Warning: This fanfic dealt with probably controversial themes and you may find it not suitable for you. If you still decide to read, then stay strong and brace yourself for what you are about to read. This story here happens in Arc 2 and thus may contain some spoilers.
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Chapter 12: Death's Embrace
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His memory... is in flux, he watched the missile as it detonates and brings everything surrounding it into oblivion. Now, he not even sure if he is still alive or not, he just... feeling absolutely nothing at all. Like... he never existed, to begin with. Until... he saw a distant light in the distance. He walked towards it and soon engulfed by it. It is another piece of memory but who is it belong to? He braced himself, for whatever to come
He woke up and saw himself standing in the cellar. He recognized this place, this place is where the previous fragment of Alfin's memory ended. But why now? Why does he have to be here now? He thought solemnly for a while before he decided that if he is, there must be something important that ended up being a sharp turn in her life. After that, he quickly exits the cellar and walked downstairs.
Things are awfully quiet, despite being nothing less than a phantom in this world. Like there is something in the air that he can't quite tell what but it is making him feel the sense of dread. It makes him fear that something is happening.
And then his instinct confirmed itself when he heard the sounds of crying. Quickly following where the sounds come from he entered through the door. He saw a little boy who is lying motionlessly on the bed with a piece of rag placed carefully on his head which Arnold guessed that it is to be used for cooling the fever. He wanted to check what kind of illness he is going through but because he is completely transient in this world, his hand phased through the little boy's head. He then turned his sight on the woman who is crying as she trying to tend to the little boy's illness.
He decided to give up trying to find any way to help and proceed to find Alfin, hoping that she won't be looking so miserable this time around. But once again, not so hopeful anymore. She is looking completely miserable as he can notice a lot more scars on her than before to the point that he felt pity for witnessing such a sight like this. He checked the surroundings a bit and sees there is nothing in the pantry. Is there a famine going on right now?
The young Alfin then stands up, grabbing the ragged school bag and walked out of her house. He then followed her, hoping that there won't be anything bad happens to her.
He followed her as she goes to the hellhole that was called her school, the sky is cloudy, leaving no hole for the sun to shines. He noticed that there are also a lot fewer people around right now. To think that famine and outbreak happening simultaneously at the same time, he honestly can't think of anything that would make it worse.
He entered the town and for once again did he got proven wrong, there are stenches of death around this place, the smell of rotting emanated the whole place. He can't contact with things physically but can still sense the atmosphere around him. This depressing sight would have a toll on everyone's mental health if left like this.
He then reached her school and prepared to see the same whiplash that tortured her till now. He phased through the gate and then checked up on her classroom. It was just as he thought, not even children are spared from this epidemic for he could tell the difference between two fragments of memory. There are only a few children left, the number can't even go beyond the number of fingers on his one hand. At this point, one wouldn't exactly have the mind to study or more exactly, preaching of religion in a time like this. Within such a sight like this, God has already abandoned them.
He then waits for that failure of a teacher to come, expecting a beatdown on the poor soul that was called Alfin. However, another person entered the place, not that landwhale who abused authority. He didn't think that someone like that would enter a place like this. On a closer look, it is a man and he is carrying canvas and a stack of papers with him. He is also carrying what looks like a set of brushes and assorted paints.
"So... uh... Considering the time like this, all of you might not be in the mood for studying and I don't blame it. From what I know, the church is sending out doctors so that they can quell the outbreak to the best they could. Today, we will learn something else and it is art. So I'll give you all a piece of paper and brush so that you can practice art, shall we?" The man said as he tried to cheer the class up.
The class was silent for a while, they have a good reason to because they don't exactly want to associate with an unknown person. That is until when Alfin stood up and asked.
"Teacher? Where is our previous teacher? What happened to her?" Alfin asked in worry.
"About her... I'm afraid that she came down with a disease, or to be more precise, the rest of the staff of this school did. Not only they stubbornly remain to preach of the word of God that they have also unknowingly infected everyone around here except for those who luckily chose a day off. About the future of this school, this place is bought over and will be renovated. I am just here first to see what my students will be like." The man said as he explained his side of the story.
Alfin then reluctantly sitting down but before she did, she asked:
"Mr. Teacher... What's your name?" Alfin asked as she quickly covered her head.
"Oh dear, what happened to make you such a pessimistic person like this? Anyway, my name is Dumas. And what's your name." The new teacher replied with his so-called elegance.
"Uhm... My name is Alfin. It is nice to meet you." Alfin said as she slowly lowers her guard.
"That's a beautiful name, it is nice to know you too." The man said to her.
He then gives everyone a piece of paper and a brush, he also placed the buckets of paints on the teacher's desk and the students can dip the color they wanted. Everyone quickly gets on to what they wanted to draw except for Alfin who is staring at the piece of paper, not knowing what to do. She then burst into tears and cried. Dumas quickly intervene and checked what's going on.
"What's wrong, Alfin?" Dumas said as he approached her.
"I... I... I don't know what to draw..." Alfin said as she tried to get over her own sadness.
"Don't worry about that, not everyone gets their inspiration instantly the moment they grabbed their brushes. If it is not the things around you then why don't you put your emotions into it. Sometimes, words can't tell all of what your feelings wanted to say. When that happens, only actions are adequate. Arts is one of the mediums that you can use to express it. Why don't you let your feelings be your guide, not only you can pent up the feelings swelling up inside but also helps you master your artistic ability by a very great amount." Dumas said to his student
Alfin then weeps her tears away and picked the brush and dips the paint bucket with the color she chose. She then put all of her emotions into it, into every line and movement of her. The melancholic feelings became her drive into the painting itself. She just let all of them loose so that she won't feel any regret. Arnold just looked at her painting attentively and before he realized, he has already got captivated by it to the point that he forgot how much time passed. And before he noticed, she said done. Dumas then picked up her drawing and assess it to the best of his ability.
"For a simple drawing, this actually surpasses my expectation of how I think a beginner would be. It is a lot more stylized than how I expected although comparing it to how many other works of arts are, this thing is a sketch at best but you have the potential to widely known by the world, you know. Although this probably just me, there is something about this painting that it is simultaneously whole yet lacking something." Dumas said as he gives his assessment.
For the first time, Arnold sees a smile on young Alfin's face. That smile of her is like a light within the abyss. One that would gives a renewed hope for the future despite being forsaken for all who knows. Arnold can't help but smile that the day of her torture at the school she goes finally ended.
"And that's the day, kids. Because of the circumstances going on, we will get the day off earlier. It is up to you if you wanted to join this art class but if you wanted to, you can join with me to hone the artistic ability to your best. Now, I am off." Dumas said before he packing things up and left.
The rest of the students also did the same, Alfin for the first time not being broken sobbing mess on the floor, happily packing things up and leave the classroom for the first time satisfied. Arnold also felt the same thing, he then follows her hoping that thing would at least end in a better note.
On a lone path to her home, he noticed that the sky has turned darker than before, could be time messing with his perception. But when he got closes to the proximity of her home, his body instinctively pulled back. A tremendous sense of dread emanating from the area. Suddenly, Alfin quickly runs ahead into her home, Arnold quickly follows up and he saw her throwing her school bag into the side and climbing up the stairs.
Arnold then realized the possibility. That sick little kid who was being tended to by his mother. The possibility that he didn't want to acknowledge but considering the situation right now, he got no choice to consider it. He quickly traces his step back to the room where that little kid is being treated and... it was just as he expected. It was too late...
"No... NO!" Alfin burst in tears as she was faced with the fact of her brother's death.
That kid, he died without knowing what left behind. When did he draw his last breath, nobody knows. The depressing feeling course over the room, there is nothing but the crying of everyone's here. Her mother and sister, crying for the loss of their loved one, it was never easy to see their love one depart from them. Until he suddenly feels a cold shiver went down his spine, he then looks at the door as it slammed open in the next second. And at the door is that dastard old man, the failure of an excuse of Alfin's "father". That man has an unreadable expression on his face but one thing Arnold can tell for sure is the fury that is extruding from him is overflowing like a volcano.
"You fucking bitch!" The old man yelled with a voice that is so full of rage that it makes even the most courageous tremble in fear.
The old man then grabbed Alfin's by her hair and dragged her. And he still has the gal to drag her face along the staircase as she cried in pain. It was if she is seen as a slave, not his flesh and blood.
When the man walks by the front entrance, the dog from outside seeing its master being mistreated. It quickly lunges toward the old man and bit him in the leg. The man winced as the dog bit him until he slammed his bitten leg along with the dog on the wall. It cried in pain as the old man grabbed it by the neck and slammed it repeatedly into the wall without mercy. Alfin tried to make her "father" stop hurting her dog only to have him slam her into the wall like her dog. And then he proceeds to drag both of them into the basement where he will exact his punishment.
He then threw her into a chair then using a rope to bind her hands, legs and her necks into the chair that he forced her into. And then he shoved a piece of dirty rag into her mouth. She wanted to scream but she can't, she can't move or do anything at all but to stare at what her "father" will do to her dog.
And to rub salts into open wound, he grabbed a shovel and then bash her dog repeatedly with it, the way he did it is completely merciless. The fact that there is no limit to one's atrocity is one of mankind's greatest weaknesses. And when the dog is nothing more but a sobbing mess on the ground with the majority of its bones being completely broken, he then grabbed the double-barreled shotgun that is hanging on the wall and then pushed into her hand and forced it in a way that would make her pulled the trigger.
"You fucking cunt. If you weren't constantly sparing food for this piece of useless shit. Your brother would have enough to eat so that he wouldn't be so weak when he got caught by the disease. This is all of your faults!" The man yelled at her while acting like he didn't commit any atrocity.
Her dog is lying there while breathing weakly, the thing is in great pain and is going to die soon. And what exact basis did he thought being well-fed would give him the immunization to the disease!? That landwhale of a failure of a teacher died to this disease and a kid being fed a little more food would do better!? Her "father" is being a moron and hypocrites at the same time and only tries to justify his actions with an iron fist.
Arnold got down there and witnessed the whole thing, he clenched his fists, wanting to beat that moron of a "father" into a bloody pulp but he is just a phantom and can't interact with anything at all in this world and he really hates it. Alfin there who is being consumed completely by fear as her body shaking impulsively from the overdosing stress. She doesn't want to kill her own dog, not even when hell befalls on this world. She tried to aim the shotgun in a different direction and pulled it. The recoils knocked over the chair that she was bound into the ground. The man cursed nonstop at her own 'incompetence' while ignoring all of the sensible logic. That man has already consumed by madness long ago. He took the shotgun out of Alfin's hand and intended to kill the thing himself. Alfin tried to cry to tell her father to stop but that man has never cared about her to begin with.
The sounds of the shotgun fired and a death throe of the dog followed. Arnold's vision turned into full of blood-red and soon everything falls into darkness. For the first time, never has a memory has made him so fearful and unnerved like this. He wanted to put an end to that tyranny but it seems like it will have to be put into another time. His consciousness soon shifted from the fragmented past into reality.
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Growing Doubt
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When Arnold woke up in cold sweat, the fiery vision is long gone, when there is supposed to be nothing left. In a crater of its aftermath, remaining the heroes. But... all of them are unscathed, by the last-second intervention that saved all of their life.
"Ugh... it... is blinding... Wait... we are still alive!?" Shirou said as he realized that he is lying on the bottom of a massive crater with virtually no signs of harm on his body...
"Wait... What!?" Arnold said as he realized that he is still breathing regardless.
Everyone soon picked themselves up from the ground, seeing that they are at the bottom of the crater. But what makes them confused is how they managed to survive such a powerful attack like that with no sustained injury. It supposed to be the end but here they are, still alive regardless.
And then, all of their eyes are turned on Alice who is standing gracefully. Just who on earth is she? Why is she so powerful despite being in an era like this? What the hell is the Noble Phantasm that she used which is on par of age of old mystery? There are too many mysteries surrounding her that it just not making sense.
"Is everyone alright? If so then shall we be going?" Alice said in a calm voice.
That calmness of her for some reason is irritating. But also finding it calming. How it managed to contradict each other makes him beg the question.
"Yeah... We might as well as going now. They might send some troops to make sure we are dead or not. Might as well make use of the fact that they think we are dead." Kiritsugu said.
"By the way, I should at least check up on the Shadow Border, they might be bawling their eyes out by now," Gudao said as he activated his comm.
And when the connection made through, he is suddenly bombarded with a massive amount of voices that was jumbled with each other asking one same question. "Master! Are you alright!?" It makes him proud that he has so many Servants that put their faith in him but he needs to get this over already.
"Da Vinci, what is the status right now?" Gudao asked the little girl who is wearing a Victorian-era dress.
"Master... I... I was so worried that we might have been doomed. The fact that humanity's last hope might have been snuffed. It just... I was so happy to see that you are alright..." Da Vinci said while trying to control the swelling of her emotions.
"Yeah... That I know already, I am asking you to give us an overview of how large the explosion of that missile and the size of the crater that was created in its aftermath. We need to get out of here really quick since our survival can be used as leverage against them." Gudao said to Da Vinci
"Oh, about that. I calculated that the size of the blast was around 16 kilometers and the crater resulted in the aftermath was of the same, it might have been best to assume that the blast you saw was more of a massive fireball with the heat potency of 32 times greater than the sun itself. So because of that, there is virtually no chance of survival unless you used an Absolute Defense NP. So which one of you has it?" Da Vinci asked.
"From the last of those few seconds. I saw Alice cast something on us. That thing might have been the reason why we are still alive even now. I don't know if I can put all of my faith in her. There are too many unknown circumstances surrounding her that I felt I can't trust her at all. But... all Servants deserved a chance to prove themselves and so I shall supervise her whenever I could." Gudao said to Da Vinci.
"Well, good luck with that. That's all I could do to help you." Da Vinci said before Gudao turned off his communicator again.
Gudao sighed, he honestly doesn't know what he should do right now. But there still is one objective that he should focus on, always. Berlin, the heart of Reich, where all answers lie.
"Everyone, we have to move on, now..." Gudao commanded the rest of the Servant to follow him.
And so they moved together, to get out of the aftermath of the very battle that roared on through the whole day. Lightning soared from the distance, illuminating the darkness around him and shown them what has happened at that moment. It is all like a blight within one specific spot of everyone's memory.
And so they slowly moving through, perhaps they will make it to the next ring without any complications on their parts, considering they are presumed dead.
It is just all one straight forward journey towards it.
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Oncoming Disaster
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Meanwhile at the Heart of Reich
"Ugh..." The Fox mumbled as he lies on the floor of the teleporter room as he tried to crawl... Although he may have achieved his "victory", losing his legs is still a painful blow although the technology here is capable of rebuilding his legs soon.
Soon, two of his allies came to help him. They noticed how bad his injuries are just by looking at him alone as they tried to pull him up. Those two are Servants if there are any indications.
"Woah... What happened?" The youngster with a nameplate attached to his shirt with the word "Jager" written on it.
"They were far more powerful and smarter than how I expected, but nonetheless, I did my job perfectly." The man said tiredly as he is being carried by the shoulder.
"Guess we no longer have to worried about them, right?" The old man wearing an aviator's goggle said.
"The most likely chance is yeah. That missile when detonated will results in a fireball with the core heat of roughly 185 times the heat of the Sun and a blast radius of 16 kilometers. Not even a top tier Servant could withstand that without any Absolute Defense NP." The Fox said with a rough smile.
"And any of them who have it would have been erased by the EKS, I assumed?" The old man said.
"Yeah... I would like to go to the infirmary, now..." Fox said as he started to really feel tired.
When the two of them shoulder carrying the Fox, they once again came across that same albino lady from the last time. One can hardly mistake that snow-white hair and blood-red eyes like that. They passed by each other and the lady greeted them first.
"Nice to meet you- Wait, what happened to him?" The lady said before realizing the man that is being shoulder-carried lost both of his legs and seems to be not in a mood for talking.
"I'm sorry but we can have a talk later. Now, we need to take him to the infirmary first." 'Jager' said so that he could at least done with what he needs to do first.
"Oh... I understand then..." The lady said sadly then moves on.
Jager can't help but keep looking at her, there is something that is captivating yet he can't quite put it into words, he is a soldier, not a poet. But there is one thing noticed from her attire, he sure that he doesn't remember it being white lab coat but there is also a nameplate on her shirt that said "Scien-" for he only notices it in the last milliseconds. He could guess that she belongs to the Science Division but why does she walking around here right now.
"Oh come on, Jager. You don't lose your track in the middle of the mission." The old man said to Jager as they are about to pass the infirmary.
"Oh, sorry," Jager said as he broke out of his line of thought.
Perhaps it is best left to the future, there is no use hypothesizing without real evidence or information. He also realized how silence everything is. It felt like, nobody is doing anything of real meaning.
After both of them put the Fox on the infirmary bed carefully. They then leave the room and hope that things will turn for the better.
"So, who is on patrol duty this time around?" Jager asked the old man as both of them walked down the hallway.
"From what I know, it is... the Beast," The old man said the information to him as if it were common knowledge.
"The Beast..." Jager thought about it, the idea of facing him alone is completely madness in itself. That guy would eat you alive from a meat grinder if you dear wish to fight him.
And so they continue on. Believing that all of this has already ended. But little did they know, the oncoming clashes will be beyond any disaster that can be capable of
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Preparation For A New Day
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Back to Chaldeans' position
"You know... I am really started to miss that hotel but there is no doubt that the thing is gone. I really missed its bed, its comfort, and I really hate the idea of a cold hard ground for a place to sleep." Illya said as she eating the stew her brother prepared for everyone.
Everyone managed to get out of the massive crater that was resulted from the detonation of the missile. From what is reported, they sustained 'absolutely no injury' at all. On one hand, they felt thankful for Alice's help but on the other hand, they feared what she might be capable of, especially to replicate the effect of an Absolute Defense NP.
"Why does everyone give me that look?" Alice asked as she rests gracefully nearby the window.
The place that they are hiding is simply a 'small to medium' estate about 5 kilometers away from the outer edge of the crater, it still has enough room for everyone but not as comfortable as the hotel that they used to rest in. And by 'have enough room', it means everyone has to split up evenly between the buildings in the estate.
"Sigh... now, where can I go find a place to build a workshop?" Richard said as he whips out a cigarette and then ignites it.
Arnold meanwhile stares at Richard with an unamused face, to build a workshop in a time like this? However, in the next moment, he felt a shivering chill going through his spine. It is like he just got into close proximity to someone with extreme killing intents. Arnold then turned his head to his back and saw Alfin using her Soulburst Forge just to create an array of cannons and on her hand is a pistol aimed it at Richard. That eyes of her are empty like the void itself. He stared into the void and the void stared back.
"I'll give you 30 seconds to snuff that shit before I'll make the Holocaust look like a fucking joke," Alfin said with an intimidating voice that unnerved in the most mentally prepared.
Richard then panickily snuffs his cigarette out and runs away in the direction towards the basement area. Alfin then retracted all of her weapons away. She then apologizes to Arnold for using unnecessary forces like this.
"I'm... I'm sorry for acting like what you see before." Alfin apologized before she goes her way.
Arnold then stares at her back as she goes away, what on earth has made her like this to make her acting like that over something so trivial like smoking? And then Arnold realized that her 'father' might have been a smoker and it probably caused PTSD for Alfin. But still, there's something that he wanted to know about. The Holocaust. For some reason, he doesn't even know what is it. He then searched out for anyone who might know what is the Holocaust but also the same time felt like he might get egged on for not knowing it.
"Screw it. Beter be stupid for a moment than being stupid for eternity." Arnold thought.
He then comes across Gudao who is sitting on a couch. He then tried to make himself casually approaching Gudao, however, Gudao has already seen through it.
"Are you here for something? Those movements of your just feel really forced that it is jarring." Gudao said to Arnold so that he doesn't have to make himself more stupid.
Arnold then just moves and sits next to Gudao. He has a burning question he needed to ask right now.
"Gudao... What's the Holocaust?" Arnold asked straightforward.
Gudao's expression became unamused. What Arnold just asked is a sensitive matter that not everyone wanted to bring up. However, it might be better in the long run. But what also makes him felt suspicious is that the Holocaust is one thing that he is sure every Servant is aware of.
"Do you know who initiated WW2?" Gudao asked Arnold.
"Uhm?" Arnold draws a blank when he was asked with the said question.
"So it seems that only your memories are actually brought back, not any knowledge at all. Understandably then, I shall explain it in detail for you." Gudao said as he proceeds to do what he supposed to, infodump on Arnold.
"WW2 is initiated by Adolf Hitler as he declared war on Europe itself in the attempt to achieve world domination. In the process, he builds many concentration camps and pushes all of the Jewish people he found into them and execute them all. You could say this was mass genocide as the process uses majorly gas chambers and some other stuff. In the end, this results in the death of 7 million Jewish people. Supposedly. This doesn't even include mass civilians murder, human shields, and various war crimes..." Gudao said as he explains the basic overview of WW2.
Hearing about how WW2 happened, the Holocaust and everything surrounding it. Arnold gained the insight of the event itself but he can't help but wonder. How did something like this happen? Why was there no one stood up to stop it before it happened?
"Master Gudao, why did something like this happened? If a widescale war like this caused so much destruction, wouldn't one tried to stop it from happening?" Arnold asked.
"That's the point, humanity won't learn anything unless it deals irreversible damage to itself. Even in a widescale war like this. Also, if it weren't for the fact that they made Germany followed an unfair treaty that it has to cause another world war to make it revoked." Gudao answered.
Arnold then wanted to follow up on the question, the most important that he may ask.
"Do you think, that Hitler might still be alive, even now?" Arnold asked.
"That... That's a good question. Considering that the Nazis still going strong, that possibility should be considered." Gudao said.
Arnold then became silence, he has his question answered. But then, why? Why does he feel like something around is missing? Like he couldn't quite put it into words.
"Got any question to ask?" Gudao asked Arnold again.
"No, I got all of the things I wanted to ask. Thanks for your help." Arnold said before he leaves the room Gudao was in.
"Sigh, if it weren't for the fact that we have to work with each other and the fact he got amnesia, I would have preferred not to speak about WW2 at all. But perhaps it is probably for the better to revise it when I could." Gudao talked to himself.
Gudao then lies on the couch, with his eyelids started to close itself. Hoping that he'll brace himself for whatever to come.
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The Feeling of a Sister
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Meanwhile at Shadow Border
Words of God: For this part, play Fate stay night - Ever Present Feeling
"I have to do something, even if I can't be there to fight, I should at least giving them some insights. To the library!" Sitonai said as she walks towards the library halls.
Chaldea's original library was much bigger than the one Shadow Border has right now. Even then though, it is still more than enough for others to use it. This place is always on 24/7 for there isn't much place for writer Servants to do their stuff without being annoyed by the slightest noise. Sitonai walked slowly through the entrance and was first greeted by the librarian, Medusa. The most unexpected person you could guess to be a librarian.
"Hey, are you here for something?" Medusa asked Sitonai.
To be fair, Medusa was also a goddess before got cursed by Athena. She has the allure of a mature woman and the petrifying came mostly from her eyes which are being suppressed by the glass she wore.
"Oh, I am just here to check up on history books, especially the WW2 era. I just wanted to help my family in any way I could. Even if I couldn't be there to fight for them." Sitonai said.
"That... I understand... Very well, you can read any book here as long as you keep the place not noisy." Medusa said to the little girl in front of her.
"Thank you..." Sitonai said to Medusa as she entered the place.
She quickly grabbed herself some books regarding WW2 and then she noticed a small book that seems to be out of place compared to the other in its current place. She then pulled it out and read its cover.
"It's... a book of 1900s war heroes," Sitonai said as she realized that she actually got the jackpot.
She wondered why something like this is here and unnoticed. She then takes it along with her and placed all of them on the table. When she checked the content itself, she then understands why it wasn't noticed at all, or more exactly... ignored. The content was pitiful at best but it did have some insight and some figures but not explained properly. She has to do some real research if she wanted to get anywhere at all.
"This will be a long journey..." Sitonai said as she sighed.
In roughly an hour later of nonstop wrestling with information and knowledge, she felt so tired that she wanted to throw in the towel. She writes out all of the information on a notebook and there just still a massive amount of unprocessed information that she has to do. The fact that she actually putting in this much effort actually very commendable.
"You know, I think I'll take a break. No point getting exhausted in the first place." Sitonai said as she slowly closes the books while still keep the bookmarks on.
The feeling of drowsiness started to get her, Sitonai decided that she wanted to get a nap before doing anything else. However, before she truly fell asleep, she heard a conversation nearby.
"Hey, it is nice to see you here. You have something to do?" The voice of an old gentleman can be heard.
"It's you, Moriarty. Strange to see you in a place like this. Usually, you would spend your time plotting something against Sherlock for the sake of it." The voice of an upstanding strategist can be heard.
"Oh, you see through me completely, Mr. Waver. But it is strange to see you being here too, most of the time, you would spend it getting along with Iskandar but here you are. So what are you doing here?" Moriarty asked Waver out of genuine concern.
"You saw it through me, you know. In that singularity, our Master is facing up against an unknown threat, an enemy that can easily create weapons that overpower even many threat of previous Singularities, and even Lostbelts too. And to make the matter worse, he only has a limited amount of Servant with him, and not even the powerful one can be brought. It is precisely because of it that I felt I had to do something. You have also seen it through the observation chamber, you know..." Waver said as he felt so incompetent that he can't even directly assist his Master.
"You... Me too... You know the Pseudo-Singularity that I created intentionally so that our Master can be mentally prepared for Lostbelt? I tried to make sure that he can brave against those threats, the betrayals, enemies... And I too have unintentionally forgotten one thing in my grand equations. Our Master... he is being forced to grow up too fast for the sudden change of his life..." Moriarty said as he felt regrets...
"All those tragedies and tried to not breakdown against it. I know that he is trying to make it easy and says it is to restore humanity's foundation. But... I felt like he is trying to force himself to accept all of the consequences of all of the actions that he has done and to accept it. The fights, the deaths that they caused, the betrayals that happened. It is all too cruel for him, and the Lostbelts, even our fellow Servants started to abandon hope and the events unfolded have also scarred and broke him." Waver said with a worrying mood
"And that kid, he knew damn well that he won't be ever able to have a normal life, and if he won't do so, nobody will. I share with him my evil plots and the darkness of the human heart. But not with the intention to corrupt him but to give him the conviction to triumphant against them. To be humanity's last hope, that naive kindness of his... has to go..." Moriarty said as he worries about his Master dearly and his regrets can be felt.
"That kid's burden, it will just pile up nonstop and he has nobody to share it to. That burden one day will come crash on him. All I can really do is to back him up when that finally happened." Waver said in a sad tone.
Then the two walked away from her location, their murmurs soon can't be heard anymore. Sitonai opened her eyes and looked sadly. She then understands that not only her family is at stake but her Master too. The burden that he forced himself to carry, he will kill himself over it and when that happened, it will be the end of humanity itself. She can't let that happen. Not after being given this second chance at life and unable to repay the debt that she has for him.
She then picked up her pen again. This time, she is far more determined. This isn't just to help her family, it is to help her Master. Putting the souls of her into every word, she swore that she won't let her Master burden himself like this anymore.
"._.""._.""._."
Another Day
"._.""._.""._."
He is here, once again walking within a wasteland than stretching itself till the horizon. There's no living soul here, only the corpses of those that he responsible for their deaths. Whether it was someone who he not even knowing or even a Servant that fought tooth and nail against him. The sacrifice that he was forced into, he never allowed them to go to waste, for that is disrespecting the souls that were sacrificed in the first place.
"...I have become Death... destroyer of worlds..." Gudao whispered, not for anyone but only to himself...
He then stared into the pillar that was on the horizon. It is cracking, and will soon collapse. He doesn't know why it is here... Is it a euphemism of his mental health?
The pillar then completely cracked, no longer able to support this world. Everything then suddenly collapses along with it and Gudao doesn't have any care about it even right in front of the face of it.
He then fell into the darkness below the world, like descending into the abyss, and never saw the light again as he floating within it, like the only thing left at the end of his path...
"Master! Wake up!"
Gudao suddenly woke up, realizing that he is lying on the couch. His Servant nearby him is placing a bowl of stew near him. Gudao then wipes the sweat off his forehead then sits on the couch.
"Thanks... Archer..." Gudao said to his Servant.
"Yeah... Are you alright?" Shirou asked his Master.
"I'm fine... There's nothing to worry about." Gudao said to Shirou.
"You always say that but you in fact not, I am right?" Shirou said.
"Even if I could tell you, there is really no way that you could help me in the slightest in that aspect. Just swear to me that you will fight to the best of your ability, OK?" Gudao said to his Servant.
Gudao then reaches for the bowl of stew. Suddenly, he received a call from the Shadow Border itself. He then reaches for his communicator then answers the call.
"Good morning! Master!" Da Vinci said to her Master cheerfully.
"Yeah, good morning. By the way, how much distance left before we reach Berlin?" Gudao asked Da Vinci.
"About that, you have about 135 kilometers left. You surely have cut down the distance by a lot so don't give up now!" Da Vinci said in a cheerful tone to bring up her Master's mood.
"Well, thanks. I guess?" Gudao said before he turns off the comm.
"Wait! Let me talk to Shirou personally first!" Da Vinci said to stop her Master from turning the comm off.
"Tsk, fine..." Gudao said annoyedly before handing it out to his Servant.
Shirou then took hold of the communicator and then exit the room his Master is in. After that, he then talks with Da Vinci.
"Ok, what do you want to talk about that you can't disclose it to my Master?" Shirou asked.
"Well, this is something that our Master mustn't hear, you follow up, Shiki..." Da Vinci said before she gives the comm to somebody else. Shirou was eventually shocked by the person that Da Vinci gives to.
That person... is Void Shiki...
"Woah! What are you doing here?!" Shirou said while suppressing his surprise.
Void Shiki is no doubt the strongest of all Servants. She is the physical manifestation of the Root itself, containing boundless power with the capabilities to annihilate even Lostbelt with a single cut her blade, even Gil and Karna can't measure up to her at all. The only reason she doesn't even use her power to full potential because she is so bored with having everything handed to her. A god has no need to prove themselves, if they do, they are either lying or mad. And it is precisely because of that she is nothing more than a spectator unless things reach breaking points.
"Ok... What are you here for, Void Shiki?" Shirou asked her.
"Oh, you know... I could have easily entered the Singularity and makes everything I fight looked like a child play. However, I also detected something within it, call it insight, foresight or anything. Somebody in there has the power even measured up to me... If I were to enter, a clash between us will no doubt unfold and it will devastate the whole planet. I would say... I have finally met my match" Void Shiki said with concern for the first time around.
Shirou thinking about it worriedly, anything that warrants Void Shiki's attention is either extremely powerful or they are someone of interest. And what she said just struck both at the same time. Shirou now has to take that into account wherever he goes in this place.
"Oh and by the way, how is our Master right now?" Void Shiki then asks Shirou about their Master.
"He's... He's alright... I guess?" Shirou replied base on what he knows.
"How many times did he wake up in cold sweat or completely uncomfortable?" Void Shiki asked Shirou again.
"I don't know but based on what happened recently, he did indeed woke up in a cold sweat just a while ago." Shirou replied straightforwardly.
"Good to know then, he has been doing so since the collapse of the first Lostbelt. He is so restless that he could have broken down one day. Shirou, as your fellow Servant in arms, please keep our Master from falling to the darkness of his own heart, don't let him succumb to his innermost despair." Void Shiki said before she turns off the comm herself.
Shirou then falls silent, he knows well that his Master is carrying a burden greater than the world itself. But not only that but the fact that somebody with power equal to Void Shiki is present here doesn't make things easier. But even then, they still have to move forward. Shirou then returns the comm back to his Master and then he walked out, all he can do here is to steel his conviction so that he won't falter when he goes up against a new enemy.
"._.""._.""._."
Painting of Sorrow
"._.""._.""._."
Meanwhile in the Basement
"Damn, this place is oddly large, was this supposed to be warehouse because there are many leftover supplies here..." Richard said as he checked the place.
Alfin also followed him and also try to sorts the whole place up.
"I wouldn't have been so uneasy hadn't you pulled that stunt like that," Richard said as he felt uncomfortable with the idea that she might pull something when he does even the most simple stuff like smoking.
"Sorry, it just, I have some sort of trauma and vendetta against smoking that it just makes me act like that. I didn't mean to make you scared of me." Alfin said to Richard.
"All is forgiven, I shall stay away from you as far as I could so that I don't trigger whatever stigma you had," Richard said as he keeps the distance between him and Alfin.
While Richard picking up another crate, he found something, two empty canvases that were placed behind, there is also some unopened black paint buckets and brushes. Alfin's attention was then suddenly drawn towards them. She slowly approaches them and then touched them with her finger, like finding something again after losing it.
Arnold who just got down there noticed that Alfin is acting strange, he then tried to get Alfin's attention.
"Alfin?" Arnold said as he tried to break her from continuing to stare at the two canvas.
"Ah! Yes?" Alfin then breaks out of her line of thought.
"You seem oddly mesmerized by those canvases. What exactly did you find about them that got your attention like this?" Arnold asked.
"Oh... It... is nothing. It just..." Alfin tried to excuse herself.
Arnold then thinks about what happened in her past. She has a thing for art, perhaps, there might be a way for him to understand her further.
"Hey, uh... Do you know how to draw?" Arnold said as he tied to pique her interest.
She doesn't want to answer, of course, nobody would talk about their past hobby, not at a time like this.
"I know how to draw too, so... do you want to-" And before Arnold spoke all of his sentences, Alfin gazed back at him with starry eyes as if she found a person with a common interest with her.
"Hey, Richard! Can we borrow those canvases?" Alfin asked Richard.
"Just take it if you want to, I got much more important things to do," Richard said as he wanted to stay away from Alfin for a while.
She then takes the two canvases along with her and Arnold also followed her. Richard then sets up the table so that he can prepare his workshop.
"I need to be able to improve my Master's armor. At this rate, he won't be able to last the upcoming trails ahead of him. But first, I need to make a mana filter first so that he could breathe here without being subjected to mana poisoning." Richard said as he setting things up.
After a while, the workshop is complete. But looking at the tasks ahead, things are just started.
"...This is going to take a while..." Richard whispered for nobody to hear.
Meanwhile, both Arnold and Alfin got to the top floor. The place has windows that overlook the surrounding areas of the estate. If one could ignore the glaring crater that took a large chunk in the distance, it would become quite beautiful scenery that can be observed from this place.
"Too bad that the rain is too great to draw with details but we could make do with a simple sketch, right?" Alfin said cheerfully after knowing that she has a fellow artist to talk to.
"Yeah..." Arnold said after he placed the canvas.
After that, they start to paint. There isn't anything that is exquisite about how they draw, they don't have the capability to make whatever they draw real. Nor using it like an illusion that its line of reality and fiction is blurred away. They are just ordinary sketch painting, draw for the sake of drawing. Nothing more...
Soon the sketch drawings are complete, there may be some flaws but they are satisfied nonetheless. Seeing the perfect moment has come, he quickly jumped in.
"Alfin, back when you were a normal person. What inspired you to draw?" Arnold asked subtlely so that he doesn't make it suspicious.
"Back then... Art was the only outlet for my emotional turmoil, so much happened at the same time. And... I am not even able to learn what love is until it is too late..." Alfin said with a hint of regret in her voice.
"Too late?" Arnold thought as he focused on the word that seems to aim for a second meaning.
"You know, if you were such a bright artist with a great career ahead, why are you a soldier, a person who directly fighting in warfare? Did something happened midway?" Arnold asked as he wanted to affirm his suspicion.
Maybe he just pushed a button that he really shouldn't have done so, seeing a tear swell from her eyes. Arnold internally panics as he thinks he is about to unleash hell on himself. However, there was only acceptance from her.
"You... you really have an insight befitting of a soldier. And... we have been through all of this together. Perhaps, I should also show you how things have turned upside down for me. Now, can you get closer to me?" Alfin said with a tone of sadness in it.
Arnold slowly gets closer to her, worrying about what she might do. Alfin then slowly touches Arnold's forehead with her own. Confused about what Alfin intending to do, he thought about trying to break free of her grasp. However, before that single line of thought was processed. A vision appeared and slowly he drifted into it. Is Alfin sharing her memory with him? He does not really know what is happening but since he has already got here, he might as well follow it to the end.
Soon, he will learn the revelation... and what Alfin mean when she said...
too late...
"._.""._.""._."
A Glimpse to One's Past
Blood Debt
"._.""._.""._."
His consciousness drifted from reality to the vision that Alfin created, is it another fragmented memory that he is going to see. Will he still be a phantom in this world or a person that can change her fate. He will still bet on the former but if it is the latter, he'll greet her father with an ass-whooping of a lifetime.
Words of God: For this part, play Drawcia Sorceress - Kirby (Sax Version)
He opened his eyes and see it himself. He is back at the cellar again, but this time there are paintings hanged around here. Some are doodles that have no real purpose but some are drawings with real effort in it. She is truly dedicating herself to the path of being an artist, truly a bright future is ahead of her. He then exits the cellar and checked the whole place but to no avails. He guessed that she must have been going to school and so he followed the path that she used.
Things seem a lot more peaceful right now, at least on the surface. He doesn't know if it is just him but isn't the sky seems to get darker and darker? Not that it is important to him, Alfin took precedent.
And so he made it there, the school that she is studying in. He quickly entered the school and get to her classroom. The place is still under innovation so anyone could leave at any time. When he got there, it is all just how he expected, fortunately. It is just Alfin drawing on the canvas while her teacher, Dumas, supervises her. It is all just seems fine to him.
Well... that was until he realized that empty eye of her. Those eyes of her are devoid of life, now that he remembers what happened to her dog, something like this is obvious from the get-go. But what also struck him is that not even art is enough to help the emotional turmoil that is becoming cancerous. What he is seeing is a bomb with its fuse already activated. It will be going to meltdown at some point and everything around it will suffer.
He looked at her anxiously, knowing that fake emotions that she tried to put on will break at some point.
"Hmm, this same kind of feeling again. It is felt like missing yet I can't quite tell what it is exactly. This has been the same principal that you applied to every piece of art drawn by you. While I understand what you are thinking. That is only because I overseer your progress since day one. But I honestly can't think that anyone else will understand your idea." Dumas explained to his student.
Alfin then put down her brush, she then looked at Dumas in the eyes. In that instant alone, Dumas got shocked by that very eyes of nothingness and fell off his chair in an instant. Nobody really prepared to see that, especially from a child. And then Alfin picked up her brush again and continue like nothing happened.
How long was it since that faithful event? But he knows for sure that it left a massive impact on her soul, and it might never be able to fully heal no matter what.
He watched around for a while, and take a look out of the window. However, he noticed something, a pillar of smoke in the distance, even Alfin seems to take notice of it and stopped painting. But... the moment she sees it, she ran out of the classroom, even her teacher is confused about what's going on here. Arnold then looked at the smoke pillar and then he saw Alfin running towards it.
"Wait... Don't tell me..." Arnold suddenly realized as he put two and two together.
"It... it came from her home!" Arnold realized as he quickly also follows her path as fast as he could.
It is unfortunate that his Servant strength doesn't apply in Alfin's memory. He can see and feel the atmosphere but he can't run fast like how he normally would at all. How much time has passed? What awaits her at the end? What is exactly the truth of this memory? Not even he knows, all he could do is to stay vigilance and always on the lookout.
But when he finally reaches there, the truth was far crueler than how he thought. It wasn't her house that is burning but something else to her. Arnold stood there while seeing Alfin stares into the nothingness. Her 'father'... he is burning up her drawings, all of them made by her, made by putting her very soul into them. And he just goes casually burning them up like they were nothing but junks of incoherence lines. He then enters the house, not even knowing what he had just done, not even noticing his 'daughter'.
And the sky bursts into raindrops that fell endlessly as it extinguishes the burning piles that her 'father' created, she picked up the piece of paper that is burnt to ash. He burnt all of her hard work... because it is not what he liked...
Arnold swore that he heard something snapped as he watched her entering the house. The very Alfin that he knows is gone long ago, what is in front of him is a hollow husk of a person, with the drive made only by her own sorrow and hatred. She has nothing left to cling onto this world, the world consumed her and the only thing left that she has to cling onto was her vengeance.
The killing aura surrounding her is suffocating, the eyes of her are now nothing but true emptiness itself. She herself will kill without even paying another single thought. She approaches him slowly and silence to the point no one can detect her if they aren't looking at her.
And when he started to get down to the basement, she quickly dashes and dropkicked him in the back. The 'father' taken by surprise as he fell through a flight of stairs which each landing broke his body apart, one that he landed on his own knee right on the edge which shatters them in one blow, another when he landed on his back which cracked his spine and then finally, on his head.
The landing on the head cracked his skull and he started to bleed, Alfin who stood on the top and looking down on him. The man who brought her too much suffering and deprived her of happiness and love, this is her retribution. A debt that can only be repaid in blood. She then slammed the door and leaving him to his slow painful death.
Arnold who witnessed the whole thing unfold. Never has he felt so uneasy like this, he just witnessed her commit her first murder... at the age of 12, with her own hands. And even after she made her father paying the retribution, that emptiness within her is still swelling a cancerous turmoil.
He knew this isn't going to bode well.
He witnesses her moving away and then the vision just cut off from there, no darkness to fall into, no blood-splattered vision, it just cut off from there. Like a film that got cut midway.
And so he returned to reality, without any sort of transition, it just ends like some sort of fever dream.
"._.""._.""._."
A Masterpiece Without Tears and Pain
"._.""._.""._."
Arnold returned to his reality, seeing Alfin still placing her forehead into his. He slowly broke off and so is she. It was such a stark contrast of the young Alfin and the one he sees right now. And he could guess that it is also when her future as an artist ended too. Consumed by her own darkness, there is no hope for her left to ever able to understand love after stained her hand with blood like that.
"So you finally know the truth, I show it to you because I truly trust you with all I had. I believed that you will probably want to stay away from me after seeing that. But that's okay to me. You have the right to know anyway." Alfin said before she moves away from him.
Arnold still processing the incoherent mess of information that he received but he knew there is one thing he should do anyway. To give her the happiness that she was deprived of for so long.
He quickly embraced her and held her to him as tight as he could. He couldn't bear to see her disconnecting herself away like this. Alfin stopped walking, feeling a familiar sensation that she never exactly knew what it is.
"To be trapped in a forgotten memory. Your father, a man who judges everything he knew with an iron fist. You, a child who grew without love, you begged for your freedom, you begged to be loved. Times passed, you fulfilled that wish by yourself, you became free. But through it, your frustration festered. Hatred replaced your dreams. The world enraged you for its abandonment of you and in return, you threw it into a nightmare. You wanted a paradise, made out of your idea of what you know is beautiful. A world that can't be forgotten. After all was done, can I even call you a monster or demon?" Arnold said as he tried to hold back his tears.
"Denied of love since birth. Starved of any kindness and compassion. It is only true that I am my own worst enemy who has already cast my own judgment on myself. It was my own carelessness and rejection that sprouted the root of evil within myself. Can you even imagine an outcome for a life that never knew love, that didn't end in heartbreak or tragedy?" Alfin said while she tears just flowing nonstop.
Both of them cried together, letting out all of their pent up feelings. Those tears that fall, they are real, each drop filled with emotions that would have taken a library to express through words. Their feelings are one, times became pointless to them while they are embracing their emotions with one another.
"Alfin, fear not, you will not be remembered for the ferocity that you fight against your enemy, nor the false persona that you tried to uphold so that everyone can believe that you are who they perceived but the nightmares that you had to endure while wishing for a miracle every moon for the slightest chance of kindness. In blood and paint, ink and sweat, I'll make a masterpiece that has every color but pain and tears..." Arnold said while crying due to his overflowing emotions, tears that just can't stop flowing.
"Arnold..." Alfin tried to say within the depth of her sadness and gratitude.
"Alfin... you are so beautiful..." Arnold tried to say through the mess of his feelings.
Their spirits resonated with each other and at that moment, a deep bond was created. An unbreakable bond that would have an important role in their journey.
"._.""._.""._."
Self-Belief
"._.""._.""._."
Meanwhile in the Basement
"Phew... I gave him the mana filter so that he can use it in the downtime. Now, how can I improve this armor..." Richard said as he inspects the armor that he placed carefully on the work desk.
While he is inspecting the armor, he heard footsteps incoming and thus turned his head towards the back. That person is Gudao who just wandered into this place.
"Huh... Seems like I completely missed this place. What are you doing there, Richard?" Gudao asked as he laid his eyes on the workshop.
"I'm supposed to improve the armor that I have given to my Master, while it can handle Azure Soldiers' attacks, they won't last long against Servant. Within the state of emergency that we are in right now, the inevitable clashing between Servants will be unavoidable and I doubt that the armor my Master would manage to outlast.
"Shall I help you? How about I contact the Casters of Chaldea to lend you a hand?" Gudao suggests as he heard what Richard said.
"Wait, why do you suddenly want to give out help right now?" Richard asked as he finds it too good to be true.
"What!? What is exactly wrong to lend a hand for a person in need? Is it wrong to make sure that we can make it to the next day with each other?" Gudao said again when he heard how Richard finds his goodwill too odd.
"No... But if you can help me then I will gladly accept." Richard said.
"Say no more" Gudao said with a small smile while he turns on the comm.
"Master, what are you asking to do?" Da Vinci said with a cheerful tone.
"Can you bring this over to the Casters, we are about to have a collaboration with this guy here. This will have an impact on the mission itself so put all your best into it." Gudao said to Da Vinci.
"Understood, I shall call them over and I could join up with to help too." Da Vinci said.
And then Gudao handed Richard his communicator and then said.
"Look, since they can't exactly come over here and help you, this will be the only window that links between you and them so just don't go and break it" Gudao said while giving it to him.
Richard was dumbfounded to see something like this in his own hand, a transdimensional communicator that must have taken a lot of effort to create. He shall not allow himself to waste such a useful help like this.
"The show is on..." Richard whispered.
"Hey! Are you the Servant that our Master talked about?" A purple-haired Servant said to him through the communicator.
"And you are?" Richard asked for he haven't met her before at all.
"Just call me Medea, you know, the Witch of Betrayal or the Witch of Colchis or the same stuff like that. I am here to act on behalf of Chaldean Casters and help you with that project of yours." Medea said.
"I did tell you beforehand so good luck." Gudao said before he draws the rayshift point on the ground before he left.
Richard sighed, he knows that he'll be working along with some odd but capable individual but he didn't even prepare for this kind of stuff.
"So where do we start?" Medea asked.
"First, I need a much better metal so that it could withstand the punishment that it would be forced to endure in this quest," Richard said.
"Which kind of punishment?" Medea asked again.
"One that could withstand a Servant's attack," Richard affirmed.
Medea stares unamused at Richard then changes her expression once again.
"Well, we actually have something like that in mind. Something that we can convert cheaply through alchemy. Paracelsus, you know what to do!" Medea said
Richard sighed, although he is having help. He isn't really that suited for collaborations like this.
"By the way, do you want solid or molten metal?" Medea asked before proceeding.
"Molten, I can make the casting molds myself. But I have no equipment to melt metal at all." Richard said through the comm.
"Okay, but you have roughly 15 minutes before the thing cool down so be fast." Medea said.
And soon enough, a small tank of molten metal appeared in the rayshift point that Gudao drew. He then prepared to recreate the casting molds that he used to create the first prototype of the armor he gave Pierce. Now, he'll have to improve from scratches.
Fifteen minutes and he has already drawn out the basic blueprint of all of the pieces within the first minute. Within another two minutes, he carved out a new metal casting molds. He then quickly put all of the parts together so that he doesn't have to spend more effort to weld them together separately.
"You know that you shouldn't rush the process like that. We can easily alchemize Quantum Particles into those metal for a cheap price so that you can put all of your efforts to make it reach the best potential that you could." Medea said.
"So what is this metal exactly?" Richard said as he tried to examine the tank that contained the molten metal itself.
"Oh boy, let just say that you will know once you cast it." Medea smirked mischievously.
Meanwhile, Pierce is sitting in the entrance to the backyard, wearing the mana filter that Richard gave him. Looking at the abandoned fountain that keeps overflowing while the rain is still falling ceaselessly. Even until now, he still not understand why he felt he has to find the truth. What is happening inside his heart that made him pressing on like this? Why doesn't he crumbled by the sheer burden even until now? His soul is an enigma in itself, it is like A+B=C, it is true according to his soul but why? Nobody knows.
Pierce doesn't feel depressed or anything, there is just something in his soul that drives him forward. Even if he is going to descend into the abyss, he ain't turning his eyes away. Such blind determination like this would get him nowhere but look at him now, the only US soldier to plunge into enemy territory like this.
He isn't questioning anything at all, it is just another call of duty to him despite his already ended long ago. All of this is just him pushing himself towards the unknown.
"Pierce..." A voice said to him.
Pierce turned around and sees a little girl nearby him, she is Alice if he remembered correctly. She then approaches him and then sits nearby him. Pierce felt a little bit overwhelmed by her own presence alone but he ignored it. He felt a little bit lonely sitting here so he strikes a conversation with her.
"So your name is Alice, right?" Pierce asked the little girl nearby him.
"Yes, why do you ask?" Alice said to the man near him.
"I have a question though, just what makes you a Heroic Spirit may I ask?" Pierce asked the girl again.
Alice then looks at him with a silent expression, he doesn't know if she finds his question too insignificant or... not even she knows.
"Alice, everyone is a Heroic Spirit for a good reason, their accomplishments in life, their feats, their ways of immortalizing themselves into history itself. You must have a special reason why you became a Heroic Spirit in the first place. So just how did you reached the realm of Heroes?" Pierce asked.
"I... I don't even know... I am not even remembering what is my childhood, or my teenagehood, or anything... All of it was just a massive hole within my memory itself." Alice said as she opens up slightly more.
Pierce thought carefully of what Alice said, she has amnesia, like another certain person he knows, Arnold. But Arnold is slowly on the path of regaining his memory. So, perhaps, she can also recover all of the memory that she forgot in time.
"So... what do you remember within that tattered journal called your memory." Pierce asked Alice for more.
Alice hesitates for a little while before continuing.
"Not much, the world that I knew was ending, everything is shaking while a single flickering light illuminating on me to keep the surrounding darkness devour me. That's... all I know." Alice said.
"That's... interesting?" Pierce said as he tried to figure out what she means.
"The world that she knows is ending... Just what exactly is that mean?" Pierce thought as he feels that he has to delve further into this.
"Alice, what is exactly your power?" Pierce asked although not expecting her to say something that must not be revealed to others.
"Faith... That is all I know about..." Alice then answered straightforwardly like it is not a secret at all.
Pierce's expectation is shattered but at least he knows that her power stems from Faith itself. But her faith in what?
"If you may ask, that faith I meant is the faith in myself, that is how my power came to be." Alice said without hesitation.
Now that is strange, her power came from believing in herself? That sounds like some cliché tropes that are overused in some genre of entertainment. But Servants themselves are an enigma in itself. A power that came from self-belief doesn't sound that asspull when considering the overall.
"So... Does your power increase the more you believe in yourself?" Pierce asked.
Alice nodded, he doesn't know if she is a person who has too much ego in her or the scaling is too ridiculous. Either way, if what she said is true then just what on earth is the power scaling of her self-belief is.
Pierce pulled himself up and started to move from the backyard entrance, Alice looked at him and also follows him.
"Uhm... Why are you following me?" Pierce asked.
"Nothing..." Alice said.
Pierce then took a few more steps and still sees that Alice is following from behind, not even the distance between them changed. Pierce then gives up caring about her then just walks down the aisle to the kitchen.
The aroma there smells so good that he couldn't help himself but to taste his own saliva in order to quell the hunger. He entered and saw a familiar red Archer who is attending to cooking duty. Apparently, he is stir-frying some diced onions.
"Hey, what are you cooking?" Pierce asked.
"Oh, I was about to make some curry. Shadow Border sent some stuff over so that I can cook them. Because it is a one-way delivery, don't waste any food that I cooked for all of you." Shirou said.
Pierce looked at the large pan that Shirou is using to stir-fry the chopped onions, looking at it while Shirou sautés them until they become golden. Back when he is still in the army, the chef is without a doubt one of the most important people in a platoon. No army can run on an empty stomach and this applies to anything. You piss the chef off and he will starve you to death. Anything army related is exhausting and consuming and without an intake of energy, you will die not to any enemy but your own ego. That just goes to show how important a good meal is to him.
And before he noticed, he saw Alice approaching Shirou from the back and pulls the clothes so that she can catch his attention. Shirou noticed and turn towards the back.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Shirou asked Alice.
"Oh... I just... wanted to help you with cooking lunch..." Alice said with a calm tone.
Shirou thought for a bit and then said with a smile.
"Ok then, why don't you help my sisters with preparing other ingredients?" Shirou said to her while pointing his finger to the side where his two other sisters are.
Alice approaches them and Illya cheerfully said to her when she noticed.
"Hey! Are you here to help? We have something for you to do!" Illya said with a cheerful tone.
"To be fair, the reason we not doing it fast because by doing so, we tend to overexert our strength ended up crush the ingredient into nothing. So sorry if you feel tedious if we turned out to be doing it too slow for your liking." Kuro said as she grates the garlic carefully so that she doesn't accidentally destroy the utensil along with the ingredient.
And what is presented in front of her are four tomatoes and a kitchen knife, she picked the knife up and then tossed the tomatoes slightly upward. In the next moment, all of those tomatoes were diced into pieces before even anyone realized, even Shirou himself didn't pick it up. She made one single slice but it just dices all of those tomatoes into pieces that would have otherwise taken a few minutes, and it is so fast that not even Musashi or Munemori would catch it. Even Sasaki Kojiro would call bullshit on it.
"Excuse me, what the fuck!?" Shirou said as he just noticed that the tomatoes were diced perfectly to the point he would have assumed it was diced normally if it weren't for the fact that it took not even a second to do so. Applying Servants strength on normal ingredients like this would disintegrate it into nothingness. Just that alone proves how much control she has over her own power.
Servants usually have two modes, being a normal person and the other is... ANNIHILATING EVERYTHING IN THEIR PATH. Most Servants can't display the perfect ground between them and here she just makes it look normal.
"I have to say though, what you did was remarkable but can you not making me freak out like that?!" Shirou said as he picked the cutting board that has the diced tomato up.
"Anyway, maybe I shouldn't do this but perhaps you can take over the curry cooking process?" Kuro said.
Shirou tried to protest in doing so but he also felt that he should give her a chance. At least he can redo it if it failed. Nobody poisons his food or making anything unethical with it under his supervision. No one.
And then he changed place with Alice and he quickly got it done with the ingredient. Now it is just the job of mixing them together. Sliced chicken breasts, curry powder, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and keep cooking all of them together until they become golden. After that is just pouring water at the right time and wait for more.
"I see that you know what you are doing. It seems that I was correct to believe in you." Shirou said as he observes her.
"Hey, since we are about to enter the last steps, can I have the honor of doing it?" Illya said as she holds a bowl of coconut cream in her hands.
Shirou gave her the approval and Illya happily gets closer to the pan so that she can pour the coconut cream into it. Shirou then grabbed a bottle of spice that is labeled 'Garam masala' and carefully take half a teaspoon of it and put it into the pan.
"So what are we cooking exactly?" And then Alice asked, right after she finishes cooking.
Shirou wanted to facepalm when she asked that question, especially when he had already said it out loud for a while ago. He thought she knew what he is cooking but it is too late right now. Decided to forsake his fate up to heaven, he test tastes it. In the next moment, he finally felt something that can only be equated into... heaven's feel. All of his taste buds are dancing like they are receiving the blessing of the divine and he can't help himself but smile.
"For someone not knowing what they are cooking. You actually did very well beyond my expectations. Although this was more of a team project, you did most of the core works and thus should be rewarded for it" Shirou said with gratitude in his tone.
Illya and Kuro got curious and then also take a test taste of it. They too also smile cheerfully when they got a taste of the same heaven's feel itself.
"Oh my god! This is so great that I literally have no word in my vocabulary that is capable of describing how good it is" Illya said as she cries tears of happiness.
"Me too, sister! Seriously though, just who are you that you are so wise in the way of culinary?" Kuro said as she praises Alice for her culinary skill.
Alice doesn't say anything, although one could read her expression that she is a little happy.
"Either way, our Masters will surely have a one of hell of a treat waiting for them." Shirou said as he prepares the curry.
Pierce who sees the entire cooking process hardly able to control his desire to taste that godly curry. And then he remembered that he can't eat them while wearing the mana filter and he suddenly lost the appetite right away. Quite a mood whiplash that he just went through in just a few seconds.
"Don't worry about that, we can call the Shadow Border so that they can send over the repellers to ward off the mana in the atmosphere," Kuro said so that she can calm the saddened Master.
And so everyone met up to have their lunch, it was quite needless to say that the lunch was a great success. Before they realized, it is already late afternoon.
"._.""._.""._."
Adamant Strength
"._.""._.""._."
At the basement, late afternoon
"So why do you want me here? Is there something that you want to talk about?" Pierce asked his Servant.
"I am here so that I can give you a look at the improvement that I have given to your armor and armaments," Richard said as he unveiled the sheet that covered the something.
Pierce found himself surprised, he never thought that his Servant would find a way to improve his gears beyond what he thought to be the limit, but he got proven wrong and he glad that he did.
"This armor has been reforged with Adamantine and enchanted and engineered to the level that it could withstand a Servant's attack. Let me demonstrate for you." Richard said as he lifts the armor up and placed them somewhere that is a bit more open.
And then he took out his Gatling gun and begins to fire at it rapidly. The impact of each bullet on the armor created a huge shockwave that shook the basement and Pierce can't help himself but crouch to the ground so that he doesn't tumble over.
In about twenty-five seconds later, Richard stopped. He checked the armor and it is just as much as he expected, at pristine condition like nothing happened. Pierce got closer and he finds it hardly believable that it just withstood all of it and not even dented.
"To be fair, I toned down my power a bit but just as you see, the armor withstood them all. Now you have no need to fear getting killed by an enemy Servant unexpectedly. You can try it on right now too" Richard said with confidence while patting on the armor.
Pierce then reached towards the armor and soon wearing it. It is still as comfortable as much as how he knew it, the mana filter completely replaced with a built-in gas mask that would protect him even in the most hazardous atmosphere that would otherwise kill a normal person instantly. It simultaneously converses liquid molecules into oxygen if its user is underwater or any liquid-based environment.
"So what changes did you make other than this gas mask?" Pierce asked.
"Look at under the right wrist and you will see a secret built-in contraption that only you can activate, it is called a Grappling Hook. Built with Adamantine threads and hook, they will cling onto any surface that you can fire within 15 meters around you. Very useful when you have to reach out to a distant location." Richard said proudly himself.
Pierce doesn't know how to operate the Hookshot under his wrist but when he aimed it and thinking about firing it, the hook fired and clung into the wall and pulled Pierce into it. He then braced the impact on the wall and then he realized that he actually cling on to it.
"I also made it so that when you stick to the vertical surface, you can keep clinging onto it thanks to the Chaldean's special magnetic gauntlets." Richard said.
Pierce knew one thing for sure about this, he will be able to fight more on equal ground with a Servant although it might be more recommended not to unless there is no other choice.
"So is there anything else that you have also made?" Pierce asked Richard while he is still clinging onto the wall.
"How about you jump off from the wall and do it again in midair?" Richard said with a joking smile.
"Jump off in midair? Considering what others are capable of and the fact that everything surrounding me is supernatural. This is literally the least strange thing that could happen." Pierce thought while clinging to the wall.
Pierce then jumps off the wall and while in midair, he thought about jumping again and then suddenly the boots that he is wearing suddenly pushed him upward. He then quickly balance himself again and landed on his two feet.
"Damn. Do you really think of all of this? Not even in my wildest dream that I could see someone create such an advanced armor like this." Pierce said in surprise.
"That is the effect of the Thrust Boots that you just saw. They allow you to jump a second time in midair. While the push may not seem much, they are still useful in the situation that it may demand. However, all of those gadgets on the armor is not just mine alone, it is only thanks to the Chaldean Casters that their helps managed to make all of these possible." Richard said to him.
"Wow, to seems that there is a way to improve such armor to such a level like this. It all just seems unreal. I would lose my mind if there are-" Pierce said
"There's more but using it here will cause unwanted destruction. You don't want to sleep beneath the rain without a roof to cover, aren't you?" Richard said his warning.
"Yeah, maybe we will test them outside. Can't destroy the only resting place we have." Pierce said in fear that if he suddenly makes one false move that he will end up break the whole place down.
"Hey, you said you had also improved my armaments too. So what are the changes with them?" Pierce asked his Servant.
Richard then gives out a two heavily modified M1911 now reborn in Adamantine. They shine with color of gray silver and a lot of aesthetics carvings, they also have a lot of attachment and modifications built into in order to bring out the best capability. A high-extended magazine on each pistol, muzzle breaks on each, reflex sights. Each gun also has heavier grips, longer barrels and all rigged to fire full-auto. And to add a cherry to this, the bullets fired from these are explosive like how Richard's HE Anaconda is.
"So, have any idea of what you want to call them?" Richard asked.
"I have an idea for them, Desperado. These babies are more dangerous than anyone could suggest, the very idea of using them are just simply daredevil itself. But you know one thing for sure, Richard. I have already descended this far into hell, if so then why should I shudder at the fact that I could get caught in its blast? Anything could have killed me right now and the fact that I am here is already risking my life on 24/7. I am not just accustoming myself with risk, I lived in it." Pierce said while juggling the twin pistols between his hand.
"If that is what you would say with the pistols alone then would you be happy to see the greatest improvement that I made to the machine gun that you brought along." Richard said with a smile as he brings out the crate and then opens its lid for Pierce to see.
Pierce stuck simultaneously between happiness and disgust when he finally gazed on it. While he glads that the weapon he has is far more powerful if Richard is right but on the other hand, he just fucking chimerized his BAR with an M1919 machine gun. Now, it looks like something entirely different.
"Richard... What the fuck?! Where did you get that machine gun from?!" Pierce said in disbelief.
"I found it in a crate that I sorted the place. Finding and learning the working mechanism, I enhanced the weapon and combined it with your BAR, and then reforge them in Adamantine. Now with a firing rate ranging from 600 to 3000 RPM, they will make short work of your enemy no matter who they are.
Pierce felt the change that Richard did to his trusty gun was too sudden that he didn't get used to it at first. He examined the gun to see what is changed. The stock is indeed from the BAR, the gun receiver, barrel and firing mechanism, and the shape definitely belong to the M1919, the bipod belonged to the BAR. All of those have aesthetics carvings and glowed with that same gray silver. If there is a simpler explanation, think of an M1919 machine gun with BAR stock and trigger.
"Sigh, whatever, why don't we test them out?" Pierce said as he walks around the basement while thinking about what he just sees.
"Then shall we go?" Richard said.
"Yeah..." Pierce sighed as he gets out of the basement of the building.
And so they will test out the capability of this reforged armor. Holding limitless capability, will this armor holds up to the trials ahead of it or will it be shattered along with its user? Only time would ever tell.
"._.""._.""._."
Forewarned Knowledge
"._.""._.""._."
Meanwhile on the top floor
"Onii-chan! I have attempted to do research about your potential upcoming enemy. It might be lacking but I did my very best!" Sitonai said cheerfully through the communicator of Shadow Border.
"Thanks for your effort, I guess?" Shirou said through the communicator that his Master lent him as he skims through the research paper that his sister has given to him.
"By the way, I sent over an old film projector and some film reels so that you won't feel bored if you find that there is nothing to do. They have something written on them and it said "Charlie Chaplin" so I guess it must be good then. All of them are deposited in the rayshift point so that you could find them easily" Sitonai adds in.
"Uhm... Thanks?" Shirou said in a confused tone as he guessed the things might have come when he was looking at the research paper.
And suddenly the door slam opened and he saw that Arnold is carrying a film projector and Alfin is carrying the reels. Arnold placed in on the table and then aims the projector towards the wall, Alfin then puts one of the reels into it.
Shirou sighed, he can get why they would do it at a time like this and hell, he would enjoy it too, haven't for the fact that there is something in this Singularity whose power is comparable to Void Shiki and his Master's wellbeing is at constant risk of breaking down at any moment notice. All of them are weighing down in his mind and he can't shake them off for his sake.
"Hey, what are you reading here?" A familiar voice is said to him.
Shirou turned his head around and find that his Master is talking to him from behind.
"Archer, what are you reading?" Gudao asked his Servant.
"It is just a paper that listing all of the possible candidates of war heroes in this era, but it is still-" Shirou said before Gudao snatches the paper from his hand abruptly.
"Just!? That is one most important thing that I need right now!" Gudao said as he reads the paper on his hand.
"-incomplete..." Shirou utters the last part of his sentence before he met with a disbelieving disappointment gaze from his Master.
Gudao then looked at Shirou with an unamused and disappointed gaze before he reaches back for his composure once again.
"Either way, this is still some good insight on the possible enemy that we might have to face in the future. I am still going to thank you regardless." Gudao said before he gives the piece of paper back to his Servant.
And as Shirou watches his Master exits the room. He then looked back at the research paper and then he suddenly looks towards the window and seeing the rain outside going ceaselessly. He felt something doesn't feel right here, like something extremely subtle that most Servant maybe except for his father can't pick it up. He then looked at the paper again as if to see if there is any clue that can give him some further insight right now.
A burst of laughter then broke Shirou out of his thought, he then looked at where the trio is sitting as they watching 'Charlie Chaplin' movie. They seem completely enjoying whatever they see there.
"Perhaps I am just being too paranoid here. If that thing was what Void Shiki mentioned then it would have already triggered my 'fight or flight' instinct" Shirou said as he also exits the room, leaving Arnold, Alfin, Alice to enjoy the little world they in.
Even when he pushes away that thought, he can't help himself but worry about what they are about to get into. He just can't get over the sense of dread that his feeling can't dispel of. And the rising feelings, are the premonition of what to come.
Servants Profile
The Saint of Distant Wartime.
Class: Ruler
True Name: Desmond Doss
Parameter: Wise up!
Str: - (EX)| Agi: B+ | End: A+ | Mana: E | Luck: B| NP: B+
+Passive Skills:
-Magic Resistance B: Having a Ruler class container, Desmond has a high magic resistance innately. Due to being a Modern Servant, his magic resistance was limited to B
-True Name Discernment C: If summoned as a Ruler, during a direct encounter, a Servant's true name and entire status information will be automatically revealed. In regards to Servants with concealment abilities, a Luck Check is required to bypass those abilities.
-God's Resolution A: A Class Skill of the Ruler class and is the privilege of the Ruler presiding over the Holy Grail War; the right to use Command Spells against Servants, only given to Rulers. Each Ruler is normally granted two Command Spells for each Servant that participates in the Holy Grail War. In the situation Desmond was in right now, this skill is useless.
+Personal Skills:
-Backline Extractor A: A skill that allows Desmond to extract someone from danger successfully even if enemy Servants are pursuing him and his patients.
-Protection of Faith B: A skill possessed only by those who have made sacrifices for a religious view. Despite being a form of divine protection, it is not a blessing from a higher existence. It is the absoluteness of one's body and mind that was born from their beliefs.
-Undying Will A+: A skill that is similar to Battle Continuation, except that this skill is unique to him for it boosts his Endurance to EX temporarily for when he is saving someone or under attack from a hostile enemy or received grievous injuries.
-'The Strength to Protect' EX: A skill that sublimates from Desmond's will alone, his story has many inhuman feats involving his unyielding will to save everyone who is stuck there. There is saying: "A true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him but for what he loves behind him.". This is where his true strength lies when facing against a crisis that has great negative effects on him and his allies, his Strength parameter will be temporarily boosted to EX in order to prevent said crisis from happening. However, said strength when used against an enemy directly will have no effect whatsoever.
Noble Phantasm
|Hacksaw Ridge|
Where All Reach Breaking Point.
Rank B+| Classification: Anti-Pursuit
A Noble Phantasm that allows Desmond to alter the land through the power of reminiscence to where his name is made. The battle of Okinawa where the most bloody battle in the Pacific Theater taken place. The barren land of Okinawa boosts all of Desmond's parameters except Strength and hindering the enemy should they aim for heavily injured allies or him by an artillery strike that has the power of B+ NP that was aimed at them. This Noble Phantasm actually not kept by Desmond's mana but by the power of God at his side as ridiculous as it sounds. It is made for one purpose and that is to extract everyone out of danger alive should they all failed somehow.
|Healing Hand|
Curing What Is Thought Impossible
Rank C| Classification: Anti-Fatality.
A Noble Phantasm that allows Desmond to treat and surgery on his patients with a speed that is even beyond the eyes of Servants. It is thought that those of the descendants of Asclepius are capable of doing this and this power also brings the ability to cure even incurable disease, curse, and even near-fatal wounds.
|Divine Intervention|
God's Salvation
Rank A++| Classification: Anti-'NP Activation'
A Noble Phantasm born from Desmond's feat at one of the bloodiest battles in WW2, Okinawa. There were many moments that could have killed Doss but he has managed to survive all of them and thus his story is nothing less of divine intervention. This Noble Phantasm prevents the activation of other Servants' offensive Noble Phantasm that is targeted on him or his allies. Any NP with rank below A will fail to activate instantly, A+ will make a Luck check on the other opposing Servants, A++ will make both Desmond and his opponents has to make Luck check. Any higher and this Noble Phantasm will fail to counteract against.
The Mysterious Girl
"._.""._.""._."
Class: Rider?
True Name: "Alfin?"
Parameter:
Str: B| Agi: B | End: B | Mana: A+| Luck: D| NP: Unk
Wise up!
Passive Skills:
"Unknown"
Personal Skills:
-Animal Communication D: Born from her own love with animals and close affinity with them at a young age and even until now. She could understand what the animals are trying to say to her even if no one else could understand
-Soul-burst Forge A+: The ability to turn pre-existing scrap metals or mana into the user's predetermined shape and structures and inner working mechanism. This includes firearms, melee, tools and everything of all sorts consists of metal components. Other components can be created with the user's mana with increased cost.
Noble Phantasm
|King Tiger|
The Steel-forged Terror
Rank A| Classification: Anti-Unit
A beastly manifestation of the widely known tank of WW2 that left those who faced it and escaped its presence an unforgettable nightmare. The King Tiger's appearance took the form of how they were seen by the enemy that was misfortunate enough to face its wrath head-on. Its front hull can take massive damage before it starts to show signs of being damaged. It is linked directly with its user and can take command and follows it with absolute accuracy and no delay, allowing it to decisively strike its enemy down. The user can also ride on the King Tiger and allows it to soak up the majority of the oncoming damage should there any need that requires of it.
However, the King Tiger despite having such extremely high strength, its mana consumption is also as high as its power. It is unrecommended to use for long-term combat unless having the mana required to do so.
"._.""._.""._."
Unknown Maiden
Class:?
True Name: "Alice?"
Parameter:
Str: Unk| Agi: Unk | End: Unk| Mana: Unk| Luck: Unk| NP: EX
Passive Skills:
"Unknown"
Personal Skills:
"Unknown"
Noble Phantasm
|Void Field|
Boundary of Nothingness
Rank EX| Classification: Absolute Defense
A Noble Phantasm that involves the act of separating the user and the targets from their plane of existence by isolating them into a higher dimension. It can be used repeatedly without repercussion, apparently. This form of protection can protect its user and chosen target from attacks up to fifth-dimension.