Dream

"You - who lie in a transient existence in fading memories - gain life not meant to be yours." A feminine voice observed.

"And powers not yours to control." It continued.


"Mommy."

"Wake up mommy."

A constant pecking of a small hand awoke Alter from her brief coma. The truck incident left a series of deformed bushes where Alter's body skidded through the vegetation. Besides her head poking out of the branches, her entire body was hidden from view.

Alter's eyes cracked open to be greeted by the afternoon sun. As her eyes drifted upward to the sky, she saw a little girl poking her cheek.

"Are you okay?" The little girl asked in a worried tone.

Startled by the predicament, Alter swiftly stumbled to her feet and surveyed her surroundings. The girl, no older than the age of 7, had long blond messy hair and green eyes. She wore a strange outfit that never existed in medieval Britain, but was verified to be a Japanese elementary school outfit by the voices in her head.

That was the problem…The girl was akin to a very young Mordred in school uniform. In homunculus terms, Alter looked like that when she was half a year old.

Worse yet was the child calling Alter her mother.

Her as a mother? That was impossible.

The knight and former king never formed any romantic relationships when she was alive. Nor did she believe she would ever fall in love and be impregnated.

Had she been dropped into an alternate reality, where she gave birth?

No, that would be preposterous.

Perhaps it was a coincidence and misunderstanding on the child's part. Calming herself, Alter stepped out of the bushes and knelt on one knee to level herself to the girl's height.

"Sorry kid. You must have mistaken me for someone else." She softly refuted the girl's claims.

"You're not mommy?" The child's face dropped and sank into sadness. "But you look so much like her."

"Gah!" Alter sweat-dropped from the reaction of the heartbroken child, guilt burst into Alter's heart as she saw droplets form on the child's eyes. The guilt worsened when the scene overlapped with Alter's own childhood of parental neglect.

Alter was compelled to comfort the girl; she wanted to wipe away the tears and bring a smile to her face. Perhaps by easing the girl's sorrows, Alter could comfort her own memories of the past.

The commotion drew the attention of other families in the park. They glared and gossiped about her irresponsible behavior, while pitying the child that was on the verge of tears. Some displayed their disapproval by guiding their own children away from the park.

*Whisper*

"What a terrible mother to reject her daughter like that."

"What type of parent cosplays in the middle of the day?"

"Does she have no dignity?"

"Children should be cherished. Shame on her."

*Whisper*

"Waitwait. Please don't cry. I am your…Sigh…mother." Alter tried to appease the distraught child.

"Really?" The girl muttered, her mood brightened as she wiped away her tears.

'Into the rabbit hole we go.'

'...'

"Yes~?" Alter was unsure if she made the right choice, but was too late to head back.

Her daughter's eyes lit up and her distress vanished. "I am so happy to see mommy again."

In one quick motion, the child embraced Alter, wrapping her arms around the knight's shoulder. The act unsettled the knight. Nonetheless, she was relieved that the situation was resolved without any further escalations.

Alter carefully broke the embrace, hoping to avoid injuring the girl with her armor.

"Want to introduce yourself to mommy? Mommy ah…forgot." She encouraged the girl, trying hard to play along and failing miserably.

"Papa calls me her little Mordred-"

"Pfffft!" Alter did a spit-take, thankfully facing the ground and not accidentally spraying the girl.

"Everyone else calls me Milret or Mi." Milret finished, completely ignoring Alter's abrupt reaction to her former statement.

"Milret really suits you." Alter chose to ignore it as well and began her own greeting. "You can call mommy, Knight."

"Ooh~." Milret exclaimed.

"Is mommy going to live with me, like before!?" Milret gently grasped Alter's cheeks and squeaked in joy. The kid was practically in la-la land at the thought of spending time with Alter. Rejecting Milret would turn the knight into a thing inferior to maggots.

"Yes." Alter resigned herself to this strange development.

The confirmation prompted the little girl to dance in excitement and practically drag the spirit back to her home.

It was a cozy two-floor home with a backyard and cement walls-a tad shorter than Alter-boarding the property. Milret casually opened the wooden gates and unlocked the front door using the key in her bag.

As Milret did so, Alter worried for the girl's safety. The kid was too gullible, a fault the knight wished to resolve before departing from Milret's family.

That plan was out the window when no one greeted their entry. Milret kicked off her shoes and raced up stairs, leaving the knight at a loss of how to proceed.

Alter was informed on the common practices in Japan by both the voices and knowledge inserted into her by an unknown force. It was customary to remove the footwear before a person welcomes themselves into the house. Alter could not remove her boots without taking off her armor's entire lower section. It was an unwanted consequence so she compromised by wiping her boots clean of debris and entered in full body armor.

Her attention was then immediately caught by the photo frames that lined themselves on a shoe rack. On the upper right most photo were three individuals: an unknown male, a baby Milret, and a Mordred doppelganger.

The photo made it quite clear why Milret would mistake Alter for her mother and easily believed Alter's shallow fabrication. They were practically identical twins with few differences in being the figure in the photo wore glasses, shorter height, and a face lacking scars and eyes darkened by war.

'Old myths say Mordred had two children.'

'No kill.'

The theory of this family being the original Mordred's descendant became progressively real.

However, only one photo included the mother; she was absent in the rest of the photos. Something unpleasant must have occurred.

Alter strolled deeper into the house, finding the kitchen and living room. The electronic devices and furniture were oddly familiar to the knight, even though it was her first time seeing these items. A calendar hung from the walls, each date was scribbled in large X marks. The next to be marked were two dates coated in drawings of candles, stars, and pastries.

A bit further in, she saw a small shrine with the mother's image centered around unlit candles. It was explicit on what had transpired. Alter pitied the family for the devastating loss, while the guilt from her fabrications drained figurative blood from her veins.

In one quick motion, Alter slapped her cheeks to calm her nerves. The real mother may be gone, but where was the father?

"Milret, are your parents-I mean is dad here?" Alter called out.

Milret ran down the stairs and crashed onto the living room couch. Having changed into more casual clothing, she relaxed on the soft cushions.

"Papa is away for work." Milret revealed.

"When will he be coming back?"

"Papa says in a few weeks."

"Is there someone who's here to look after you?" Alter began to worry for the girl's wellbeing. In his absence, the father must have gotten a babysitter to care for their daughter

"Nanny took care of me." Milret explained and gave a confused expression. "She went to buy yesterday's dinner and asked me to stay home, but I got bored so I went out to play. Now that mommy is here, everything is fine." Her happy expression returned at the mention of Alter's presence.

Simultaneously, the mention of dinner produced a growl from her stomach. Milret likely did not have a proper meal after the disappearance of the nanny.

"I'll cook something up." Alter took the initiative and entered the kitchen. She couldn't let the girl starve and be neglected, especially one that was her descendant.

Though, there was a complication. Alter could not cook, in the sense of making tasty food. Her primary method was roasting over a fire pit without condiments or eating it raw. Both styles were not suitable for a growing child. The knight inspected the fridge to find it moderately empty, proof that the nanny was indeed intending to return with groceries.

The fridge had some eggs, strange foreign vegetables, pork belly, and leftover cooked grains. She brought out what looked to be a frying pan in the pantry and turned the burner to max. Not waiting for the pan to heat up, Alter dumped the rice in with a couple of cracked eggs and vegetables that she minced by clenching her fist, allowing the sharp edges of her armor to mash and slice the plants. The meat followed the same treatment.

Along the way, she poured in mystery spices she had tasted and thought might work in the rice mixer. Cooking oil was profusely poured in before Alter had to drain it out of the pan.

The end result was a unique form of fried rice…It looked edible.

Alter presented the dish and a glass of apple juice to Milret who sat on the dining table awaiting her meal. Her face lit up when the girl began eating the food with a delightful smile.

A breath she unconsciously held was exhaled as relief washed over her. She watched Milret enjoy her food and found it strange that the child was picking out a strange white vegetable from the fried rice.

"Don't be picky." Alter spoke out, concerned about the girl's eating habit. The role of a mother seemed to suit her quite well.

"It tastes bad." Milret whined back.

In response, Alter shook her head before taking a bite of the vegetable. "It can't be that-pffft!"

It was radish -her worst nemesis.

Milret gave a cheeky grin at Alter's violent reaction, resulting in the knight giving in and allowing the kid to have her way with the food.

It didn't take long for Milret to finish her meal and went off to take a bath. In the meantime, Alter browsed the upper floors of the house. She transverse up the stairs to find multiple doors, only one was open with lights on. At the door hung a tablet with Milret's name and three more rooms on the side: two unmarked and one with 'Dad.'

The father's room looked normal enough for an adult male: suits and books. The second door she opened revealed an empty space with nothing but a bed and desk. If she had to guess, this was the bedroom of Milret's real mother. The third was more lively with personal belongings and a used bed.

Once inside, sticky notes were visible on the walls overlooking the desk. One such note held the personal information of the caretaker.

"Fura Tiki." Alter read before searching the desk for other items. In the drawers, she found some ID cards, yen, and other items.

One of the belongings was a book titled The Truth Behind Medieval Britain. It was a strange book to have in this part of the world and the cover intrigued her. The first few pages told of conspiracies and facts pulled from myths. Skipping many sections and skimming the images, Alter landed on a section that summarized possible Medieval Britain events.

"Mommy Ms. Knight, the bath is open." Milret called out from downstairs.

"Thank you Mi, and it's Mr. Knight." Alter replied and instinctively slammed the book close. She exited the room and pocketed the note of nanny's address between the armor plates on her palm.

"Okay, Mommy Mr. Knight." She joyfully answered back, which led the spirit to release another groan.

Medieval Britain wasn't the greatest place for hot baths. Cleansing one's body of filth was an inconvenience and trivial matter compared to other kingly activities. At this night, Alter found that yes…The mounds on her chest did indeed float - a revelation of her physique.

The night ended quietly afterwards. Milret, finally having a decent meal after her nanny disappeared, quickly fell asleep on the couch.

Alter took the liberty of carrying the child in her arms and back to her room. The modern clothing-borrowed from the dad's closet-made it easy for the knight to hold the youngling without accidentally causing harm from the sharp alloys of her armor plates.

The deed was nostalgic to the knight…Of a more pleasant time before the rebellion.

Milret's slumbering face soothed the knight's heart as she softly laid the child on the mattress and covered her in the bed sheets. Milret shifted her body for a better resting position and smiled when she found it.

The knight sat on the bed, chuckling at the girl's cute antics. She hovered her hand over Milret, hoping to pat her head. Yet, the limb stalled and settled on the side of the mattress.

Things were never this peaceful during her rebellion, kinghood, and undoubtedly not in the Camelot Singularity…All by choice and her horrible luck.

Quietly, Alter exited the room, turned off the lights, and shut the door on her way out. She too would retire to the sole empty bedroom in the house.

Alone on the unused bed, Alter contemplated her situation. She couldn't leave Milret alone by herself without adult supervision. The best course of action was to find the nanny. Though it pains her, she must depart before things get out of hand. The factors had changed, the mindset and goal Alter had in Camelot would not bode well here…If it was even possible anymore.

Carrying a heavy heart, she laid upon the mattress and dozed off.


Dream

"Found you." Gudako sadistically greeted Artoria. Her figure loomed Gudao, who laid on the stone pavement. Her fellow master was barely conscious after his confrontation with King Artoria wielding Rhongomyniad. Mash stood by his side, positioning her shield towards the king to defend her master from further attacks Artoria would bring forth. She herself was breathing heavily from exhaustion.

The final confrontation had gone poorly for Chaldea. King Artoria's strength overwhelmed the master and pseudo servant duo. As a last resort, Dr. Roman lamentably unbinded the second master in their employment and unleashed the salivating beast to her own devices in Camelot.

Gudako held a praise-worthy record in erasing calamities, but her methods were unorthodox and her goals were eccentric. She fought for humanity not only to avoid extinction though it was a minor benefit in her true quest. To be honest, Gudako saving humanity was the by-product.

What she desired the most was gacha; Gudako thirsted every instance of gambling for heroic spirits. The currency that drives her addiction could be routinely farmed in Singularities and Lostbelts, like Camelot.

She did not initially participate in Camelot because she had just returned from a previous Saint Quartz gathering quest and was busy fueling her addiction at the summoning circle. When she ran out of Quartz and took notice of an ongoing Singularity, she busted into Chaldea's control room and kindly threatened the staff to teleport her to the time period.

In another dimension, the Camelot Singularity would have been resolved by Gudao long before Gudako made an appearance. However, due to the mindless actions of an unannounced guest, the situation was aggravated by a more ferocious King Artoria.

"You try to hide this from me and can't even do it properly." She mocked her fellow master. "No matter, this will be short."

A perverted grin emerged from her lips. "The quartz will soon be mine for my gacha."

"How can you finish what your comrade can not?" King Artoria blandly quizzed the new arrival.

"I don't have restraints." Gudako raised her arm and a third of her command seal faded. Hercules stepped forward into the battlefield, roaring at his opponent. Two more servants followed behind him and casted buffs on Berserker: Merlin and Nightingale.

"Eheheheh AHAHAHAHAHAH!" The beast in human skin cackled.

Alter watched the event as it unfolded, like watching a theater of live performers. The difference being that she was alone in the dark with only the light from the stage illuminating the environment.

As Gudako laughed, the stage began to fade away. A new object took its place; a being she never saw, yet was undoubtedly familiar with.

Rings of blue energy wrapped themselves around a central spiral blue sphere that pulses with life and sentience.

"What you saw was a minor ripple kindled by your barbaric exploits." It disclosed in a feminine voice. "Though the deviants led to unsavory alterations, the end did not ramify. I arranged it so and the First led the way."

The being pulsed, a band of blue light roamed across the dark void.

"If you have stayed…a more unpleasant force of greater potency would be enacted."

Another ripple lit the void. This one contorted the environment as if the being was expressing its displeasure at Alter.

"Unwarranted chaos…Was that your goal?" Blue strings strung from the being body, creating veins that ran across the void.

"You…A symbol that persists by wills that never lived; A mistake sealed off from anarchic strength to end humanity; A stray left outside the wheels of fate yet twisted by fate." The blue orb kept monologuing in its bland feminine tone.

"The crude vices to enrage the king…Why - I must inquire - did you behave as such?" It apathetically asked.

"Why was it that you wished for -"


Alter woke from her slumber in a cold sweat at the break of dawn. Her body felt weaker than before, which she tossed to the idea that she was depleting her mana without a source to recover it.

Her mana regeneration was gone, sealed away at her time in the Camelot Singularity. She would need to find one to keep herself from disappearing.

Slowly, she got out of bed and prepared a simple breakfast for herself and Milret. Food was the only viable and legal way to restore mana for now.

Sounds of creaking from above signaled to Alter that Milret also rose from her sleep. The little girl drowsily stumbled down the stairs and sat on the chair to wait for her breakfast. Alter placed the morning breakfast of eggs, toast, and milk for Milret to enjoy. Those were sadly the last eggs in the fridge.

Alter rushed her meal and borrowed more clothing from the closet. A nice overly large suit with matching pants and shoes. The buttons on the suit wouldn't fit so she left it unfastened, revealing the dress shirt underneath that struggled to stay buttoned because of her assets. The outfit was a nice fit, quite comfortable to the skin but restraining on some parts.

"Mommy, where are you going?" Milret ran towards Alter and clung to the knight's leg. Her voice was laced in worry, perhaps hoping Alter would not disappear…like her real mother.

"I'll be gone for a short while, Mi-chan." Alter confidently reassured. That was not a lie.

"In the meantime, enjoy yourself. Lunch is in the fridge. " Alter reaffirmed her previous claim. Milret gave a sheepish nod and walked back to finish her food.

Alter took a final glance at the retreating figure and exited the house. With a tap of her new shoes, she jumped onto the neighboring house and rushed to the nanny's address to uncover the mysterious disappearance of the nanny.

For a heroic spirit, the journey barely took an hour. The address pointed to an apartment in an old looking building. The doors were exposed to the outdoors and the numbers on each property were faint.

Alter landed in front of the nanny's apartment and dusted her suit to make herself more presentable. Yet, her instincts refused to allow the knight to announce her presence. Something felt horrible wrong behind that door. Trusting her hunch, Alter reinforced her arm and forcibly unhinged the door from the entrance. Immediately, her nose was assaulted by the smell of death.

This was accompanied with a sleeping figure of a red haired man and bloodied knives placed near his fingertips. It didn't take a genius to understand the situation.

'Murderer of Fate/Zero.'

'Death.'

Fate/Zero or whatever it was, it did change the murder scene. This was not an act of a normal man, for no sane person could sleep soundly in the same place that reeked the rotten smell of their victim. Alter would not stand for his crimes.

Without hesitation, Alter summoned Clarent and brought the blade down on the killer's chest. She twisted her sword, tearing the internal organs apart, to ensure the man was dead. Slowly, she dislodged Clarent and dematerialized it to conserve mana.

Seeing the deed done, Alter then followed the scent of the body, hoping to identify the victim and confirming her hypothesis. She found the decaying body of Fura Tiki in the bathtub. Her body was torn and slashed to bits, while her organs were arranged in hellish patterns on the marble floor. The ID that laid near the body was solid proof of the nanny's fate.

Death was a common place on the battlefield, many by Alter's hands. She was used to it and the sight did not faze her. All Alter could do was give a small prayer for the woman's misfortune and wished her a happy afterlife…An afterlife Alter could not enter.

The results of her investigation were unpleasant. What was left to do was to leisurely rob the place of money. The dead had no use for the currency of the living so it would be wasted on them. Besides, the man was a psycho and Alter had avenged the woman. So it was fair game.

She could use the money to buy the groceries the nanny was supposed to buy before her passing. Plus, if Alter had examined the calendar correctly, today was a special day.

It wasn't long for the spirit to reach the closest supermarket. Alter soon found that shopping was immensely time consuming. In many moments, Alter had to vigorously search for the right items in the right aisle. A custom cake was also difficult to order and tedious because Alter forgot to ask about Milret's favorite flavors.

Alter may not be the girl's real mother and their time together may be short, but she would not let a childhood to be ruined. The descendant of Mordred should have a joyous childhood, one the original and Alter did not truly have. Besides, she would be living with the girl in the foreseeable future and missing Milret's special day would crush both of their souls, making her stay intensely awkward. Hopefully, Milret liked chocolate.

Oh, a gift as well for the girl's special day.

Daylight was nearing its end when the shopping was finally complete. Alter steadily carried the piles of food and items as she ran back to Milret's house. The cake was fragile to any sudden movements, which impeded the knight's speed. Even so, she wanted to swiftly return or Milret might grow too worried. The last thing Alter wanted was to have the little girl cry in an empty house.

Fortunately, a smiling Milret greeted Alter's return with another warm hug. Once she saw the two large boxes Alter was carrying, her joy grew into eruptive excitement as she danced and circled around the knight.

The duo carried the goods into the kitchen, placing the groceries into the fridge and the cake onto the dining table. Right beside the birthday cake was some takeout. Whatever the restaurants cooked were bound to be better than Alter's cooking.

They enjoyed the night away in a pile of greasy food and sweet cake. Alter sang to Milret, following her injected knowledge to give the girl a proper birthday party. The gift, a large stuffed teddy bear, was well received. In turn, Alter's efforts were repaid with Milret's smile…That was all the homunculus needed.

It would not be a lie to say Alter had a soft spot for kids. Perhaps it was because of her time with…Lena.

Milret cutely cuddled her new sleeping buddy, giving the knight a nice opening for a head pat.

Yet, just like last night, Alter hesitated and her hand hovered above the young girl. Milret noticed Alter's intentions and moved herself closer to be patted. Alter's fingers caressed the girl's hair as the child swayed her head against the knight's hand.

Alter couldn't help but smile, a kindle igniting a warmth in her soul. She wished this moment would last forever, for them to live their days in bliss. However, she knew this would not last. Sooner or later, Alter would leave Milret - be it on her own devices or forced.

The surplus of food and cake provided Alter with an abundance of mana and left Milret drowsy from overeating.

Alter chuckled at the girl struggling to stay awake. She prepared Milret for bed by cleaning her up and swapping into her pajamas. In no time, the kid fell asleep, still having the stuffed bear in her arms.

Alter sat beside the slumbering girl's bed, watching her sleep peacefully. When she had her fill of cuteness, Alter stood up to exit the bedroom.

Perhaps the slight motions had stirred the kid from her sleep because Milret grabbed hold of Alter's hand before the knight could fully lift herself off the mattress.

"Mama…Papa…Please don't leave." She murmured in her sleep. Alter attempted to cautiously release from Milret's hold, but it tightened.

"Don't leave, Mr. Knight."

Alter parted her lips, yet no sound came out…Why was it that their short time together brought her so much joy and pain?

Milret reminded Alter of another child…One she failed to save…One of her broken promises and the worst of them all.

The spirit lowered herself closer to Milret, trying to not disturb the girl's sleep and release herself from Milret's grip. This backfired as Milret let go of the bear and fully wrapped her arms around Alter's neck.

"Mama…I miss you." She repeated in her sleep.

It was this moment that Alter gave up on leaving Milret's side and laid on the bed with the girl. She gently brushed her fingers on Milret's cheeks, wiping away the imaginary tears.

"I won't leave." Alter made another promise; this one, she swore would never break.


Dream

"I understand now why you acted as you did in the Camelot Singularity." The feminine voice became high pitch, more childish. Blue light had engulfed the black void, letting way to a sea of varying shades of blue swirling at every location.

"Now, I know." The orb disappeared from the space, morphed into a familiar individual wearing Medieval village clothing.

"I am sure, but I want to hear it from you." The girl placed her hands behind her back.

"Is this your happy ending, Mister Knight?" Lena asked.