Chapter 21

Mark could feel the cold and calm wind brushing against his cheeks. His ears were suddenly filled with soft rustle of grass. He slowly opened his eyes. A beautiful meadow greeted the hero. What…? A perplexed look formed on his face. Mark remembered that he had been previously standing inside the Einzbern's cathedral workshop. Now he was on a slope of a hill. The plains below him were pristine and beautiful. The sky was deep violet and orange hue.

Wherever he was, it was already a deep afternoon and the place looked very surreal and unreal to him. It's so...peaceful here. Invincible thought calmly. This new world he was in felt very tranquil. It was as if chaos up to its very concept didn't exist at all.

"Mark-nii-san!" a loud and familiar voice echoed cheerfully from his right. Mark's eyes widened, startled as he slowly turned to the voice's direction. He saw the familiar figure of Illya 2. The girl was standing on top of the hill. Her face was beaming a happy smile, and her hand was waving gleefully at him.

"Illya." A kind smile spread on the Hero's face. The sight of the girl's jovial expression told him that she was still happy with her choice. He started to walk towards the Homunculus and reached her eventually.

"Glad that you've made it!" Illya 2 beamed her welcoming grin at the man.

Invincible nodded and felt his chest lighten to her words. "Even though it was just a short time, I felt that I fought a long battle."

"Of course. Despite all of your hardships, you're worthy of receiving the Grail." Homunculus said, her black coat rustling softly as the wind blew gently across the hill. "I would love to tell you that you're the winner of this war, but...your battles aren't over yet." Illya 2 said in a reminding way as her facial expression shifted into a mischievous one. She tilted her head and glanced behind the Hero.

A puzzled look formed on Mark's face, but he noticed the girl's eyes were looking at something behind him. The Hero followed and turned around. His eyes met Jim, who stood a meter away from him, the boy was still in his troll form and was huffing hard for air as he showed his haggard frown at the Hero. "Jim!" a dark scowl formed on Invincible's face. "You still won't give up!?" Angered by the boy's perseverance, Mark thundered down on Jim.

The boy stared daggers at him first before his eyes shifted to Illya 2. "You're being used, Mark. We both were. She's the real enemy here." He growled with enmity at the girl, but the Hero shifted his feet and stood between them.

"How many times do I have to tell you that she just wanted to fulfill her purpose, and I don't believe your lies!" Mark rebuked what the Trollhunter said and stood firmly. The two stared at each other's eyes, both of them emitting a dangerous aura. They were readying themselves to square it off again.

"You should listen to him, Mark." A cold voice interrupted the two. Both of them froze and slowly looked to the source of the new voice. Emiya Shirou stood a meter away from them, his grey eyes observing them.

"Emiya!" Jim smiled gladly as Emiya smirked at him.

"It's good that you're still standing, Jim." the Terrorist Mage said with a hint of relief. Brightened that the Trollhunter was still in good shape, Emiya then shifted his eyes at Invincible, a warning frown formed on his face. "And as for you, Mark, I think it's time for you to know about the true purpose of the Grail."

Mark's scowl deepened more into an enraged one. He clenched both of his fists, putting his right foot behind him and standing in a fighting stance. He was ready to fight them both again. "You can't stop me...the two of you can't!"

Emiya and Jim frown more. The Hero was truly determined to defend the Grail even to his death. They didn't want to kill Mark. They still believed that the Hero could still be saved. Mark, however, was determined to kill both of them. He would do anything for his wish to be granted. The three stared daggers at each other and stood still, all of them looking at each other and waiting for whoever would make the first attack.

"Mark, have you ever thought about what would happen after you made your wish?" A new voice cut through the air. This one was serious and deep. Mark went still on the spot again. The voice of the man was very familiar to him. Mark had known the man who owned it very well and it made his eyes widen in terror. As for Emiya and Jim, the two of them looked at the source of the new voice and they both gasped in shock. Mark slowly looked to his side and then he finally saw the newcomer. His face frowned more in terrified recognition.

Omni-Man, Nolan Grayson, was standing a meter away from him. His face was devoid of expression, but his light blue eyes were sharp and were staring straight at Mark. Omni-Man's cape, red as blood, rustled softly as his white costume shone brightly in a deep orange shade as the sunset's lights reflected upon him.

The Invincible hero shook his head as he took a step back. No...I'm experiencing my episode again. I'm almost at the end. "No, you're not real. You're just my imagination." Mark heaved as his heart started to beat faster. A pang suddenly erupted in his head and it burned inside. His frown shifted into a distressed grit and Nolan noticed it. The man's light blue eyes shifted discernibly at his son and slowly approached him.

"Mark…" Nolan called him again as he stood close to his son. Mark glanced at him with strong doubtful eyes. The Hero was still denying the appearance of his late father, still thinking that he was an illusion of his own sickness. However, the elder Hero curled his lips down into a rageful scowl before he grabbed both of his son's shoulders and slammed his forehead into Invincible's head.

A loud thud echoed through the hill.

"Ouch!"

"IS THAT REAL ENOUGH FOR YOU!?" Nolan thundered harshly and everyone gasped at what happened. The man had just head butted Invincible, the strongest hero fell to the ground, and a look of shock formed on his face.

"Wh-What the-!" It can't be- Invincible couldn't believe what had just happened. The pain that he felt was real and strong enough to break his episodic migraine. "How-? How in the-? Ouch!"

"Stop asking me questions when I'm in the dark too even after you summoned me, you stupid son of mine! I've been stabbed, burnt and even chained up by some Goldytwink! Good thing I managed to transform into a wraith and snuck in here just so I could do this to you!" Nolan kick and kicked Mark's leg, making the young Hero yelp more, as he explained.

Summoned? I summoned him...but why and how!? Mark's shock still lingered and it left him in a daze. The pain was real. The touch was also real, and what's more, the man possessed the same scent as his father. A doomed realization emerged from within him.

This man was real. Nolan was indeed standing in front of him.

"How...How on earth…?!"

And then a dark and shrilled chuckle reverberated through the hill and was carried by the wind. All of them looked at the Homunculus, who was giggling cheerfully as if the scene before her was a comedy that was worth laughing at. "Oh well, looks like I have to reveal to Mark what really happened during his summoning." she said in a dubious manner as Nolan shifted his eyes at her. A predatory gaze formed on Omni-Man's face. Emiya and Jim also stared at the girl with suspicion and Mark glanced at her with a lost look. Illya 2's grin widened more. "What basically happened, Mark, is that you've double summon a Servant and this extra Servant lived inside your Heracles. Perhaps it has something to do with the catalyst that you used in the summoning."

Catalyst...Ah, the Blood of the Viltrumites! Mark's eyes widened at the revelation as he remembered his incantation. However, it didn't explain why his father was here, summoned as a Servant. "But why is he here-? Ouch!"

"It's because of our DNA." Nolan explained coldly after he landed a kick on his son's leg again without removing his eyes on the demonic Homunculus. "Viltrumites have strong DNA and it can be passed down to their children. The Throne of Heroes must've detected our strong biological bond." he added as the Einzbern homunculus cackled softly at his actions.

"Now that it's been explained. Let me explain to all of you where you are right now." Illya 2 said excitedly before she stretched her hands up and happily welcomed everyone.

"Welcome to the world inside the Lesser Grail and the foyer towards the Greater Grail!" Homunculus looked up and casted her wide gleeful grin towards the sky. All of them glanced upwards and looked through the afternoon sky.

The sky suddenly opened up. The afternoon orange hue was replaced by a pitch-black void that led to an endless pit. A band of blue light encircled around the void, materializing outwards. The band of blue light would have been a perfect circle, but the lines stopped at the topmost part. A flow of blue glittering lights, flowing like mist, started to pour out of the broken lines and everyone felt a chill run down their spine as their hairs stood on end.

Holy Shishkebab… "What the hell is that?" Jim's chest tightened in fear. The void looked very ominous and dangerous.

Emiya, however, maintained his calm as a look of recognition formed on his face. "That's the Greater Grail Jim...and the entrance to the Root. We're basically looking at the Root itself."

Jim glanced at him and his fearful expression shifted into a worried one. The Root – the place where everyone was born and eventually return to after they die. The Trollhunter thought in bewilderment as he remembered what the Root exactly was. The Root was the 'God' of every universe and lifeform. To see it up close was very mystifying and terrifying to Jim. They were all basically staring up to the creator of everything.

"However," Emiya's glare darkened as he shifted his eyes back at Illya 2, "the Greater Grail is incomplete."

Eh? The Trollhunter blinked and starred with a lost look. He glanced at the Terrorist Mage before he turned his focus on the girl. Illya 2 looked at Emiya, absorbing his words, before a sinister smile formed on his lips.

"True. I am an incomplete Grail."

What? Mark darted his eyes at her. This time it was the Hero's turn to form a perplexed frown. Incomplete? "Illya 2 what do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice wavering tensely as the girl glanced at him and casted her predatory smirk at the Hero.

"When the Einzbern created the magic ritual to summon and anchor the Greater Grail to this world, they put an extra clause on it. The state of the Lesser Grail would always reflect back to the Greater Grail." Illya 2 said as she began to walk, skipping steps playfully, before she explained further. "The band of light over there. It symbolizes the brim and rim of the Lesser Grail. You see, when Justeaze conceptualized the Greater Grail, she built a prototype of it here." Illya twirled suddenly and gracefully before she raised her hand to the air, letting the setting sun bask her with its diminishing glow. "However, her research had yielded her a result that led her to abandon this Greater Grail before she finished it. She found a new place where there's a greater concentration of mana, more than this workshop."

Jim looked up again and he saw the broken line. The blue, glittering mist continuously flowed out of the void and then he realized what it was. Is that Mana? "Is that the reason why the rim and brim is incomplete, because this Greater Grail was abandoned before completion?" Jim asked as Emiya took a step forward.

"Yeah, but I don't care about that. It can still open towards the Root anyways."

Illya 2 simply grinned and answered without a single care to the world. But that's clearly broken! Mark's foreboding feeling returned and weighed heavily in his chest. He wanted his wish to be fulfilled. Mark wanted a new future for all living beings to live in peace, but now that he discovered that the Grail had defects, he wasn't so sure anymore. "Illya...you didn't tell me that you're incomplete!"

"If she tells you that, you would give her a different answer back in Russia." Nolan stated uncaringly without breaking his observation on the girl. Illya 2 giggled at the Hero's response as if she had found out how stupid Mark was. She then glanced at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Mark. Girls gotta keep their secrets, you know. I don't want you to feel extremely disappointed in me."

Mark's eyes widened in horror as the Trollhunter and Emiya glared, embittered at her remarks. A realization dawned on the Hero. If the grail was incomplete, would it still function properly and grant his wish? That was the question that was now running in his mind. He frowned restively as he looked down to the ground. Then-Then all of my sacrifices are-! Nolan clicked his tongue after he noticed his son's reaction.

So stupid. Omni-Man's brows knit in furrow as he cast an evil eye at his son. "Didn't I tell you every time, every fucking time, to think first, Mark!"

Illya 2 chuckled in delight. The interaction between the father and son was too amusing for her. She clapped her hands and tilted her head.

"Now, now, Nolan. Let's not break your son. I can still grant wishes, you know." she said with a brightened smile. Mark looked up to her. His face drew a clueless expression, unsure of what she said was true.

"Illya, then-! Ah!" the Hero was about to speak, but the Viltrumite Soldier grunted and grabbed him by the collar of his costume. Omni-Man lifted Invincible up to his level and moved his head closer to his ear.

"I hate seeing you on the ground. Now shut up." Nolan whispered in a warning tone at Mark, but his voice was gentle. He moved his head away from the bewildered Hero. Nolan glanced at the Homunculus again. His enraged frown shifted into a crossed one before he called the girl.

"That must've been nice then Illya 2." The girl only snorted softly and crossed her arms over her black coat. The Viltrumite continued, a dark smirk forming on his lips. "You told my son and that Troll-kid that the Holy Grail is omnipotent, so how exactly is it really omnipotent?" he asked with a hint of mocking tone in his voice.

The girl curled her lips up into a wide grin. "Even if the Lesser or Greater Grail is incomplete, it can and will still grant wishes. That's how powerful it is."

"Ok...then will the Master's wish be granted exactly as the Wisher had wished it to be?" the Viltrumite asked again and this time, Illya 2's eyes sharpened. Her smile disappeared and her face showed no emotion at all, but then she made a grin again, a very deadly one.

"What are you playing at, Viltrumite scum?"

A soft snort escaped the elder Hero's lips as he glanced at Mark. The Invincible Hero was still confused and clueless as to what his father was doing, but Nolan ignored him. "If this Grail is really that powerful, surely it can show the effect of the Master's wish to the world before any of these two say it, am I right?" he said with a small mocking smile on his lips. The Homunculus clicked her tongue, a look of dismay flashed on her lips. She figured out what the Viltrumite was trying to make her do. Nolan wanted her to show the two participants the effect of their wishes on the world.

"Ok, if that's what you want. This Lesser Grail will show the effect of Mark's wish on the world." she said. Illya 2 then glanced at the Trollhunter and her grin darkened more. "You know what, why don't we let the Lesser Grail also show the effect of Jim's wish to the world. It's bad to leave him hanging, right?"

The effect of my wish? Jim suddenly made an unsure frown. He gulped tensely. His wish was for Toby to be cured from Belroc's curse and wake up. However, he knew the Grail would make it a failure at some point. He didn't want to see the effect of his wish, but a dark curiosity sprung out from the back of his mind.

"Well then...shall we start?" Illya 2 said energetically and clapped her hands to the air. The band of light above pulsated, and before anyone could react, the whole world was enveloped in a bright white light.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Invincible, Fate/Stay Night and Tales of Arcadia. Names, Places and Events are all purely fictional. If one exist in real life then its coincidence.

Special thanks to Pure Red Crain for Beta-reading.

So what can you say everyone? Leave some reviews below and let's talk it over a nice cup of tea!