Ritsuka being on the halls of Chaldea with him sleeping on the ground, being found by Fou. Still, of Mash could see of the first week she spent with Ritsuka, she could tell he was a good person at heart. The fact that he was just a simple nobody with no mage family background and still accepted the duty of saving the world was something that Mash admired of him.

As for the twins, Mash saw Peko as a kid that wanted to prove himself. That despite his nature and lack of magic, still would his very best to help them restore humanity and get his memories back. Nala was more hot headed than her brother, and even if she was rude to him when they arrived at this Singularity, Mash understood that Nala was actually scared of losing Peko. As also the stronger of the two, it was reasonable that she wanted to protect her brother at all costs. Her bit of hot temperament could be a problem but Mash saw that beyond that there was a girl who decided to help Chaldea willingly and protect her brother, so they find their father together. The shielder wouldn't rest until she and the others rescued her. She wouldn't let a friend behind. Mash wondered if that Peko and Nala sibling bond is the kind of love it makes a person want to live.

Mash concluded what these people were for her and smiled with her eyes closed. "I guess...I do have Mozart-san." She opened her eyes, to stare at the bright nightsky full of stars. "My friends. Chaldea. They're the ones I love and the ones I'll continue living for."


"Yes it's all good Doc. We're preparing to attack the Dragon Witch's castle tomorrow." Ritsuka was talking to Romani's hologram, giving the recent updates about their situation. "And how's Nala. Is she alright?"

"She's..." Romani stopped himself. He wasn't sure if he should tell Nala's situation to Ritsuka. Last time he saw her, Romani was helping Nala escaping the castle before the transmission got cut, so the doctor and Da Vinci didn't know if Nala had escaped or not. Right now, Nala status were unknown to both of them. "She's alright Ritsuka. Still as a prisoner of the Dragon Witch but she's managing to handle it quite well. I'll try to contact her to tell about your raid to the castle tomorrow."

"Good to hear that. Hope she holds on for a little longer. Tomorrow we will be sure to rescue her." Ritsuka told to Romani. The faster they'd free Nala the better. The master of humanity was sure that Mash and specially Peko were feeling the same.

"Fou, fou." Ritsuka sensed the fur of the creature touching his leg, as if Fou was trying to tell him something.

"What was it now Fou?" Ritsuka asked to the creature.

"Is he hungry perhaps?" Romani pondered.

"It can't be it. He has already eaten a few hours ago." Ritsuka croched down to see what Fou was trying to tell him. The animal as soon as he saw that, walked torwards a bunch of trees, pointing with his snout to the space beetween them.

"What do you want me to see Fou?" Ritsuka walked where the creature was pointing.

Reaching there, he saw Peko and Siegfried talking to each other.

The Dragon Slayer was sitting in a tree branch and listening to what Peko was trying to tell him.

"That Noble Phantasm of yours. That power, that magical energy. Your sword. I too wish to reach that level. I want to help in our fight tomorrow. I...I need to save Nala. I need to see my sister safe. So please, teach me how to fight in the short time we still have left." Peko said to Siegfried, almost begging to the man to be trained.

"Your motives are noble. I respect that." Siegfried responded to the boy. "But for what I sensed from you, there's almost no mana within your body."

"I-I know. I'm aware that I pale in those aspects when compared with actual servants like you. But after the fight with Saint Martha, I realized that perhaps my magic can have room to grow. If I become strong enough, I'll protect the ones I care about better, right?"

Siegfried understood Peko's feelings at that moment. That need to help others and feel useful was something that the Dragon Slayer knew all too well. But unlike him, the boy didn't had any combat experience and would hardly learn how to fight properly in a night. "Still, fighting is something that takes great amount of skill and technique, not only having great mana. What good would be to have powerful beams if you don't know how to use it? You won't defeat any enemy servant by just blasting small balls of lights or wielding a normal sword."

Peko didn't respond. He stood silent, knowing what Siegfried was saying was true. Learning how to wield a sword now wouldn't be of much help if it meant to fight an enemy servant tomorrow.

"Look, Peko, right?" Siegfried stood up from the tree branch and walked torwards Peko, putting an hand on his shoulder. "The fact alone that you ain't happy with yourself and want to improve in order to help us and your friends tomorrow is already a great act of you. However, we both know that training you right now with the little time we have left, wouldn't be enough. But hey, keep that mentality and I'm sure in the future you'll be strong enough to help the people you care about." Siegfried tried to console Peko.

"Sorry but..." Peko took Siegfried's hand out of his shoulder. "...I can't accept doing nothing to help all of you tomorrow." The boy said. "My friend, he has no mana, nothing. And still he's doing his best to save humanity and my sister. He made me see that being a person with no mana doesn't mean being weak."

"Peko..." Ritsuka heard the boy talking about him, noticing the tears appearing on Peko's face.

"I can't let someone who has no mana when compared to me, carry the kind of task he has all alone. So please, train me! I don't care if I dont improve that much for the vattle tomorrow. Just teach me the basics!"

Siegfried was speechless. The insistence of this kid on being trained just so that he can help his friends was something admirable. "I-"

Ritsuka walked out of the trees, interrupting Siegfried from talking. "Peko!" He called out the boy.

"Huh? Ritsuka? You were listening?" Peko was surprised seeing that Ritsuka was hearing their conversation.

"Yes I was." Ritsuka put his hand on Peko's head.

"Oh!"

"Peko..." Ritsuka smiled largely, looking at his friend. "Let's defeat the Dragon Witch and rescue Nala together. I count you on that."

Hearing those words, made Peko cry some tears. Ever since the Singularity had begun, Ritsuka always trusted him, not caring about if he had any mana energy or not. "Hm!" He nodded, cleaning his teary eyes.

Romani's hologram was more in the back, looking at the two and then at Siegfried. "Guess you have no choice now, Mr Siegfries." He smirked at the Dragon Slayer eho just closed it's eyes and made a small smirk.

"Guess not." He looked at Peko in front of him. "Sorry Kriemhild. Guess my heroism is really contagious just like you said." Siegfried tought to himself. "If you want to be trained, then I will train you and teach you the best I can."

"Thank you, Siegfried-san." Peko thanked him.

"First, tell me if you can feel your mana flowing through your body." Siegfried instructed Peko.

"Well...I kinda feel it but not on my entire body. Only on my back and arms." Peko rised his right arm in front of him. "And since the day we fought against Saint Martha, my arm started to have a tingling sensation that won't stop. It's kinda bothersome."

"Strange. Is that the arm you used to summon that ball of light?" Ritsuka asked him.

"No. It was my other arm, and ever since then my right one hasn't stop tingling. It's as if I could feel my entire right arm's nervous system." Peko explained.

"Then it must be the mana flowing through your member." Romani commented. "Altough I never saw a magus report about the mana interfering with a nervous system of a person. Is it perhaps that there is more mana concentration on your right arm than the left one and back?" The doctor wondered.

"Hmmm, that's a possibility." Peko moved his right arm slowly, making an analysis.

"Then what about you concentrate your mind and mana in only that part of your body?" Siegfried proposed. "See if it leads to something."

"W-wait! Controling all of your mana into a specific part of your body wouldn't result into some kind of overload and...explosion of the member?" Ritsuka tried to say the last part as low as he could to Romani.

"W-WHAT?!" Peko said nervously, sweating into comically large amounts on his face.

"Nah, you can rest easy." Romani informed them. "It actually strenghtens that individual member. Per example, focusing all the mana into your arm would lead into a powerful punch, way more powerful than a normal one. The worst it can happen is a sudden shock on the nerves."

"So, you ready to do it?" Siegfried let Romani end his explanation to ask if Peko was ready to control his mana into his right arm.

"W-well, if I want to become stronger..." Peko said shyly.

"If you lose the arm, I tell Romani and Da Vinci to make you a robot one." Ritsuka joked.

"You're not helping!!" Peko shouted. "But yes. Let's do it then."

"Good. Start by stretching your arm." Siegfried told Peko and the boy did as he was told.

The Colonel by Two Steps from Hell

"Now focus your mind into passing all your mana to the arm. No other toughts than that." Siegfried said.

"Understood." Peko closed his eyes. "Don't think of nothing else. Just the mana into your arm."

"Now visualize your magic energy, feel it. And concentrate all of it in your right arm." Siegfried told him.

"Visualize...my mana..."

A bright white light started to glow on Peko's right arm.

Romani and Ritsuka watched amazed, observing what was unfolding. Even Siegfried was curious.

"Canalize it...into my right arm..."

The light was getting brighter, soon to look like a powerful lamp.

"That shine..." Romani's eyes delighted of the vision he was seeing through his monitor.

"This mana feels...like something else..." Siegfried said to himself.

Peko slowly open his eyes. The area around them was now shinning immensly, the trees being so brightly iluminated that the animals that were sleeping in it woke up and retreated to the trees that were more far from the source of light. It was a shine that it could be seen from the distance if one were to look at it outside the woods.

"This..." Peko couldn't describe what was exactly happening to his right arm. He wasn't feeling the tingling sensation anymore in it, now instead feeling the arm as lightweight as it could.

The light started to shine so intensly now that forced Peko and the others to cover their eyes or else they would get blinded by it.

It's shine grew and grew stronger until it came to a stop and in a flash went back to diminuish it's size.

Feeling that it was now safe to open his eyes, Peko opened them, and was met by a surprising view in front of him. "This is..."

Ritsuka also opened his eyes, and saw the same thing that Peko was seeing. "Wow. Peko, that's your..."

Romani was seeing the same thing as well, in complete awe. "It's..."

"That weapon..." Siegfried commented, surprised. Never he tought that concentrating the boy's mana in his arm would lead to this.

In Peko's hand, stood a esplendid and lustrous silver-white sword. It's metal being as clean as crystal, emanating a small shine in the middle of the metal, as if it was forged by the cosmos itself. In the hilt, a silver angel wing had been carved into it, with white line patterns. Finally at it's pommel, a star shapped glass.

"This is, my sword?"


"So, you're telling me that brat escaped?" Jeanne Alter watched in a deadly silent the broken chain that used to restrain Nala's arms.

"Yes Jeanne. By the moment we took notice of that, she was already out of the castle and running away in the distance." Gilles who was with Jeanne Alter in what was previously Nala's cell, explained.

"Hmm I see." Jeanne Alter picked a piece of broken chain and stare at it closer. Not only the girl had destroyed the chain but she also destroyed the door of the cell. It was quite impressive she managed to do that.

"Hehehehe. What did I told you Gilles? She has talent." Jeanne Alter smiled at her friend as she playfully shaked the piece of metal in her hand, before she threw it at the torch on her side, completely breaking it and opening a hole on the wall. The fire of the torch fall next to her feet. Jeanne Alter then stare at Gilles with anger all over her face. "Talent to piss me off! Only when I'm away that stupid kid decides to show what she's capable of! Fucking hell! I come back with two defeated servants just to receive the news that the brat had escaped?! I don't know who I should hate more now, her or my saint version. Please Gilles, and me that statue of the duck we saw or else I may destroy this whole fucking room!!!"

With the rant over, Jeanne Alter calmed herself, taking deep and long breaths, trying to control her anger. Gilles even sweated a bit by seeing how close his friend was about to burst into rage. "Don't worry my Jeanne. I'll do that for you. But unfortunately, I bring other bad news."

"What was it?" Jeanne Alter asked agressively and annoyed. She had enough of having problems for today.

"We've heard that our enemies plan to storm our base tomorrow. Now that they've got the Dragon Slayer, they believe the chances of defeating us and the dragon Fafnir are greater than ever." Gilles informed, bowing to Jeanne Alter. "What shall we do Jeanne?"

"Inform the others and get ready for the battle tomorrow." Jeanne Alter stepped on the small flames. "They are welcome to try. In the end, I'll kill them all alongisde this country."

To be continued...


I'll be real with you guys. I originally didn't planned for the chapter to be this long XD. But hey, going in a week without a chapter must be rough (thank you Ragnarok) , so here you have the 2nd longest chapter of my story so far ahaha. (I imagine the day where my chapters average number of words will be of 30k and I won't even bat an eye.)

But resuming what happened. Nala does Prison Escape, 15th century France edition, a little section of Siegfried and Kriemhild because I think it's good to give more characterization to certain characters of the 1st year of FGO that at the time weren't given much attention. (Also because SiegfriedxKriemhild is the best canon couple of the game, fight me!) Everyone is taking their time before the final battle and learning meaningful things. Peko also gets shiny sword but don't expect him to be a pro with it all of a sudden. And Jalter's about to lose her cool at the end.

So yeah, we are reaching to the end of Orleans. Man did it took some while, but yeah, we are reaching the 1st Singularity's climax. So expect more 5-6 chapters to end Orleans.

And I know that after I publish this chapter I'll be going after that sly cat Douman now that he has reached to the NA. Also about the most recent JP servant Britomart, I honestly wanted to be a big buff woman like Barghest but her elf design is still likable. Also also, Strange Fake news and teaser and character design concepts and omg can't december come soon. Until then, I'll be watching my country in what is probably the most corrupt world cup ever. But hey if it helps me get closer to december...

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say and see you next time on chapter 15! Peace!

P.S: Completed GoW Ragnarok and now I wish I could have a bear as manly as Kratos. With this game I'd say he becomes perhaps one of the best peak characters of video game fiction. And I'm not joking. Kratos journey from before GoW 1 till Ragnarok is simply amazing. Kudos to the developers for creating such iconic character that aged like fine wine.