A/N: Thank you to Greatratking88 for his work and editing of the chapter. And thanks to everyone who had reviewed, followed and favorited the chapter.
A few things I should cover before moving on with the chapter.
Someone had mentioned that Iskandar is the King of Conquerors, and I was aware of that and I did mention in one of my past author notes that much like how Mordred considers herself King Arthur's heir, Genghis Khan considers himself the True King of Conquerors, and is actually annoyed the title belongs to Iskandar, which is going to be a bit of a running gag.
Especially when these two will meet in the story later.
As for Genghis Khan's Noble Phantasms, I am aware of the armor and weapons being his Noble Phantasm was likely a bad choice, but I was regrettably unable to find anything I could've fashioned into a personal weapon besides the other Noble Phantasm I have yet to reveal, but you'll get a hint of it in this chapter.
However, he does have one other Noble Phantasm that makes him a Saber class, which will be revealed in the coming chapters.
I believe I have responded to all reviews I can remember, but I if missed someone PM me with any questions you might have. As long as they do not reveal spoilers, I shall answer them.
Anyway, let's get this chapter started because after some stuff that needs to be covered and a few more characters that must be introduced including a surprise addition to complete our traveling group. Because we're going to have some action in the latter half of this chapter which will hopefully make up for the slow start of the story.
Chapter 3
Singularity F
(July 25th 2017 A.T.B.)
Three days later, Lelouch was in the company of his servant, inside one of the simulator rooms deep within Chaldea. The simulators were impressive, far more advanced than he could've expected. As far as Lelouch could understand, the simulators used a combination of magecraft and technology to create a near perfect recreation of the outside world. Presently, Lelouch was standing in a grassy field with a few trees, a blue sky, and a bright sun shining down on him.
If I didn't know this was artificial, I would've believed this was the real thing.
Lelouch turned his attention back to his Heroic Spirit, Genghis Khan, as he was doing battle against simulated foes.
The simulator created enemy soldiers for his Heroic Spirit to fight, and judging by their appearance, the simulator chose Roman Legionaries to be the Khan's foes. Lelouch watched as his servant fought, using his sabre and spear.
These guys are hardly a challenge for him.
One of the Legionaries rushed the Mongol Emperor who side stepped the attacking Roman Soldier before swiftly beheading him. Using his lance, the Khan kept the remaining Legionaries at bay before attacking the nearest one. Unable to dodge in time, the unfortunate Roman soldier was impaled before the Mongol Emperor lifted the dead soldier, using his corpse as a blunt weapon to knock down two other Legionaries.
Genghis evaded a sweeping cut from the legionary's cestus before lunging forward, claiming the legionary's head in a single blow. The two legionaries the Khan had knocked to the ground threw them into disarray, allowing the Khan to finish them off.
"I think that was quicker than your last go, khan." Lelouch complimented.
"Hah, none of these men are any match for me." Said the khan dismissively, a grin on his face.
"I guess I'll ask Leonardo to increase the difficulty, but that should be enough for a warmup for the morning."
"Hopefully the opposition we may face in today's mission might give me more of a challenge," said Genghis, clearly disappointed with the simulations.
The simulator shut down, revealing a enormous chamber with black and white emitters lining the walls.
For today's mission, Lelouch was dressed in the Chaldean Combat Uniform to be worn, which was a grey and white body suit with integrated boots. Female masters belonging to Chaldea wore the same uniform except it was orange and white instead.
The pair reached the cafeteria for a quick breakfast to prepare for the upcoming mission. The Khan joined him as he served himself a hefty breakfast. Although servants didn't need to consume food, they could still enjoy it if they wished it. Whatever they ate, Lelouch knew, would be converted into energy for them.
As Lelouch ate breakfast, he felt somewhat distracted. He had not been given much information about the mission so far.
We have no idea what to expect.
In fact, the lack of information on the cause for the singularity and what their potential opposition would be made him uneasy. What they knew so far was that something, or someone, was trying to drastically alter events that happened during 2004 A.T.B. at Fuyuki in Japan. According to the records, the final Fuyuki Holy Grail War had been waged between seven masters and their servants for the right to claim a Holy Grail as the prize. The Holy Grail War ended with no one claiming the Holy Grail, and later the system responsible for the ritual was dismantled years later, before the war between Japan and Britannia.
"Do not worry about the battle ahead, master," the Khan said, sensing his master's concern. "I share your concerns about heading into battle with insufficient information, but I have yet to meet a challenge I could not overcome."
"Well, if all goes well the rest of Team A will summon their servants. I confess I am intrigued to see what Ophelia's servant will be like."
"Who is she summoning?"
"Ophelia mentioned she was eager to summon the hero of the Völsung Saga: Sigurd, the King of Warriors. Apparently, Ophelia is a huge fan of Richard Wagner's works."
"Really," the Khan said raising an eyebrow. "King of Warriors, you say?"
"That's what the legends say. The man met a very tragic end, despite his fighting prowess as a warrior."
"Tragic?" Genghis Khan asked curiously.
As Lelouch told Genghis Khan of what he knew about Sigurd, the rest of Chaldea prepared for the day to come. It would Chaldea's first major mission. Besides the masters of Team A, the organization was working to prepare the provisional masters.
Team A would be the first team to enter the singularity and conduct an initial investigation to determine the cause. Then they would be followed by Team B who would be on hand to provide support should the situation demand it. Team B consists of masters who candidates come from magical families, but their potential as masters was low compared to those of Team A.
Team C also had ten candidates who came from ordinary backgrounds. They would be necessary due to having adequate Rayshifting compatibility if nothing else.
Among these candidates was the forty-eighth master, who was in the process of being officially inducted as a master of Chaldea, if only as a back-up.
"That completes your initial physical exam, Mr. Fujimaru," a said a nurse, walking him out of the medical wing.
"Thank you."
The seventeen-year-old boy had brown hair and light blue eyes and a fair skin complexion. He wore the standard Chaldean Uniform for masters, consisting of a white, broad-shouldered tunic top with black pants and shoes.
"All that awaits you is a trial run as a master within one of our simulators."
"A simulator?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes. But rest assured, everything will be explained to you. Just follow the supervisor waiting outside alongside our second to last late arrival," the nurse explained with a smile.
"Okay," Ritsuka answered, before a man in a white uniform approached him from behind.
"Good to see you have finished your examination in time," he said. "I'll be your supervisor. We have a lot to do today. Although normally we would have waited another day, I am afraid we don't have that luxury."
"Is there something happening?"
"You could say that. We would have liked more time to train you, but the Director has insisted on all provisional masters being at the ready as a precaution. You and our other late arrival are going to be rush jobs, so you could be prepared should the need arise."
"Alright then," Ritsuka replied, uncertain of what else to say.
Still, this is better than the ghetto.
Ritsuka Fujimaru had been forced to make a living scavenging for supplies in the Moriguchi Ghetto. He had lost both of his parents a few years ago, leaving him to fend for himself until an unexpected opportunity had arisen. He had gone to a free clinic operating in the area to donate plasma for quick cash. Instead of donating, he would learn the clinic was a front for screening potential master candidates on behalf of Chaldea. Why Chaldea had chosen to establish a fake clinic to screen for potential masters with high combability escaped him, but Ritsuka had been offered a considerable salary if he accepted their offer. So far, he had found little reason to regret his decision.
"Anyway, why don't I introduce you to your fellow provisional master, Miss Hakuno Kishinami?"
Waiting for them outside a simulator room was young Japanese teen around Ritsuka's age, slightly shorter than him. Hakuno had wavy, brown hair and matching eyes. She wore the female version of the Chaldean Battle Uniform.
"Miss Kishinami, this is Mr. Ritsuka Fujimaru," said the supervisor.
"Nice to meet you," Ritsuka replied, offering his hand.
"Hello, it's nice to see someone else from Japan here," Hakuno said, shaking his hand.
"Right. You two will each take part in a simulation that will allow both of you to experience what being a master will be like. Being provisional masters, you two may not see combat, but we are going to squeeze in some time in the simulator for both of you for now." The Supervisor explained, using a panel in the wall to open the doors for them.
"So how does this work?" Hakuno asked.
"The computer will give you instructions. Just try to achieve the objective it puts before you."
"Okay then," Ritsuka said. Their superior was clearly rushing things along, like he had said.
"Enjoy these next minutes of being a master of Chaldea," the supervisor smiled as he closed the door behind them to begin the simulation.
Later that same day around noon, Lelouch had arrived in an observation room with his servant beside him. Lelouch folded his arms as he gazed upon the crown jewel of Chaldea, the Global Environment Model, code named Chaldeas. In the center of a series of rotating rings was a perfect replica of Earth, set up at the center of the enormous chamber. Created by linking the soul of the world to the model, Chaldeas provided real-life updates on events happening across the Earth, and even in the past.
"It's truly a marvel, isn't it?"
Lelouch and the Khan turned to see Kirschtaria enter the room, dressed in the same combat uniform as he was.
"A replica so perfectly recreated we can easily observe events of little recognition easily thanks to Sheba," Kirschtaria complimented. "Marisbury would no doubt be pleased to see how far Chaldea has come."
"Indeed, although it's a pity we can't observe more of the singularity."
"True," Kirschtaria said in agreement. "But it's all the more reason we must address it."
"I suppose."
"How about a game of chess?" Kirschtaria offered, gesturing to a chess board on a table. "I am sure you noticed the board."
"You set this up in advance?"
"Of course. I enjoy our games," Kirschtaria said before sitting down with the white pieces in front of him.
Lelouch assumed his seat opposite of Kirschtaria, controlling the black pieces. As their game began, Kirschtaria was the first to make a move followed by Lelouch moving the king piece, which drew a question from his opponent.
"You always begin with the king. May I ask why?"
"If the king doesn't lead, how can his subordinates follow?"
"Your personal philosophy?"
"You could say that," Lelouch answered.
"Then it shall be an example I'll follow."
The game between the two went on for some time, and as they pushed each other they engaged in conversation.
"Still concerned about our mission today?"
"I am," Lelouch replied, moving another piece. "The lack of information on what we face does concern me. Even though we have numbers, I am concerned this could be too easy. It could be a potential trap."
Kirschtaria nodded. "You are not wrong. That is a possibility. But you will have the best of the best, hand-picked by the late Marisbury himself."
"Fair enough," Lelouch said, watching Kirschtaria respond to his move.
"Still, I think its fine for you to be on your guard."
"Too true, and since we don't know what to expect we should be on guard for whatever we might face." Lelouch said, moving yet another piece in response.
The game went on. To the surprise of both players, it ended in a stalemate.
"Another stalemate," Kirschtaria remarked with amusement, folding both arms across his chest. "You are quite the player to end in a draw with me."
"Likewise," Lelouch replied.
Only Schneizel has ever matched me or outright beaten me.
"What an excellent game between Team A's most tactical minds," Pepe said, applauding the pair.
Lelouch and Kirschtaria noticed they had gained an audience with the rest of Team A, except Mash, having arrived in the observation room. Like Lelouch and Kirschtaria they all wore the Chaldea Battle Uniform, and the former prince noticed Hinako was in the room. However, she was hanging back in the corner while seemingly uneasy by how skin tight the uniform was.
"So, another stalemate between them, huh?" Beryl remarked. "It would be almost scary to see you two go at it with your Heroic Spirits in a fight."
"That would be more akin to a war than a fight," Lelouch mused.
"Attention all masters and provisional masters," Olga's voice boomed through the speakers in the observation room.
As all members of Team A approached the window to observe Olga, who was standing before a group of forty or so others in the command center. Those before Olga were the provisional masters, some had been here for a few weeks or months. This counted as not only the mission briefing ahead of them, but also an orientation of sorts.
"Now that I have your attention," Olga said, "Welcome to the Chaldea Security Organization, I am Director Olga Marie Animusphere. Each of you have been discovered from different parts of the world for your rare ability to serve as masters for a Heroic Spirit or your ability to Rayshift."
Suddenly the speech was interrupted when two provisional masters sitting in the front row passed out. Angrily, Olga to walked up to them. The Director swiftly slapped each of them across the face to wake them up, but to little effect. One of them was barely awake, and the other was barely conscious.
Lelouch watched as Olga turned off her microphone on her collar before instructing Mash, who had been sitting next to the two masters Olga slapped. After a brief conversation Olga escorted the two exhausted provisional masters out of the Command Center.
"Not a good way to start the first mission briefing," Beryl commented.
"To fall asleep before the Director, and they were in the front row too. Talk about bad luck," Kadoc added.
"Anyway," Olga began, resuming her speech. "As I was saying, you have all been discovered, or in some cases selected to be a master here at Chaldea. You all have either special talents as a capable mage or high compatibility with Rayshifting."
I can't see them too clearly from here, but it looks like the provisional masters are a mixed bunch. How did Chaldea gather these candidates? Did they all come from Magus Families?
Lelouch thought to himself, listening to Olga speak.
"That said, although some of you possess special talents, remember that none of you are that special. All of you are inexperienced rookies, beginning at the same starting point. In fact, those sent to us by the Mage's Association are still acting like students," Olga said firmly, before adding. "FIX that immediately."
Judging by their reactions Lelouch could notice some discontent arising from those in Olga's audience.
"Know that Chaldea is my dominion, so be aware that your past achievements and family heritage is meaningless to me." Olga explained with a stern expression upon her face. "I won't except any arguments. You are all mere tools to protect humanity and nothing more. I only expect you to follow my orders."
"Hold on, I didn't sign up for this," a young woman in the crowd shouted.
"What do you mean by 'lineage isn't important'? It's the most important thing for a mage!"
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY!?" Olga snapped. "Do none of you realize why you are here? Yes, I asked the association to send me mages suited for the work to be done, but bear in mind the fate of humanity rests upon your shoulders."
There were some problematic provisional masters in the crowd, but Olga was quick to silence them as a smile appeared on her face.
"Of course, you are free to leave if you feel this is below you. However, know that there are no flights leaving Chaldea right now. Unless you want to trek down a six-thousand-meter mountain above sea level to the harbor to go home, which would be a commendable effort."
Olga was pleased when the voices of opposition slowly died down.
"Much better. Things will be easier if you just listen and do what I ask of you. It is no exaggeration that humanity's fate will be your hands, because on this day what we shall do will go down in history. What we achieve here today will be on par with landing humans on the moon, or becoming the next pioneer of the stars. No, we shall actually surpass them this day."
"Rather than expanding civilization, we shall be the hands of god protecting it. Through the stabilization of human history, we shall transform the future into a solid resolution. Through our organization's crown jewel, the Global Environment Model Chaldeas, we have been observing our world one hundred years into the future. Our goal is to ensure humanity exists for another one hundred years, but six months ago we observed nothing in our future."
Olga gave a signal, and in the control room Lev changed the setting, allowing Chaldeas to show what the Earth would look like in a hundred years. A grey, barren, lifeless rock with no sign of life upon it, very different from the bright blue it showed moments ago.
"Our data is conclusive. We have confirmed humanity has become extinct," Olga announced. A shocked silence fell over the crowd.
"Good. I see you all are grasping the situation our world is in. We haven't been able to find the cause yet, but we do know this future comes to pass in the next few years. So we began searching the past for a possible cause, and we located a Spatial Singularity in the year 2004 A.T.B."
Using a gesture to signal him, Lev worked the controls to display the world in 2004 A.T.B. with an overhead monitor showing Japan. The monitor began zooming in on a black spot.
"We have located an unobservable zone in Fuyuki City of Japan during the year of 2004 A.T.B. It's something that shouldn't exist, so we have identified it as a possible cause. Our objective will be to travel to Singularity F, locate the source and destroy it." Olga explained before adding with a smile. "How will you travel to Singularity F thirteen years into the past? We at Chaldea have a method of time travel, which is why many of you were selected. Only a select few with the capability to become Spiritrons can do so."
Olga signaled to Lev to raise a capsule-like device from the ground near Chaldeas.
"Each of you will enter one of these coffins, which we call a Spiritron Chassis. Each of you have one assigned to you, so pay attention to your number. Also bear in mind that we don't have any spares, so be careful," Olga warned. "Your bodies will remain here while you will travel to the past in energy form, before materializing at your destination."
"That's our cue," Kirschtaria said to Lelouch, tapping his shoulder.
"First our most senior masters, Team A, will travel to Singularity F to establish a base camp," Olga explained as Lelouch and the other members of Team A entered the command center standing near Olga. "Once they have succeeded, Team B will follow and provide support. Teams C and below will be on standby."
The Director noticed that most eyes were on the Heroic Spirit, accolading Lelouch.
"Yes. One of our masters has already summoned a Heroic Spirit, and he will play a key role in resolving the singularity. Remember this singularity is a stain upon the dress that is human history. Its presence alone can endanger it, and it must be removed. The timeline will repair itself once we are successful, so all of you, get ready!"
With Olga's order, Kirschtaria gestured for Lelouch to follow him.
"You remember which coffin is yours, Lelouch?"
"Yes, number fourteen," Lelouch replied.
"Just relax, and your servant will enter spirit form and join you inside. You will both be able to easily travel together to Singularity F. We'll be right behind you, so just hold the area until we have summoned our servants," Kirschtaria instructed.
"We got it," Lelouch said glancing at his servant.
"Very good. Let's get started."
Minutes later, following an explanation over the workings of the coffins the masters would reside in, Lelouch entered his coffin while the Khan shifted into spiritual form, allowing him to join his master within the coffin. The metal capsule closed, and Lelouch was met with darkness before a holographic panel came to life above the former prince's face.
"Rayshifting Compatibility at ninety-nine percent. All systems and vitals green. Everything is within acceptable parameters," a computerized voice announced.
Lelouch took a deep breath.
"Are you feeling well, master?" asked the Khan telepathically.
"I am fine, but I can't shake this unease I have."
"Worry not Master. No harm shall befall you while I stand," The Khan replied.
Suddenly the capsule shook violently, but before Lelouch or the Khan could respond to it, an emergency light shone in the coffin.
"Emergency detected! Beginning Rayshift and Protection Protocols!"
What?!
Within seconds Lelouch was engulfed in light, as if he was falling into a vortex of energy. Then, everything went black.
Shortly before the emergency that would trigger Lelouch's emergency Rayshift, Ritsuka and Hakuno were led to the living quarters wing of Chaldea. Mash had kindly offered to guide the pair after they were ejected from the mission briefing, and by extension the mission itself.
"I can't believe I fell asleep like that," Ritsuka muttered, clearly embarrassed over what happened.
"We should blame those simulators. I don't know why, but I just felt exhausted when we were done," Hakuno added before yawning.
"The simulated environments the simulators can create can be a bit overwhelming for first time users," Mash explained before the pair reached one of the living quarters. "This is your room, senpai."
"Senpai? Do you two know each other?" Hakuno asked, curious.
"Well, we only met today. She found me in the hallway after we parted ways. You went to find a bathroom to splash some water on your face, while I… I guess I fell asleep and collapsed on the ground."
"Yes. Fou found him, and I managed to wake him up." Mash said, as if on cue Fou appeared atop her shoulder.
"Fou," the small creature said, snuggling against Mash's neck.
"How cute," Hakuno said, before Fou leapt onto her shoulder.
"I guess Fou likes you too," Mash said with a small smile.
"Anyway, I guess she calls me senpai because I am the most human-like, and she doesn't feel hostile around me. But he's not the only one. Lelouch, the Doctor's adopted son, is also my senpai," Mash replied.
"I see, it sounds like you have an interesting life here," Hakuno said, uncertain of what else to say.
"Anyway, this is your room senpai, and your room," Mash said turning to Hakuno. "Should be number thirty-eight."
"So, my room is forty-eight huh," Ritsuka said, reading the number on his access card.
"Anyway, I hope to see you later, senpai, I need to return to the command center for the upcoming mission. I am sure the Director's orientation should be finishing soon," Mash said, turning and hurrying away.
"This has been quite the day," Ritsuka replied with a sigh, using his card to open the door to his room.
However, upon opening the door Hakuno and Ritsuka were surprised to find the room occupied.
Sitting on the bed with a laptop in front of him, holding a small plate with a slice of cake with a strawberry on top in one hand was Dr. Romani. He instantly noticed the two standing outside the doorway, startling him a bit.
"Wait a minute I am in here, and…" Romani said before trying to regain his composure, "who are you!?"
"Dr. Romani," Hakuno said recognizing the man.
"You know him," Ritsuka asked, which earned a nod from Hakuno.
"He's the head of the medical department in Chaldea, and he is the one who oversaw my treatment."
"Your treatment?"
"Oh, it's good to see you, Hakuno," Romani said, noticing her "but who is he and why are you two here?"
"Because this is my room," Ritsuka replied before holding up his keycard.
Romani expression reflected one of shock mixed with embarrassment, but the good doctor recovered quickly.
"I see, so you must be the last master to arrive. Let me introduce myself. I am Doctor Romani, but people tend to call me Roman since I guess it slides off the tongue more easily," Dr. Romani said, before getting up. He placed his plate with his cake on the nightstand. "Anyway, its good to see you moving around too, Hakuno."
"I am very grateful for everything you have done for me, doctor. I was afraid my Amnesia Syndrome would've been the death of me," Hakuno said.
"Amnesia Syndrome?"
"It's a rare degenerative brain disease that caused memory loss, but it eventually leads to death if not treated. Fortunately, treatment for the disease is possible, but its not exactly cheap. Thankfully, Chaldea had everything required to treat the disease and more, so we offered Hakuno treatment for the disease when we discovered her high rayshift compatibility."
"I was visiting one of Chaldea's free clinics operating in Japan when they discovered my capability," Hakuno said. "I admit I was skeptical, I didn't have much of a choice."
"Right, because there is no way anyone like us in Area 11 would've had any hope of receiving treatment."
"That being said, I am surprised Chaldea would be looking for master candidates in the ghettos of Japan," Hakuno said.
"Understandable, but that is because finding people who can Rayshift isn't that easy since not everyone can do it. However, finding master candidates who can be acceptable masters and capable of Rayshifting is harder than you might think." Romani explained before adding. "In end we only found thirty-eight mages who were capable of Rayshifting, so we expanded our efforts by establishing free clinics in different countries looking for master candidates. We found you two in Japan, and others in the other two major nations."
"So, there are forty-eight masters, which means there are ten who came from normal backgrounds then?"
Dr. Romani nodded, "That's right. It was decided Chaldea should have plenty of provisional masters as a precaution, and since they don't come from any major magi families, they would be easier to work with."
"I can't understand why. This is still a lot to take in," Ritsuka commented.
"Well, a majority of magi are very prideful. They believe their linage means everything, and that can lead to some issues," Dr. Romani said with a sigh. "Anyway, since I am here, I can answer any questions you might have, since you just got here."
"Ok, but why are you in my room exactly?"
Romani laughed nervously.
"Well you could say I have been using this room as my personal hideaway when I need a break. The Director doesn't like me very much, so she didn't want me in the command center for the first mission. She thinks everyone slacks off when I am around."
"Yeah, we kinda met her and we were booted from the meeting for falling asleep," Ritsuka admitted reluctantly while Hakuno looked away embarrassed.
"Oh," Romani said realizing what happened. "They had you two do the simulators. Well, that was kind of rushing it, but I suppose I am not shocked."
"How did that happen?" Hakuno asked.
"The simulators simulate a Spiritron Dive, the same thing that happens during a Rayshift." Dr. Romani answered. "That's part of the reason what you see in the simulators are so real. People don't really notice at first of how seamless entering a simulator room is, but this was done to prepare masters for Rayshifting so they wouldn't come out of it exhausted. Collapsing from Rayshifting in a hostile area could be dangerous for a master, so constant training in the simulators help the masters get used to Rayshifting, so the after-effects will not impede them in building a higher resistance over time."
"So that's what happened," Ritsuka replied.
Suddenly, there was a beep from Roman's wrist watch.
"Hold on. Dr. Romani here."
"Roman, could you come to the command center?" said Lev through the comms. "The Masters are about to Rayshift, so it might be a good idea to have some members of the medical staff on hand in the event of anything unforeseen. Some of the members of Team B and below aren't used to Rayshifting yet."
"Sure. I'll be there," Romani answered.
"Thank you. Please hurry."
Professor Lev hung up. Roman remained seated.
"Aren't you going?" Hakuno inquired.
"Nah they don't need me there, we got plenty of people who can do my job. There is no rush for me to be there," Roman said dismissively. "Besides, I would just get kicked out by the Director."
"But will not showing up just cause as much of an issue?" Ritsuka asked.
Romani shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe. I think I'll just be fashionably late. Do you mind me staying here ten minutes or so?"
"Not at all, doctor," said Ritsuka, a little awkwardly. She hadn't expected this, but it wasn't too much trouble. Romani sat back, continuing to work, staying another ten minutes or so, chatting sporadically with the two youths. Then, the good doctor got up and prepared to leave.
"Thank you for letting me use your room. Drop by my office later if you are still having issues from your first simulation run. Just take it easy, and you'll be alright."
"Of course. I'll make sure to remember that," Ritsuka replied.
"And Hakuno, I feel responsible for what happened given that your recovery took a lot longer than we were expecting. You missed out on key training. I'll see if I can ease things over for both of you through Professor Lev."
"Thank you, I'll appreciate that. If you guys come by later, I'll have some delicious cake on hand."
As Dr. Romani prepared to leave, a distant rumble shook Chaldea, followed by a second. It was heard through the walls, but seconds later the lights went out while alarms began sounding throughout the facility.
"A power outage?" Hakuno said confused and worried over what just happened.
"No. Chaldea shouldn't have power outages, something has to have happened!"
The three ran out of the room to investigate.
A few minutes later…
"Ugh…" Lelouch said as he began to stir.
Instead of being inside a coffin, Lelouch awoke to find himself lying on concrete.
"Where…?" He began as he climbed to his feet.
"Are you alright, Master?" The Khan inquired, helping Lelouch to his feet.
"I am fine. What happened?"
"It seems your unease was justified. I think something went wrong."
Regaining his bearings, Lelouch began surveying his surroundings. Judging by what he could see, he was in the ruins of a city on fire, burning around him. Lelouch didn't see any survivors or corpses, just ruined buildings and wrecked vehicles as far as the eye could see.
"Did anyone else arrive?"
The Khan shook his head. "I have seen no one else."
Lelouch checked himself. He had materialized wearing the standard Chaldean uniform instead of the combat uniform he had previously. He tried to activate the watch-like device on his wrist that doubled as a communication device and a tracking device.
"Command Center, do you read me?"
He got only static. Something had definitely gone wrong.
"What do we do now, Master?"
Lelouch collected himself before weighing his options and taking note of their present situation.
"We have lost contact with Chaldea, and no one else has come. On the plus side the fact I am still alive means my body in its coffin must be intact, so our only option is to proceed with the mission on our own."
"Where should we begin?"
"I am not sure, but we can't just stand around. Let's assume we are in hostile territory and act accordingly. Let's see if we can collect any information on what happened to give us any leads."
"A sound enough plan. Let us begin."
After taking a few moments to explore the area to ensure no one else had arrived, the pair moved on. Lelouch and the Khan tried to find some sign of what had happened but found nothing. The utter lack of clues was deeply concerning.
"Whatever happened, happened too quickly for these people to react," said the Khan.
"I agree. At least we know this wasn't some ordinary disaster, like a military invasion or a natural disaster. At the very least we would have seen more people trying to flee."
"Even though we haven't found any human remains, the lack of these automobiles on the roads is a possible sign that this disaster happened too quickly for them to react."
Lelouch nodded in agreement, "Given the evidence we have so far, I have to agree."
Looking around at his surroundings once more Lelouch questioned the idea if anyone could have survived a disaster of such scale. Most of the structures around them were in flames, and the fires showed no sign of diminishing anytime soon.
Not even Britannia's invasion of Japan caused destruction on this scale. Granted, some buildings were demolished or ruined beyond repair, but I never heard of anything like this happening.
"We shouldn't dwell on this matter any further. We must take action." The Khan said.
"I agree, but we have little to go on. All we know about events of Fuyuki City in 2004 is that a Holy Grail War was waged here, where seven servants fought for a relic called the Holy Grail. According to that same info, if a master and their servant came out as the victors then they would have a wish granted for each of them," Lelouch explained.
"And there was no recorded winner?" the Khan asked. Lelouch nodded.
"None that anyone is aware of. There is also the question of if the holy grail failed to grant the wish or not."
"If I recall correctly, the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki was founded by three magi families, was it not?"
Lelouch nodded in confirmation, "I remember that as well. The Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families. Each of them took part in the establishment of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, and each of them possibly had homes here in Fuyuki."
"Perhaps we should start our investigation with them. We could find something,"
"It's our only lead, and it's start at least," Lelouch agreed.
But seeing this devastation, would there be any clues left we could find?
Using his communicator, Lelouch activated its map function. A small holographic display of the area was projected over his wrist.
"Let's see I'll search for the nearest home belonging to one of the founding families," Lelouch said as he used the map to locate the nearest home of a Grail War Founder. "There- it seems the Matou Household is the nearest to our location."
"Let us be on our way then," the Khan said. Together, they began the long walk toward the Matou Mansion.
Making their way through the devastated Fuyuki City Lelouch and the Khan still saw no sign of humans, no corpses, nothing. Lelouch wondered what happened to all of the people. There was no sign of anyone. Whether the citizenry had escaped or perished was impossible to tell. At least until they got closer to their destination, where an unexpected sight met them.
"Are those statues?"
Outside the Matou Mansion, which they found to be surprisingly intact, they saw statues of various people. The statues themselves varied; many of them looked like your average person, ranging from police officers, some workers and some high school students, judging by their outfits.
"Master, you must have realized it by now," the Khan replied, drawing his shield and sword. "These statues were people. Their placement is conspicuous, and their expressions are far too lifelike to have been made by hand."
Lelouch felt a chill go down his spine. There really was something disturbingly life-like about these statues. All of them had one thing in common: they were all running in terror from something, or someone.
"And we are not alone," the Khan warned, stepping closer to Lelouch.
"Oh, you noticed me that easily?" a female voice asked.
"When you have been a ruler as long as I have, you grow accustomed to ambushes. I have lost count of the number of assassins who tried to kill me, even among the women offered to me. You reach a point you develop a sense of sorts," the Khan replied.
"It's unusual for another Saber servant to appear, but since you have wandered into my hunting grounds and approached my lair, I should greet you," the woman replied with a sinister undertone in her voice.
Materializing before them was a tall and voluptuous woman, wearing a tattered black cloak and hood over her head. Her tunic-like outfit left much of her arms, legs and cleavage exposed, but her more striking features were the pale skin, long purple hair and glowing yellow eyes.
Lelouch averted his eyes. He already had his suspicions about this servant, and he was taking no chances.
"It's rude to turn away from people you met for the first time. Shouldn't someone like you be mesmerized by my appearance?" the woman said seductively.
"I am sure plenty of men would be, but these statues and how you likely made them is your calling card, isn't it?" Lelouch said, all but certain of her true identity. "Judging by that spear you must be a Lancer-class servant, and the statues all around us were human. I can only think of one figure in mythology capable of that, Medusa!"
Medusa merely laughed, "Oh my, what a smart boy. But I suppose the statues does make my true name too obvious, I guess. Then you must know how my Mystic Eyes of Petrification works then? Do not fret, I haven't activated them yet; I'd rather have some fun with you and your servant first."
"Be careful, master," The Khan cautioned before a blue light began to surround him, "and do not fear. I shall not fall so easily to her."
As Medusa approached them the Khan began muttering something under his breath.
"Whatever prayer you are offering, it will not work," Medusa said, charging at the Khan with superhuman speed.
Genghis Khan met Medusa's charge head on, using his shield to parry her first strike before striking back with his curved sword. Medusa pulled away before the sword could reach her, and her long hair began transforming into snakes and then chains. Switching weapons, the Khan put away his sword and shield before drawing his lance to fight her on equal grounds.
Acting like snakes in a sense the chains rushed forward attempting to bind the heroic spirit, but the Khan moved like water, thrusting and parrying his lance with lightning speed.
"You've got some moves," Medusa said, impressed, "But can you keep up with me!?"
Moving faster than his Lelouch's eyes could track, Medusa charged the Khan, attempting to overwhelm him. Despite her blinding speed the Khan stood his ground, deflecting every attack from his supernaturally quick enemy. Eventually the two locked weapons, facing down each other.
"Not bad. You are almost as skilled as the Saber servant who killed me," Medusa said, licking her lips.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Your speed is impressive. And that weapon is a Noble Phantasm, isn't it?"
"Good eye. My weapon is the Lance of Immortal Killing. If you suffer a wound from this weapon, no magic can heal it."
"Good to know, but my own legend wasn't built upon merely being a warrior. It was built on conquest, and the forging of an Empire," the Khan replied.
Suddenly Medusa felt a sting of pain as an arrow, followed by five more, embedded themselves into her back. The Lancer-class servant was stunned by the sneak attack. As she struggled to back away, the Khan seized the initiative, and ran his lance through Medusa's heart while her guard was down.
"How?" Medusa asked weakly as blood dripped from her mouth.
"An empire is made up of people, and a conqueror has his soldiers," the Khan replied with a smirk.
"Then that prayer…" Medusa said with realization in her eyes.
"That's right. I was activating my noble phantasm. Not fully, but I can still use it to bring forward my soldiers to aid me in battle anywhere near my location as I wish," the Khan explained. "They were just waiting for an opportunity to strike while I kept your attention focused upon me."
Without another word, the Khan pulled his weapon free. Medusa began to fade away, her body evaporating.
"How was that, Master?" the Khan said proudly. Lelouch could see the Khan's soldiers now, scarred and armored Mongolian veterans carrying bows and sabers. They approached their lord, bowing curtly.
"Impressive, very impressive," Lelouch said.
"I can summon us a horse to travel through this city once we are done here," the Khan explained.
Lelouch had wanted to question why he didn't bring one out sooner instead of walking here, but the former prince realized the answer.
"Of course, since there isn't any point in moving about quietly anymore. The battle we just had here likely announced our presence in this city," Lelouch said. The Khan nodded approvingly.
"Astute, Master."
"Right. But while we have a chance, we should explore the mansion and see what we can find," Before they could proceed, the sound of a woman screaming in the distance drew their attention.
"Change of plans," the Khan replied, clasping his hands together before horses for the Khan and his archers materialized. "Ride with me master. The rest of you, follow us."
Once Lelouch was seated upon the Khan's black horse, the pair rode off towards the source of the scream with the Khan's Mongol warriors following right behind them. Riding through the ruined streets, the group tracked down the source of the scream, which was followed by calls for help. It didn't take them long to find it.
To Lelouch's surprise, he saw Olga running from a group of skeletons armed with swords. As unbelievable as the scene seemed, the pair knew what had to be done.
"Hold on, master," The Khan cautioned as he drew his lance. "Warriors, with me!"
With a fierce battle cry, the Khan lead his warriors into battle against the group of skeletons. Olga quickly took notice of them as they rode past her to engage her pursuers. Wielding spears from their horses the Mongol Warriors charged into the horde of skeletons, impaling some on their spears while trampling others in their wake. The skeletons outnumbered them, but they were no match for the power of a cavalry shock. Once the last enemy was dealt with, the Khan and Lelouch dismounted to speak to Olga.
"Are you alright, Director?" Lelouch asked.
"What's going on here?" Olga demanded, clearly shaken by everything that had happened.
"I don't know how it happened, but you are in Singularity F. We're in what's left of Fuyuki City in the year 2004," Lelouch replied.
"Have you been able to contact Chaldea?" Olga asked, but Lelouch responded by shaking his head.
"I see. So you are likely the only master to have rayshifted here."
"I think so, since you are the only living human being we have seen so far," Lelouch replied.
Olga took a deep breath, "Alright. Until we can regain contact with Chaldea, we'll carry on with the mission. I assume you have done more than wander around?"
"We defeated an enemy servant and located one of the homes of founders of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War. We were about to investigate it in search of any clues to explain what happened here when we heard your voice."
"I see," Olga replied. "I am glad to hear you have been productive in your efforts. I take it the mansion is intact, then?"
"Contrary to my expectations yes, I was quite surprised. It seemed a hostile Lancer was using it as a lair."
"Very well. I'll join you and we'll proceed with your investigation of the mansion," Olga said. Her voice was controlled but strained; it was clear she was trying to keep her composure.
This whole thing has shaken her badly, but it's not only that. Not knowing what happened to Chaldea is likely eating away at her. Lelouch thought.
But before they could leave, Lelouch's communicator began beeping. He quickly activated the device, triggering the materialization of a summoning-like circle, before a holographic projection of Sion behind a console appeared.
"Hello, this is Chaldea. Can anyone who is receiving this message respond?"
"Sion, this is Lelouch. Can you hear me?"
"Lelouch, glad to see you are still alive. Once again, my genius has proven itself," Sion replied with a big smile. "I guess modifying your coffin was the right decision after all."
"You did what?!" Both Olga and Lelouch exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh Director, you are there too? I guess my modifications to the Rayshift must've saved your life too. I call that a double win!"
"What did you mean by modifications to the coffin and the rayshift?" Lelouch asked, knowing if he didn't ask Olga would respond in a less than friendly manner.
"That, well, you were so nervous about today's mission that I went and got permission from Miss Da Vinci to make some improvements to the coffins. Sadly, I was only able to modify yours since Professor Lev asked me not to waste any more time," She grinned. "But he didn't know that I modified your coffin already. That was before I made some improvements to the Rayshift Systems themselves, so in an emergency it would automatically trigger Rayshifting in your coffin. As for coffin durability, it can withstand a direct hit from a tank shell thanks to my alchemy."
"Then how was the Director rayshifted here when the others weren't?"
"She must have been standing very close to your coffin when the emergency rayshift kicked in. The sudden power flux from the first explosion might've been a factor," Sion replied with a thoughtful expression.
"Is Rayshifting without a coffin possible?"
"It's not impossible. However, doing so without a coffin is extremely risky, since it's like a ship trying to stay in port without an anchor or something to hold it in place."
"So essentially, it would make rayshifting back exceedingly more difficult?" Lelouch replied.
"That's one of the many risks involved, yes," Sion said in agreement with a nod. "However, we might be able to bring the Director back by using Lelouch's coffin as a return point. Once we get everything else back up and running, that is."
"Wait, what happened to Chaldea?" Olga asked, a worried expression on her face. "And where is Lev?"
"Oh." Sion said before adopting a solemn expression. "It was a clear act of sabotage. Bombs were planted in the command center, and one in the main reactor room. As I speak, Chaldea is running on back-up generators while Da Vinci is overseeing efforts to repair and restore Chaldea to full power. I have been helping to get the command center and its systems up and running again, but restoring main power has been our primary concern at present. Recalling you guys would be difficult without Chaldea back at full power, but once the main generator is working again, we'll focus on restoring Rayshifting Functionality."
"What happened to the masters and Lev?" Olga demanded. Her composure was breaking.
Sion's expression changed, sadness written across her face. "I am sorry, but Professor Lev was in the command center when the bomb went off. You were lucky, though. You were standing on top of the bomb planted in Chaldeas's chamber. If not for that Rayshift, you would've been dead."
"I take it everyone else wasn't so lucky?" Lelouch asked.
"I must regrettably inform you that almost every master in a coffin is in critical condition. They are alive, but their life signs are failing despite our best efforts. Dr. Roman tells me we can save a few of them, but given the number of injured staff we have already, our medical supplies are very limited. He fears we won't have enough supplies and staff available to save them all at once."
"Then activate emergency cryo-preservation right now. You have my authorization to do so," Olga commanded in desperation. "I can't have almost fifty lives lost. I refuse to allow it to happen."
"Understood," Sion replied typing in the commands. "It is done, but the damage to Chaldea is extensive. Doctor Romani has been overseeing the efforts, since besides you, he's next in line to take command."
"Roman is in charge?" Olga asked, dismayed.
"Yes. I am afraid most of the command staff were in the command center as well, so the explosions claimed them. The only thing that survived the explosions was Chaldeas. The Doctor was next in line to take command since you weren't around," Sion replied.
"I see. It can't be helped, I suppose." Olga said.
"Anyway, I might have some good news," Sion mentioned. "According to the data, it seems two master candidates and a servant were sent to the Singularity shortly after you two arrived."
"I thought all of the master candidates were out of action?" Lelouch asked, but Sion was quick to correct him.
"I said almost, but it seems two arrived at the Singularity sometime after you did with a servant in tow."
"Another servant? Who summoned one?" Olga asked.
"We don't know," Sion replied shaking her head. "I'll try to contact them and then I'll direct them to your location."
"Not to intrude, but if you succeed in reaching them, warn them about the enemies and hostile servants. We encountered a Lancer-class servant and defeated her," Lelouch said.
"I'll warm them, provided that they haven't ran into one already," Sion replied.
"Tell Roman I'll be expecting a status report from him once he is able. I am not happy about him in charge, but there is little I can do about it. For now, do what you must. You have my permission to do what is necessary to get Chaldea fully operational so we can return home," Olga commanded.
"And I assume you all will continue with the mission?" Sion inquired, knowing the likely answer.
"Of course. Since we can't leave, we may as well continue the investigation. Contact us if there are any worthwhile developments," Olga said.
"Naturally. We'll keep you posted, and we'll conduct a security review to discover the identity of our saboteur," Sion added.
"Very well," Olga replied. The line went quiet.
"We'll show you to the mansion we found, Director. It could make for a useful base camp for the time being," Lelouch suggested.
"Good idea, I'll let you two lead the way."
"Then, Director, allow one of my servant's men to transport you. We'll reach our destination much more quickly on horseback."
Across the ruined city, Ritsuka was lying on the ground unconscious. Slowly, he began to stir. His memories of what had happened were fuzzy at best, but as consciousness began to return to him Ritsuka remembered.
What happened? Right after we were booted out for falling asleep during the briefing, we were sent to our rooms.
Mash had helped lead Ritsuka to his room, the pair having met earlier that day after he had passed out. Ever since their run in the simulator, both he and Hakuno had been overcome with exhaustion, since the simulators were usually taxing on first time users.
Oh yeah. The room. Doctor Romani.
It was during their discussion that something terrible had happened.
"Senpai!" Mash's said as Ritsuka started to stir as she turned to the other girl in the room. "Hakuno, I think sempai is waking up."
"About time. I was beginning to worry."
Ritsuka opened his eyes awakening to an unexpected sight. All around him he could see Fuyuki City in ruins, but his biggest surprise was when his eyes caught sight of Mash.
Instead of the casual clothes Mash wore earlier, the young woman wore armored boots and gloves along with a breastplate fitted for her. It was strange how it left her upper legs and arms exposed, but the most distinguishing feature was the enormous cross-shaped shield Mash was carrying.
"Mash is that you?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes, it's me senpai. Thank goodness you are awake," Mash answered, clearly relieved.
"What happened, and why are you wearing that outfit?"
Mash was confused, but tried to manage an answer.
"I am not completely certain myself, but I think I have become a Servant. After you tried to save me, a Heroic Spirit offered his power and Noble Phantasm to me. Then we suddenly awoke here in Singularity F," Mash answered.
Save you…
At that moment Ritsuka remembered everything, as it all came flooding back to him.
I remember now, while we were talking in my room. A pair of explosions shook the entire facility, so we all ran towards the command center.
Ritsuka remembered arriving at the command center alongside Hakuno and Roman, finding the entire chamber nearly demolished with only Chaldeas intact. Furthermore, there were fires raging within the command center. Then an alert had warned them that the main power generator had failed. Reserve power had activated, but it was critical for the main reactor to be restored.
In a panic Dr. Romani ran off to assist in emergency repairs of the main generator, although he urged Ritsuka and Hakuno to follow.
"IS ANYONE STILL ALIVE!?"
"Could anyone have really survived this?"
Without another word, Ritsuka hurried into the ruined command center. Hakuno followed close behind, ready to help even though he knew there might not be much they could do. As they searched the area near Chaldeas they found Mash, barely alive.
"Mash, are you alright?"
Ritsuka hurried to Mash's side. From the waist down, a huge slab of concrete had crushed her body completely. Ritsuka hurried up to her, kneeling by her side. Although they had known each other for less than a day, she mattered. Salvaging anything from this chaos, this… senseless tragedy would give some meaning to it all.
I can't believe she is still alive after something like that.
As Ritsuka knelt down to hold Mash's hand, Hakuno tried to move the slab of concrete off of Mash, but it was no use. It was far too big and heavy for a single human to move. Even knowing it was impossible, Hakuno kept trying while Ritsuka tried to comfort Mash. But the smoke and heat from the flames in the room washed over them, and they were both forced back.
Now they had awoken in Fuyuki City with Mash who was not only alive and completely healed, but changed somehow.
"I am guessing you remember what happened?" Hakuno asked, which earned a nod from Ritsuka.
"Yeah. But how did we end up here, and what happened to Mash?"
Hakuno seemed uncertain and just as confused about the situation as he was.
"I wish knew. Do you know anything, Mash? Especially with how you changed?"
Mash stared in confusion for a moment, before speaking up.
"I am not completely sure what happened, but as I lay dying, a Heroic Spirit appeared before me offering his abilities and Noble Phantasm so that I could live. He only asked that we resolve singularity F for him, so I accepted," Mash replied.
"So, the Heroic Spirit merged with you? Do you know who he was?"
Mash shook her head, "I am sorry. The Heroic Spirit didn't share his true name with me. Only his abilities and Noble Phantasm."
"That's unfortunate," Hakuno commented. "But, what does that mean for you? A Heroic Spirit merged with a human, isn't that impossible?"
"Normally no," Mash admitted. "But there are exceptional circumstances where it is possible."
"Ok," Ritsuka said before looking around. "By the way, uh, where are we?"
"We are in Fuyuki City during the year 2004 A.T.B," Mash answered. "This disaster must be a result of the singularity. Nothing like this ever happened before."
"Just what exactly happened here? This is worse than the ghetto on a bad day," Ritsuka remarked.
"Are there any survivors?" Hakuno inquired.
Mash shook her head, "As I waited for you two to awaken, I searched the area. I found no signs of life."
"What should we do? We can't simply sit around doing nothing." Hakuno said.
"I agree, but where do we start?" said Ritsuka.
Mash was about to make a suggestion when Ritsuka's communicator began buzzing. When he pushed a button, a projection of Sion appeared.
"Mash, is that you?" Sion asked noticing her.
"Oh, Miss Sion," Mash said, recognizing the Atlas alchemist.
"Just Sion is fine, Mash," she said. "Anyway, I am glad to see you're fine... wait a minute."
She gave Mash a good, hard, puzzled look.
"Right, my new appearance. I'll need to explain a few things," Mash admitted.
"Clearly. But who are those two with you?"
"This is Ritsuka, my master, and Hakuno."
"Your master?" Ritsuka asked, confused.
"Yes. You have the command seals on your right hand. That is proof of our bond as servant and master," Mash answered.
Ritsuka examined his right hand to discover three red marks tattooed onto the top of his hand.
"Clearly we have a lot to talk about, but I should fill you guys in on what happened," Sion said with a sigh, knowing this would be a long conversation.
Thanks to the Khan's riders, the group returned to the Matou Mansion quickly. Now they could investigate the home in the hopes of finding some clue about what happened. The Khan instructed his men to guard the estate in the event of enemy attack. Bound as they were to him, if one of his soldiers perished then he would know about it. In the meantime, they would also wait for the arrival of the other survivors and their servant.
Olga was searching the basement, looking for the Matou Family Workshop, while Lelouch and the Khan were searching the study and library upstairs for any notes or information that could give them a clearer picture about what happened.
During their search, Lelouch's communicator beeped again.
"What is it Sion?" Lelouch asked as the image of Sion materialized.
"Lelouch, is the Director nearby?" Sion asked, a serious expression on her face.
"No, but I can get her for you."
"Don't. This is something that needs to stay between us," Sion said, as Da Vinci stepped into view.
"Once we explain, you'll understand why," said the Italian.
"You have my full attention," Lelouch replied. As he spoke, the Khan walked towards the door.
"I'll keep an eye out for the director," said the spirit, nodding at his master.
"To begin, we have finished getting the command center back to working order, or at least enough that we have a stable line of communications with you. So far, only the systems related to Rayshifting remains and primary power has been restored," Da Vinci reported.
"That's good, but the matter about the saboteur is something the Director can't know about because she wouldn't believe it." Lelouch said. "The saboteur is Professor Lev, isn't it?"
"How did you know?"
"Just a calculated guess," said Lelouch, shrugging, "but I figured sabotage on this scale would be the work of somebody very high up the chain of command. Director Animusphere is here with us, and maybe I'm biased, but I don't see somebody like Roman pulling this off. That leaves professor Lev as the most likely candidate."
"Sharp as always." Sion said approvingly. "Yes, we strongly suspect Professor Lev is our saboteur. We're all but certain at this point."
"What's the evidence?"
"After we restored power, I went over the security recordings, which I had found were edited and looped as of yesterday," Da Vinci began, which led to Lelouch asking a question with a raised eyebrow.
"And your security personnel didn't notice?"
"They actually did… eventually, but they were caught in the explosion as they were investigating the area around the main reactor. More troubling is that we have found that the bombs were placed in high security areas that only select personnel could enter, but all logs for the keypads in these areas of Chaldea were wiped clean," Da Vinci explained.
"I take it you did find something?" Lelouch asked, noticing a growing grin on the inventor's face.
"Yes, I did. Reviewing our systems, the only one with the authority to do that would be either the Director herself or Professor Lev. Furthermore, at the same time you and your servant Rayshifted, the system recorded another rayshift happening at the same time." The Caster-class servant answered before adding. "With this in mind we searched Professor Lev's room and found what appears to be left over bomb parts."
"Then that confirms Professor Lev is our saboteur," Lelouch said. However, he thought he noticed some doubt in Da Vinci's eyes.
"Yet you seem uncertain?"
"I suppose the only problem is we don't understand what his motives would be. He more or less helped build Chaldea and worked as a trusted confidant and mentor to Olga for years, becoming a surrogate father to her. Professor Lev even created Sheba. For him to betray Chaldea like this makes no sense."
"And given Chaldea's mission to preserve humanity's future, the very idea someone hindering such a goal wouldn't make sense. In fact, I think no one expected an act of sabotage with this in mind, especially given how secretive Chaldea's existence is."
"Exactly right," Da Vinci confirmed with a nod. "Granted, there are some parties that might have interfered with Chaldea, but given the secrecy of our organization, none of them should have known."
"Regardless, I assume if we encounter Professor Lev, we should consider him hostile then?"
"Yes. And if need be, I would ask you stop Olga from doing something that might get her killed."
"Understood," Lelouch replied.
"By the way, we managed to contact the other masters that arrived in Singularity F. They are en route to your location to rendezvous," Sion added.
"That's good. Call me when they get near our location so I can tell the Khan to allow them entry," Lelouch replied.
"Alright, but be on your guard until then," Sion said as her image vanished, the communication line shutting down.
"Did you get all that?" Lelouch asked his servant.
"Correct. I'll be sure to be ready to prevent Olga from interfering and deal with Professor Lev, should we encounter him."
"Right, so back to searching then-" Lelouch said, interrupted mid-sentence as the Khan pushed him back, drawing his curved blade lightning fast. Lelouch was about to protest, when suddenly he saw the Khan's sword draw blood. Materializing and recoiling from the wound was a figure wearing a tattered robe and hood, masking their identity.
"Like I said master, I had to deal with more assassination attempts than I can remember."
The enemy servant was no doubt an assassin-class servant, considering how close it was able to get to Lelouch before the Khan noticed their presence. The assassin lunged, and the Khan met the attack head on.
"Master, warn the Director of the enemy attack," the Khan said, before kicking the assassin back.
"Right," Lelouch said, running to warn Olga.
The Assassin-class servant backed away, but this time hurled three daggers from inside their cloak at its foe. The Khan skillfully blocked the daggers with his shield. Unwilling to allow the assassin-class servant a chance to escape, the Khan pressed his attack. Armed with a dagger in one hand, the assassin engaged the Khan in a deadly melee. The assassin was not very strong, and the Khan's swings were powerful, but it was fast. So far, the assassin had managed to evade and parry successfully, despite the Khan's commanding strikes.
The assassin skipped back, readying its blades for a counter-attack. They lunged, but the Khan used his shield to block an axe kick before following up with a slash from his sabre in retaliation. The assassin weaved out of the way, attempting to slash the Khan's throat with a dagger, but the Khan guarded with his blade. The Mongolian pressed his attack with a series of heavy slashes, putting the assassin on their guard. He followed up with a kick, catching the assassin in the midsection. Finally hit, the assassin tried to recover yet the Mongol Emperor was unwilling to allow it. Before the assassin could regain its bearings the Khan came down with a heavy slash, the edge of his blade raking across its chest. The assassin winced in pain, and before they could recover, a heavy swing caught them in the neck. A moment later, their head rolled onto the floor.
"That's another one down," Lelouch said, returning with Olga. The pair had arrived just in time to witness the assassin evaporate into black mist.
"This one was strangely different from the Lancer we fought earlier. This assassin felt weaker. No, more like it was lacking something?"
"What do you mean?"
"I've dealt with many assassins who used different tricks to get close to me. However, a clear difference between them and the one I just killed is that this one was too direct to be an effective assassin," the Khan said.
"It didn't say a word or attempt to escape once its assassination failed," Lelouch remarked. "Strange."
"She said the Saber-class servant killed the other servants," Lelouch said as realization dawned on him.
"Yet some servants still remain?" The Khan said, curious.
"Theoretically, if a Servant is slain, their bodies could be maintained and used by a skilled enough mage with sufficient power as long as it is done before it vanishes. Its combat capabilities may be lowered, but such a thing could possibly be done," Olga said ponderously.
"Is that really possible?" Lelouch asked.
"I can't say for certain, but the body of a Servant is a highly advanced magical construct. Most tend to forget that given how the body of a Servant is almost indistinguishable from a human body, the energies that make up the body can be manipulated by a skilled mage once the Servant is killed, ensuring complete control over the empty husk if you will."
The Khan seemed skeptical. "I am no mage, but this seems to be beyond what a normal magic user is capable of."
"Well, we haven't encountered a Caster-class servant," Lelouch began. "If the Saber fighting in the Grail War killed all of the other servants, either this Saber has the skills and power needed to corrupt and control defeated servants, or it is the work of a Caster."
"Or someone with the skills and means is helping the enemy Saber," Olga added.
"All the more reason we need to find the source of this singularity and soon, because I am sure we'll face the other enemy servants soon enough," Lelouch said. exchanging looks with the Khan.
The battle was just beginning.
A/N: Well events of Singularity F are kicking off with Lelouch, Ritsuka and Hakuno as the only surviving masters with Genghis Khan and Mash as their servants.
Rest assured Hakuno will get her servant next chapter.
Thanks to Sion; not only did Lelouch avoid ending up in a coma but Olga has survived without loosing her body so there may be hope for her yet to live through this.
It was hard to ultimately decide to allow the rest of Team-A to endure their canon fates, but this was decided after much discussion between me, Greatratking88 and a few others to determine what was best for the story and weigh out every option I have considered. Ultimately, I decided to include Hakuno Kishinami as a alternate, which is to balance out the group of living humans for their upcoming adventures. With two boys consisting of Lelouch and Ritsuka and two girls being Mash and Hakuno to even things out so Mash isn't the only girl among the group.
In the next chapter they have more challenges ahead of them with more enemies, but will Olga survive Fuyuki this time?
I thank you all for reading and I hope to get the next chapter out soon once I get it back from Greatratking88.