Chapter 4: The Calm

…Here again…

He sank in the darkness, unsure of how long he's been falling or of how far. Empty and still, the space around him wears against his mind, beckoning him to give up thought.

He felt nothing, his senses were stripped from him. He thought nothing, the darkness encroached on his will. This void drained him, it tore at his soul, hungering for more than what he can offer.

Yet he was not alone, this he knew. It was certainly observing, its eyes opens slowly–

He's jerked out of his thoughts as he lurches upward abruptly, tugged by an invisible force. Inch by inch, he's continuously pulled upward in sporadic jerks until suddenly, a tremendous tug accelerates him up at an increasing speed.

His consciousness blurs as he ascends, the unseen grip on him tightens over time. It crushes his soul, excruciating pain blossoms through him…'Wait pain? Oh crap I'm–'

"HEY NEWBIE!"

His eyes snap open, he stares through the vizor of his helmet at the active radio that sat on the desk in front of him. He examined himself and noticed that he was wearing body armour, while in his hands he held a MP7 submachine gun, 'A facility guard?'

"RESPOND NEWBIE, ARE YOU THERE!" the gruff voice repeats once more.

He hastily grabbed the radio with one hand and swiftly responded, "Yes sir, I hear you loud and clear."

"So you are alive, good. Listen up, we have unidentified intruders entering from the right side of the facility. We're currently engaging them as we speak, I order you to head to the left side and evacuate any personnel remaining. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" the voice barked through the radio.

"Yes sir!" he quickly responds, countless questions rushing through his head.

"Avoid hostiles if possible and hold out until the MTFs arrive, good luck" and with that the channel goes silent.

He examines the room, noting that he seems to be alone and in some sort of break room. Furnished with tables and chairs with trash littering on top of some, a line of vending machines sat at the far side of the room.

He turns and makes his way out of the door, heading left and navigating the concrete halls. Intent on gathering more information, he walks the place in hopes of coming across someone, but soon comes to a recognition.

'This is…Site-33?'

Arriving at a hallway intersection, he comes across the body of a male researcher lying against the wall. Kneeling down, he checks for a pulse and finds none. Investigating and turning the body, he found three gunshot wounds in the back of the individual with blood pooling out profusely from said wounds to stain the wall behind it.

It would seem that the man had crumpled here and bled out. Deducing that the researcher must've come across the hostile forces currently assaulting the site, he raises his guard.

The distant sound of a mechanical door sliding open with a clank alerts him of something coming, he swiftly backpedals through the door he arrived from and ducks behind the wall, slightly peeking around the corner.

Seconds pass before he spots a cloaked figure emerge from the right of the intersection. Following behind, more and more cloaked characters appeared, each carrying a different variety of small arms.

'Five, ten, fifteen…', their numbers reached over a dozen as the group walked through the intersection, soundless and silent despite the large cluster.

Then he caught it, the slight buzz in the air that tickled his skin, the feel of Elan-Vital Energy in high concentrations being utilized.

'Thaumaturgy…'

His mind raced, an occult group of individuals comprised of type-blues. They couldn't be the GOC, the uniforms didn't match and the weaponry they carried were far too light for a raid.

Perhaps a new group of interest? No, if a group existed that can both achieve this much and practice thaumatology in secrecy, then at some point they would've been documented by the foundation in some shape or form.

Which left only a single conclusion, 'The Serpent's Hand'.

'No good, there's too many of them', his grip on the MP7 tightened, 'I could only take out a few of them before they killed me… no, the optimal choice here is to retreat for now.'

He fully ducked behind the wall and stood with bated breath, waiting for the force to continue to the left and pass on before he makes his move.

Minutes passed before he dared peek once more, noting that all of them seemed to be gone now. They had moved with confidence, as if they somehow knew the layout of the site and the location of its contents.

He racked his mind, the direction they were heading…from what he remembered there were certainly some containment cells in that direction. Were they attempting to start a containment breach?

He has to report this, he turns back while activating the radio in one hand–

BANG

A searing pain rips through his head, he feels as warm liquid starts to flow down the front of his face as the radio drops from his hand, clattering onto the floor.

In front of him stood a cloaked woman, her hood was down, revealing straight black hair that reached down to her shoulders and dark apathetic eyes that gaze up at him.

In one outstretched arm she clenched a pistol, the tip smoking and pointed at the hole in his head. In her other hand, limp by her side, she held a tweed-wool newsboy cap.

His figure sways slightly before falling back, hitting the wall and sliding down into a seated slump. His vision blurs as consciousness slips away, the submachine gun slips out of his weakened grip, sliding onto the floor as blood begins to pool around his legs.

His eyelids become heavy, he fights to keep them open as his vision darkens. The woman's firearm, having followed the collapse of his body, was pointed directly at his head.

A single final flash fills his vision and his eyes close once more, never to open again.

And then Wyatt Oid dies.

…

…

…

…Here again…

[A.D. 1573, Sealed Ends of the Four Seas: Okeanos]

[Order Complete]

[Foundation Restored]

Wyatt paused as Chaldea's overhead announcement system declared the completion of the singularity and the return of the masters. He smiled softly, so they've done it, he thought to himself in relief. And so another step is made towards the salvation of humanity. Three singularities down and only four more to go.

Down on one knee, Wyatt returned to the task in front of him. Pulling a tool out of the toolbox beside him, he continued to install the final wall panel…and there we go. Packing up his tools, he got up and checked the room, inspecting his handiwork.

He stood in the middle of a regular chaldean room, albeit modified to be larger and sturdier, furnished with a gigantic bed and other small accessories. Concluding the look-over, he nods to himself in satisfaction and exits the room.

Normally whenever a new servant is summoned by either of the masters, they would be given an introduction and be shown around Chaldea in a tour, ending with a room being assigned to them.

Even with the excess of vacant rooms after the major loss of staff, with the rapidly growing roster of Chaldea's servant forces, additional rooms and accommodations had to be made. In fact, the room he had just finished was intended to be for Heracles. It seems that up until now, the berserk servant had spent most of his time in spirit form, content with wandering the halls.

'Actually, the masters fought Heracles in the singularity didn't they? How terrifying…' Wyatt can't imagine himself taking on the behemoth of a man head on, he's certain that doing so would only end with him being torn apart.

'Not the worst way to go I suppose. Certainly quicker and less painful than being eaten alive, or being corroded, or being molecularly disassembled…Fuck my standards are low.'

Once more lost in his thoughts while strolling, he's interrupted by the distant sounds of furiously clashing steel. Looking ahead he notices a group of chaldean staff crowding around a door frame, peeking inside while excitedly whispering to each other.

Coming up behind them and interest piqued, he peeks over the shoulder of a co-worker and glances inside. Two blurs of blue and black streaks across the room, sparks emerge from the rapid clanging of weaponry colliding, the sound resounding throughout the room.

The room itself was unimaginably enormous and completely devoid of any furnishing. This was the training room, used by servants to polish their skills and to spar against each other. It was recently built on the request of some servants and is seeing frequent use, being one of few places where they may go all out. The entirety of the room was built out of steel and reinforced with magecraft by Chaldea's local genius herself.

"Siegfried's got this in the bag, that spear won't even land a scratch!"

"Are you kidding? Do you even realize what that spear can do? One precise jab and he's done!"

"Would Gáe Bolg even be able to find Siegfried's weakness? Or would it just bounce off his chest?"

The group quickly fell into heated debate, arguing over who the possible victor might be. Looking back, a male co-worker noticed Wyatt's presence and called out to him. "Hey Wyatt! We're taking our breaks soon after this, you wanna join us?"

Wyatt shook his head, "No sorry, I still have some tasks I have to finish first."

"Ah bummer. Try not to work yourself to death man, you already do more work than some lazy jackasses we have here!" He finishes his sentence by yelling the last bit while turning to glare at another male staff member.

"Hey man! I already said I was sorry!" the aforementioned man quickly exclaimed back.

"A sorry ain't gonna cover what you did! You goddamn—"

Wyatt strolled away from the gathering and the ensuing argument. 'It's good that they still have such high morale and can joke around like that in these desperate times." he thought to himself. Too many times has he seen the despaired faces of his colleagues, their hopeless cries echoing through his mind right before their imminent doom.

Each of the chaldean staff members was hand picked and chosen by director Marisbury for their skills and attitudes. Even so, Wyatt considered them as good people. 'Well, definitely good when compared to the traditional magi.'

He had seen how the majority of them behaved, acting all haughty and egotistical, and it disgusted him. He had no problem with their goal of reaching the Root, in fact he found it admirable. It's human nature to always pursue the truth, to understand the unknown, to grab the impossible.

Rather, his issue was with the journey they took to reach it. Unethical experiments, mistreatment of the common people, disregard of lives, it all made him absolutely furious. The power-drunk fools who sit in their high thrones…ohhhh, the things he'd do to drag them down and gut them like the pigs they are.

To him, evil without a good purpose is the height of stupidity. He still remembers the foolish men who thought themselves as gods, he remembers how they fell, he remembers the retribution of the victims. And for the tiniest second, a smile stretched across his face.

His thoughts soon turned somber and a deep frown emerged, '...But who am I to speak, it's not like the Foundation is that much better. Too many moral atrocities had been committed for the sake of protecting humanity.' Memories raced through his mind, a lady who yearned for freedom, a crying child locked away in solitude, a boy who laid dead, a man who's lost everything.

The guilt weighs against his soul, the sinner walks with shame. Perhaps when the time comes for him to face his crimes, he may beg for forgiveness or he may accept his punishment.

But right now, at this very moment, he is evil. The hero, the villain, the savior, the killer, he'll play all of those roles to the very end, if it means humanity can see the sunrise once again.

That is who Wyatt Oid is…and that's who he'll continue to be, till his very last breath.

( ( ◉ ) )

'Alright, last chore of the day.' Wyatt thought to himself. Arriving in front of a door, he double checks to make sure that he's gotten the right room before gently knocking on the door. He waits as the sound of footsteps approaches and with mechanical clank, the door slides open.

In the doorway stood a teen wearing the chaldean master uniform, he had short dark brown hair and blue eyes that stared up at him. Located on his right hand were his command seals, formatted in such a way that made it look vaguely like a shield of sorts.

The master looked slightly exhausted, his tired expression displaying a bit of fatigue, 'Though I do suppose that's because he recently returned from the singularity.'

Wyatt politely smiled at the master, "Good afternoon Mr. Fujimaru, I was told that there was a repair issue in your room? Oh, but if you're busy I can always come back later if that's a problem."

Gudao quickly waved his hands in denial, "Oh no, it's not a problem. Come on in, I'll show you the damage."

'Damage?' Wyatt thought in confusion.

Following the young master into the room, he took a quick glance around. The room had the standard bed and desk, along with a potted plant in the corner and some small accessories that sat on some shelfs. Most noticeably, what caught his attention was the panel of the wall seemed to have been completely torn off.

'What the hell?'

"Yeah, recently Kiyohime came by and…" Gudao chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Well it doesn't matter, but she ripped that off the wall."

"Um, I'll take a look at what I can do." Wyatt responded. Kneeling down and setting down his tool box beside him, he examined the torn off panel for any damages. "Good news, it seems the panel itself isn't wrecked so it should be just a matter of reattaching it." He turned to face Gudao, "Shouldn't take too long, let's say around half an hour of work. Give or take some time."

Gudao nodded his head in understanding, "Ah, so do you begin now or…?"

"Yeah, I'll just be repairing this over here and you can do whatever you need to, if that's fine with you."

"Oh, that's fine mister…" his sentence trailed off as he realized that he never got the man's name.

"Oid, it's Wyatt Oid. A pleasure to meet you." he smiled kindly towards the master.

"Ah yes, thank you Mr. Oid. I'll be over by my desk finishing a report if you need my help." he smiled kindly in reply before walking off in the mentioned direction.

And so he got work, picking up the pane and pulling out the needed tools to reattach it. Meanwhile Gudao continued his work at the desk, typing out a comprehensive report.

'Most likely a report on the events of a singularity. Probably something issued by the doctor for future analysis.' he theorized. 'I suppose it is a lot of work, writing one up for every major and minor singularity completed.'

Twenty minutes pass, the sounds of the room becoming a mix of clanking tools as Wyatt installs the panel and the click clacks of computer keys as Gudao completes his report.

"How do you do it?"

Gudao turns in surprise, facing the man who abruptly asked the question. Wyatt continued his task, back facing Gudao but still talking.

"How do you push on? Aren't you scared?"

Gudao pauses in surprise, silent in thought before responding, "I-I am. I'm absolutely terrified. I'm scared that one wrong choice could kill me, that in a single slip up I would die…"

He sits in silence for a few seconds before continuing, "…but I'm even more scared of failing, I'm scared of disappointing everyone who placed their hopes on me…" his head drops, he looks down at the floor.

"...I push on because I have to, because there's no choice, because if I don't…" his sentence trails off into silence.

Gudao clenches his hands tightly into fists, body tense and knuckles turning white. A minute passes and he looks back up, a serious expression on his face and eyes glinting with determination.

"Because if I didn't, she would have to all by herself…because if I didn't, then what kind of friend could I call myself to Gudako!"

Gudao stares at the man's back. He had paused his task at some point during the rant and stood in silence. Gradually, he began to move again to resume his repairs while uttering a single sentence.

"…I see, you must be really good friends…" he said softly, loud enough for Gudao to hear.

Gudao nods despite Wyatt not facing him, "Yeah. We were childhood friends, we practically knew each other our whole lives. She's like a sister to me, I'd give my life for her if I had too."

For a few seconds the room was completely silent before Gudao broke it, "Ah sorry for interrupting your work with my rant, I got a little worked up." he said sheepishly.

"No no, I asked the questions first. If anything it's my fault for interrupting your work." Wyatt hastily replied.

And with that, the both of them returned to their individual tasks. The sound of clanks and click clacks fill the room once more.

Unseen by the master, over Wyatt's face stretched a wide grin, one full of satisfaction and joy. 'Good, very good, the future looks bright. What a fantastic person you are, Gudao Fujimaru. Chin up Mr. Fujimaru, you will be challenged and you shall be struck down, but you will persevere.'

Content with his test and his findings, Wyatt Oid looked to the future once more.

( ( ◉ ) )

The metallic door slid open and Wyatt walked into the dim room. Flipping the switch on the wall to turn on the lights, he walked over to his desk with his toolbox and sat down. Pulling open drawers and rummaging through them, he pulled out an assortment of scrap metal and laid them out on top of the desk.

No anomalies he was familiar with had showed up in the third singularity, but that doesn't guarantee it for the far distant future. The odds were stacked against them, so he had to plan and he had to prepare.

Shedding his outer wear of the chaldean staff uniform, he draped it over the chair, leaning down to pull out a pencil and paper from the lowest drawer. Setting them next to the pile of scrap, he opened his toolbox and began constructing.

The future may be dim, but with the right hand and the right play…well, let's say even the tiniest of moves will change the game.

Big thanks to all of you readers and I'll answer any questions that won't spoil too much of what I have planned.

Ah that's right, I never really introduced the two masters we have here did I? Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you the final hopes of humanity, the tamers of servants, the grinders of materials: Gudao Fujimaru and Gudako Ritsuka!

On another note, here's some voice lines for 035:

Summoning
"Oh my, it seems I've been summoned. Oh and by such a lovely master as well. Let's get along shall we, hahaha."

Dialogue 1
"Let's get going, shall we?"

Dialogue 2
"Hm? Oh my mask? It is quite lovely isn't it."

Dialogue 3 [If you have 049]
"It's good to see you once again, old friend."

Dialogue 4 [If you have Shakespeare]
"Oh? The renowned playwright himself, what a splendid pleasure it is to meet you. Say, I have a certain play in mind for production, perhaps you'd like to take a gander?"

Dialogue 5 [If you have Mephistopheles]
"Oh? A fellow jester? How wonderful! I feel a certain camaraderie will surely bloom between us! Ah, but don't go killing my source of entertainment now…so for now keep your filthy clown hands off of Master, ok?"

Dialogue 6 [If you have Heracles]
"Resurrection, regeneration, and adaptation…How very interesting."

Dialogue 7 [If you have Klavigar Nadox]
"Ah, an intellectual scholar, it's been awhile since I've seen one as old as yourself, hehehe. Hmmm…your faith is unsightly but that's neither here nor there. Come now, I'm sure there's much for us to discuss."

Likes
"I enjoy the arts, the literature, and the plays, it's all such a delight. While this dimension is certainly dreary, I find some of it enjoyable."

Dislikes
"I despise the buffoons who follow without thought. The ignorant mass that's easily swayed by false pleasures. They are ever so boring."

Holy Grail
"I doubt such a device can grant my desire without consequences, but there is certain unfinished tasks that I must attend to back home. A body to reclaim, shackles to destroy, and traitors to defile; basically the usual business."

Birthday
"You grow older today, fair master."

Event
"Hmmm, something interesting has piqued my attention. Let us join them."

Bond Level 1
"I have no qualms of being your servant. I serve your purpose while you serve mine."

Bond Level 2
"Trying to befriend me are you? I wonder, to what lengths are you willing to go to deal with little ol' me? Haha, very well…I can do the same."

Bond Level 3
"Good day Master, would you like to converse? I have many tales to spin if you'd like to lend an ear."

Bond Level 4
"Hahaha, who would've known I'd find such a fascinating human in such a dirty dimension? I do suppose that even dreariest of soils can produce shining diamonds."

Bond Level 5
"Did you know that beyond the confines of these primitive walls, there lies a city of beauty and grandiose? It hovers above the darkness and hangs below the light, tickled by fantastic fantasy. Would you like to see it? Mmm, perhaps one day...you just might, Master."

Ascension 1
"You have my gratitude."

Ascension 2
"Marvelous, the degradation had lessened. Success smiles upon us both today, dear Master."

Ascension 3
"Ah, this sensation. It's truly freeing."

Ascension 4
"I'm almost back to the strength I possessed before my body was broken...I'm indebted to you."

Now take your obligatory omake.

Omake: Eyes of the Liar

"Hey Wyatt, didn't you use to wear glasses? Where are they now?" his blonde co-worker asked as he sat down next to Wyatt.

He paused, holding a sandwich brought half-way up to his open mouth. Putting down the food and looking at his colleague, he responded, "Oh those? I lost them in the big incident. They probably fell somewhere and are now destroyed." He shrugged in indifference, "It really doesn't matter."

"Ehhhhh, wait, you mean you can see without them? So why did you even have glasses in the first place?"

'Because they helped me with concleaning my identity and staying inconspicuous from prying people such as yourself.' he thought to himself.

"They were old glasses, I already had surgery for my eyes and I only kept them for nostalgic reasons." he lied.

"Hmmmmmmmm…" the chaldean man tilted his head slightly, staring inquisitively at Wyatt in deep thought.

'Fuck! He's not buying it! Am I too suspicious?' Wyatt thought in panic.

Desperate to throw the co-worker off his case, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind and said, "Oh, um, they also made me look cool y'know? I was kinda hoping it would help me with the ladies…"

"…"

"…"

"Bwhahaha! That's so damn funny! You really thought those glasses would help? Bwhahaha!" the blonde man broke into abrupt laughter, amused by Wyatt's false confession.

'Oh thank god, he actually bought that."

"Haha, yeah, how silly of me." Wyatt acted sheepish, scratching the back of his head and looking down at the table. 'I've got to be more careful from now on, too many slip ups and they'll start investigating me.'

"Yo guys, Wyatt wore those glasses because he thought they'd make him look cool!" The man had already turned around and was yelling at another group of staff members while beckoning them to come over.

'Oh the things I do for the foundation' and with a sigh, he prepared himself for all the teasing and questions that would be directed at him.

"Also he has lady issues, bwhahaha!"

'Goddamnit…'