Vision 1

The black mud of the corrupted Holy Grail engulfed the land, consuming Fuyuki City in a sea of death. No living being it touched was left alive; No building it crashed into was left standing; No creature could stop the tide of ruination.

On a hospital bed, looking out the window is a small girl staring at the waterfall of black mud. The waves of corruption darken the sky as it did to the city. It keeps pushing, moving endlessly, towards her as she stares unmoved by the destruction left in the grail's wake.

The mud will consume her as it did to the others. It will be her end.

The medical staff gazed in fear at their approaching doom. Yet, the little girl does not.

Even knowing the danger, she is calm. As if believing that she is protected by a guardian angel.

A figure in black armor stood silently, watching the destruction unfold.


Vision 2

The destruction of the black mud was redirected by an unknown force. It moved away from the hospital of Fuyuki City and overwhelmed all in its new path to satiate its thirst for murder. It spread further, killing thousands more than the original tragedy in Fate/Zero. Among the dead was a little girl.

A figure in black armor stood silently, conflicted by her own actions.


Vision 3

An explosion, mightier than a nuclear warhead, descended upon Japan. Half of the nation was vaporized from ashes, leaving nothing behind and killing everything it engulfed.

50 million died in an instant as their homes-villages and cities-disappeared along with them. Whatever was left was a thin crust on the planet that was quickly filled in by ocean water. That portion of the planet will soon break apart as volcanic activities in the region escalates as magma pierces through the thin layer of crust.

The world will enter an ice age as ashes flow to the skies, blanketing the planet and never allowing the sunlight to reach the plant's surface for hundreds of years.

This will be an apocalypse.

On the borders of the initial explosion was a hospital that was left unharmed by the explosion.

No one knew why they survived, everyone was just glad that they did.

A hooded figure killed herself for initiating humanity's extinction.


Vision 4

Little girl dies from parasitic tumors.

Figure cried beside her bedside.





Vision ?

Dead.

Figure moans.


"What will it be?" Lena's voice called out. Everything stood frozen when the CounterForce made its appearance. The mud floated above Kirei Kotomine and Kiritsugu Emiya, ready to crash upon them when time resumes. Only I and the CounterForce could move.

My body trembled at the countless visions of the future I had witnessed. All of them foretold countless deaths by my hands, including our failure to save Milret.

"Do you really believe this will save the girl?" The CounterForce asked.

.

'We promised Milret that we will protect her.'

'It lies to deceive us. We must use the weapon to save her.'

.

The voices, they are supporting genocide…This is wrong…Everything is all wrong.

"I-I-I don't know…This isn't supposed to happen." I fell onto my knees, fearing that whatever choice I make, I would come to regret it.

.

'Stop messing around.'

'We have everything we need to protect her.'

.

I can't make a choice…I don't want to kill the world.

.

'What has the world done for us? '

'Reality is against you; we will always be on your side.'

.

No, it's not right…

.

"I only ever wanted to be happy."

'I only ever wanted to live my life.'

'I only ever wanted to be free.'

.

"The world should not suffer for my decisions."

'The world should stop getting in my way.'

'The world shall bend to my wishes.'

.

" ' ' All I wanted was to be loved and save someone.' ' "

"That was your aim all along." A pair of small hands cupped my face, bringing my view of the ground towards Lena's eyes.

"You failed to save me and blamed your own weakness, so you wanted to atone for your sins by saving everyone else in Britain. You tried to save everyone by yourself. And succeeded in finding your happy ending, but the CounterForce-the very world-refused to acknowledge it and took them away." Lena spoke softly, comforting me like a child. She moved in and embraced my broken body.

"You lost everything: your people, your friends, your colleagues, and your nation. They were all gone. You have no reason to live-to preserve your own existence. That was why you madly fought without a second thought in Camelot. It was your unconscious cry to disappear and join them in oblivion-to die on your terms by your own free will." Lena's hold tightened.

"Then, you met Milret and your wish to be loved and save someone was rekindled. You wanted to live again." She continued and I listened to her every word. She spoke the hard truth that I could not refute.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked her.

"Because I want to help." Lena simply replied before releasing her embrace and stepping back to glance at the night sky from the hole created by the corrupted grail. The stars brilliantly dotted the sky and the moon showered us in its glamorous glow.

"Do you remember the time when we told stories under the watch of the same stars and moon?" She asked.

"Yeah." I followed her gaze towards the sky and nostalgia brought me to the past. Those memories were my most prized treasures.

"What did we say a happy ending was?" She leaned forwards, placing her hands behind her back.

My mouth repeatedly opened and closed, trying to find my answer. When I found it, I answered blankly. "Everyone should be happy in a happy ending."

"But what if not everyone can?"

"Then…Then the knight should feel happy."

"Yup, do you feel happy with any of these choices?" Lena nodded and walked a few steps away with her back turned towards me.

Those words echoed across all three souls in my body, bringing clarity to my thoughts.

I found the correct path. The answer was right before my eyes, but I refused to notice it.

I rose to my feet and faced the disguised CounterForce once more. "Never thought the CounterForce would help me out like this, but thank you."

"What do you mean?" Another Lena's voice came from behind him and I turned to see the floating blue orb of energy and a Lena clone without an amulet.

What…I faced the other Lena and saw an amulet around her neck. I felt my own neck, finding that Lena's gift was absent.

"Take care of yourself, Mr. Knight." White light enveloped her body as she disappeared. I reached out to her and felt nothing. What was left was the amulet that laid on my extended hand.

"You have surpassed me in becoming the greatest knight I know." I gently muttered to the amulet, believing that through it, Lena could hear my voice. "Thank you."

Using my own arm, not Lancelot's that carried Enuma Elish, I secured the necklace around my neck.

Taking a deep breath, I solidified my determination.

In one swoop, I ripped Lancelot's arm off my body, throwing it along with Enuma Elish aside.


A large black void hovered over Fuyuki City.

I stood next to the hospital where Milret laid asleep, staring into the circular void in the sky constructed by the corrupted grail.

Using the massive mana reservoir I obtained from Caster, I spawned a wall of black tendrils and flesh that was a concave around the building. The core of the structure was myself.

The moment the black mud spewed forward, it signaled the start of the Fuyuki City tragedy. The waves of black mud crashed against my walls, eating away at my body. When it did, I supplied my regeneration abilities with my finite mana supply.

I have endured so much and will continue to do so. The unbearable pain and deadly strain on my psyche were nothing. There was someone behind me who I must protect.

Lena's words made me realize something…A fact I never thought to accept.

One that was also repeated by the First Hassan, "I give thee a new death in its watchful eyne and without sanguinary."

Within all of the visions of the future, I realized that I had prioritized my own survival. I too had become selfish for valuing my own life over others, including Milret's.

"Hahahaha." A light chuckle escaped my lips. It was ironic that I sought death in the Camelot Singularity, but immediately sought to live in this timeline where I met Milret.

I was selfish for thinking I was important in this timeline.

A happy ending was viable only if you are the main protagonist of the story. I was selfish to believe that I was fulfilling that role when the real protagonist already existed-Kiritsugu Emiya. That was why the world reacted drastically when I killed Caster's master.

That was the curse placed on me by the First Hassan. The lesson it taught was one of humility, a characteristic I held as King of Britain; forgotten during my time in the Camelot Singularity; and regained with my time in Fuyuki City.

In this happy ending, Kiritsugu was the knight who found his happiness and I was amongst those left out.

In this story, I was the side character. An individual who did not have the luxury of dictating the outcome nor surviving the tragedy.

'Mana is out. It has been an honor.'

'Dying for someone else feels nice.'

I nodded at the voices in my head. The choice I made felt right. The world wasn't rejecting my final act of saving Milret.

If I could save at least one person, then I would be satisfied.

Even when I am dying, not knowing if I would still persist in the Throne of Heros, I was at peace because I knew that Milret was safe.

I was finally able to keep my promise and saved someone.


2010 During Cave of Mordred Festival

The final resting place of Mordred was a breathtaking sight to behold. From the pedestal that held Caliburn to the stone throne, everything was awe inspiring. The main attraction was Mordred herself as the mighty king sat on her throne. Her body was encased in glass, a precaution informed by the British government to preserve her remains. No one complained and agreed to the extra protection.

My daughter and I visited the throne room, where my little angel tried to lift up Caliburn. Color me surprised when she succeeded. Of course, we placed the sword back into its pedestal and joked about her becoming the new king as we leisurely strolled out of the Cave of Mordred.

Near the entrance, I met my loving husband who agreed to look after our daughter while I took some time to revisit the ancient ruins of the cave.

As I traveled back into the cave, I remembered how my family got here. The surprising thing was that I would have never known this place existed if it was for Dr. Macton and his colleagues. Recently, he discovered that my family were direct descendants of the great British King. In turn, we asked to stay anonymous and were invited-with everything paid for-to participate in this lovely festival.

The news of being descendants of the royal family caused my husband to faint. It was shocking news to my family, but not me. I knew for a long time and confirmed my suspicions when I saw King Mordred's armor.

I entered the throne room and walked directly towards Mordred's remains. Her imposing figure sat solidly on her throne, demanding respect from her subordinates.

I felt the glass that separated us. A mere touch brought trickles of tears down my cheeks.

I quickly wiped them away using my sleeves so as to not embarrass myself further before digging into my purse to retrieve an old heart-shaped locket. The metal had rusted a bit from the city fire and the golden color deteriorated due to the passing of time. I flipped open the locket to reveal a small photo of my younger self with a woman awkwardly donning casual clothing. She exuded the feeling of a warrior who had never worn a hoodie and sweatpants.

I closed the locket and placed it on top of the glass enclosure.

"Happy Anniversary, Mother." I congratulated. "Or is it Happy Birthday, great-great-to a large degree-grandmother."

"Though you may not be my real mother, the few days we spent together were my greatest memories. I still don't get how you suddenly fell out of the sky, but that's a question for another time." I sat on the cave floor and leaned against the glass. "Wanna hear a story I wrote about you? Your new granddaughter likes it."

The person inside the glass casing didn't respond. Yet, I instinctively knew she was interested in hearing me out.

"So it goes like this…"