Chapter 29
-Above Antarctica-
Dad...Invincible woke up from a dream again. His dream was that his Father appeared in the summoning ritual circle back at the church instead of Heracles. However, it was over before he could talk to him. His black eyes, longing and lost like, looked around as his senses connected with reality. He was inside a helicopter. The small fuselage was dimly lit by a single red light near the cockpit door.
"Are we there yet?" Mark asked in a slightly irate and crossed manner to no one. I know that CHALDEA was in Antarctica, but I have no idea where exactly it was. I should have flown there, instead. CHALDEA was said to be located right exactly in the center of the Antarctica continent. The reason for that was because the organization needed to be international, so no other countries could claim them. That wasn't all, however. The HQ was located on top of a snow covered and steep alpine tundra. It was also protected by several magical protection forcefields.
Invincible could have flown there quickly, but he got a lot of luggage and U-Olga warned him that the forcefield might detect him as an enemy and snap him to death. And Mark couldn't help but believe it. And so, the Hero endured a 14.5 hours of airplane flight from London, and a three hour-flight via helicopter.
The Hero felt weary from the long trip. Relax, Mark. This is your second time in a chopper. The man smiled, reminiscently, as he remembered his first time when he rode a helicopter. It was during Independence Day and he was on a chopper together with his mom. They were hovering above the bay in San Francisco, waiting for Omni-Man. The Hero flew and was carrying the largest flag of America at that time, making the whole crowd on the ground cheer with excitement.
It was a lovely day. The Hero's chest warmed up a bit, in happiness as he lifted the covers of his window.
The view that greeted him was nothing but an almost endless expanse of cold white desert that was devoid of life. He could see mountains on the horizon, tiny and jutting out like ships in a frozen sea. Antarctica, true to its nature and geography, was indeed a rather lifeless continent.
"There's nothing really here." Mark groaned in disappointment.
"Good morning, Mister Grayson." The earphones on Mark's ears rattled loudly as one of the pilots greeted him with a dull tone.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"We're already here, sir. CHALDEA is in our three."
The chopper jolted and began to lean to the right. Mark glanced at his window again. The icy desert before him was slowly replaced by a huge alpine tundra. The slopes were jagged and sharp. Snow covered steep cliffs ran beneath him and then he saw it. A huge shape that was neither part of the mountain nor tundra began to take shape. It was a U-shaped building and its walls were colored silvery grey. The whole structure looked out of place from the tundra because it was right in the middle and, despite its status as an international organization, its grim structure made it look like a villain's HQ.
So that's CHALDEA – the place where I can redeem myself. Mark thought and ignored the dismal look of the HQ. To him, this was his only path in his quest for redemption, to turn his whole life around and become a Hero of mankind once more. In addition, this was the place where he could summon him again.
An excited smirk spread on Mark's lips as the chopper roared towards the building. He couldn't wait to be a Hero again.
-CHALDEA - Helipad-
The chopper made a loud thud as it landed softly on the tarmac. Mark stood up and walked towards the door. The door slid open and a blast of cold wind softly slammed into to his face. The Hero took a step outside and his eyes took note of the surroundings. He was standing in front of an open hangar that contained large tanks, trucks and other land-dwelling vehicles. Employees and staff were walking around. Some were carrying tubes to refuel the chopper. Others were pushing large carts containing some equipment that looked very important. Invincible then shifted his eyes to his left and saw the symbol of CHALDEA, the half crescent moon, on the grey tall wall.
Now this looks menacing. Mark couldn't help be in awe as he stood in the shadow of the HQ. The man tightened his black trench coat. Vapors blew out of his mouth as he felt the cold creep through his grey shirt and blue jeans.
The Hero then caught a familiar figure approaching him. U-Olga Marie, in her human form, was coming out from the hangar. Her face beamed an eager smirk as her orange gold eyes saw him. She was closely tailing a large robust man, the same man who arrested him back in the cave two years ago. Mark could recall that the man's name was Goredolf Musik, the Director of the organization. He was still clothed in elegant black and white clothes. His deep blue eyes focused on Mark with anticipation. The two were waiting for his arrival.
"Mr. Grayson, glad that you've arrived. I do hope the flight didn't bore you out."
"Not at all, Director Musik."
U-Olga sneered as her grin widened. She crossed her arms over her orange and black clothes. "Are you excited to become a Master once again, Mark? Well, you should be careful with the Heroic Spirit you summon. You might not be able to control the next one."
Mark blinked and understood the humor of the Servant. His face cracked and smirked before he said with energy, "I think I already have a preferred Servant to summon, Miss Animusphere."
The alien Goddess blinked at his words, confused and clueless to what he meant, before she shrugged her shoulders. "Well then, Musik, shall we take him to the Observation and Briefing Room."
"Indeed. This way, Mr. Grayson. You must be cold."
Mark glanced at the Director and smiled in a friendly way. "Please call me Mark, Director."
-CHALDEA - Main Hallway-
Invincible silently tailed U-Olga and the Director as the three walked along a long hallway. There were some staff who were in front. A few of them made a salute at Goredolf and U-Olga while others showed a welcoming smile at the Hero.
They seem friendly here. The Hero thought, noticing the friendly atmosphere. The hallway was white and spacious. Windows were lined up on one side, showing nothing but the wide endless white expanse of the frozen continent. The air that lingers around him was not tense, but more like placid. For an organization that served as an institution that kept humanity safe form harm, it seemed like they were too peaceful.
"We're here." U-Olga said as they all stood in front of large metallic doors. The doors softly whisked open and the Hero was ushered inside.
-CHALDEA - Observation and Briefing Room-
Mark entered a cold and wide room with rows of chairs. The room was plain except for the half crescent moon symbol drawn in the back. Forward and in front was a huge window. The man walked towards it and took a peek. His eyes lit up. The window peered into what seemed to be the control room below. The whole floor was filled with employees and staff, all of whom were busy with their terminals that were lit up.
"Everything looks busy down there." Mark commented in awe as his eyes looked further.
Beyond the Control Room, separated by another window, was a huge cavern. The walls of the Cavern were made of metal. The ground wasn't solid, but instead filled by ankle deep water that was glowing a blue hue. Invincible could see that it was pure mana. It astonished him. This was the first time that he was seeing such a huge abundance of mana in liquid form, filling up the ground of the cavern. A pathway was in the middle, which ended at the center of the lake of mana. In the middle, the man saw a huge structure. The structure was that of a globe shining a bright blue and it was surrounded by several spheres that hovered around it.
I know that structure. Invincible recognized the globe. He had read about it in the 'Animusphere's History and Inventions' back at Magus Assoc.
U-Olga and Goredolf stood behind him, observing the boy with interest. The Director's phone suddenly vibrated and interrupted them. "U-Olga, Team D is already finished." he reported.
The female Mage merely nodded. "Sorry about this, Mark, but we have to leave you for a moment. An instructor will come and meet you soon. In the meantime, why don't you observe the Control Room below."
"That's ok." Mark said as the two walked out of the room. He then shifted his focus back to the Control Room. Seconds later, he saw the familiar figures of the two entering and walking along the rows of terminals. Some of the staff glanced at them and started reporting.
They look busy...hmm? The man then noticed a figure. It was a small girl wearing an old outfit of red and blue dress. Her hair was shiny and auburn. Her eyes were wide and aqua blue. She was smiling in a sunny way, but it was hard to keep focus on that when her appearance was completely out of place. She looked like she had leaped out of a renaissance portrait.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, good to see you again, Mark Grayson."
A serious voice interrupted Mark's thought. It made the man look to his left. His eyes widened in recognition as he looked straight to the fierce aqua eyes of none other than Tohsaka Rin, one of the people who chased him down three years ago.
What the hell! What she is doing here?! She couldn't be the Instructor that's supposed to meet me! Mark gulped tensely and awkwardly. Invincible had tried to kill her before, but to see her right now, standing and smiling in a 'friendly' manner, was perilous for him. She might still be angry with him. "Ah-! You're the-"
"Tohsaka Rin, CHALDEA Instructor for the newbies." Rin said and leaned closer to him while maintaining her 'kind' aura. "Which means I'm in charge of you. Let's work together, ok~?" she brightly said and put her hand on the man's shoulder, patting it softly before she squeezed it with all of her might.
Ah, fuck, she's still angry with me. "Th-Thanks, Ma'am…" Mark couldn't help but make a strained smile. It was clear as day that the woman was still pissed with his attempted murder all those years ago and he completely understood it.
Rin moved away and crossed her arms over her white lab coat and red sweater. "I heard that you studied in the Magus Assoc and that you graduated with the Rank of Brand. That's amazing."
"Oh, uh, thanks."
"You're actually the first Viltrumite to ever became a mage. Good thing you didn't flunk. That would be extremely embarrassing."
"Indeed."
Rin chuckled heartily at her own humor while Mark maintained a troubled grin, still feeling ill. The two stood in silence, listening to the soft humming of machinery somewhere nearby. The female Mage took a glance at the man and noticed that he was looking down below, avoiding her eyes. Ugh...this is getting nowhere. Rin's mind was in a turmoil of curiosity as to why the Hero chose to become a Mage and join CHALDEA. Being a Mage required excluding yourself from society due to obligatory lifestyles and practices. It would be hard for the Hero if he ever wanted to go back to his family.
"Say, Mr. Grayson, why did you become a Mage and join CHALDEA?" Rin finally asked after building up some courage.
Mark glanced at her, noticing the curiosity in his Instructor's voice. He answered with a determined smile. "It's because I want to be a Hero again. I know the risk of being a Mage, but it's a risk that I'm willing to take. It's all for the sake of keeping humanity safe."
Oh...same reason as him. Rin felt nostalgic. One person popped into her mind and that was her husband, Shirou, who answered her with the same words as that of Invincible. Shirou, too, wanted to become a Hero of justice. It was also the reason why he became a Mage and a freelance vigilante. A reminiscing grin spread on her lips. She was content with the man's answer. "Well then, I shall try to help you along the way, Mr. Grayson."
"Please, do call me, Mark."
"First things first then, Mark. Do you know what that is?" Rin asked in an inquisitive manner and pointed towards the globe. She was testing his knowledge and the man realized it immediately.
He answered her in wonderment. "That's CHALDEA, which is what the organization was named after. Its real name is 'Simulated Environment Model 'CHALDEAS', and it is the most perfect model of Earth because its basis and foundation is 'the soul of the World', the subconscious will of planet Earth. It also represents the status of our World in the past, present, and even future timeline. In theory, it can also show the different forms of Earth in different variants and dimensions."
Well thought out. Rin smirked in mild interest as she looked through the window and said to him. "You got the basics, so I'm pretty sure you know exactly what this organization is doing."
"Yes. Basically, I will be sent to the past or even the future to fix anomalies that will threaten Mankind's existence and continuity." Mark paused as he made an uncertain frown, remembering something in his past. "I have...experience of being sent to the past and different dimensions already...and all of it was uncanny."
The girl glanced at him with an understanding look. "I know. I heard about that. But rest assured, errors like that will never occur because of our Rayshift tech and Klein Coffins."
"Ah, I know about those." Mark said and recalled about the other technological inventions of CHALDEA. "Rayshift is a technology that sends the person's, the Master's, soul to the past, future or even different dimensions, leaving the physical body in this realm. It works like an Astral Projection, the soul leaving the body, only that it copies the person's physical appearance and down to the very atom of his soul and projecting it to the targeted era or other world. And it can only be done through Klein Coffins which is, true to its name, shaped like a coffin."
Rin nodded to the man's explanation. "Hmm, glad that you get how the machine works. All I need to explain to you then are the emergency procedures." She glanced down to the wide cavern and noticed something, making her grin in excitement. "There's the coffin, Mark."
Mark looked down. He saw the cavern again. The lake of mana was still glowing its calm blue hue. Suddenly, the Globe flickered and the water parted. Two cylindrical tubes that bore resemblance to a coffin surfaced. They really do look like coffins...Hmm? The machines then whisked open and a man on the left coffin came out. He was younger than Mark and was clothed in a white and black spandex-like suit. He had black hair and aqua blue eyes – the same as Rin.
"Who's that?" he asked.
Rin smirked energetically. "That's my cousin, Ritsuka Fujimaru and he's your upperclassman."
Him? He's so young. Mark couldn't help but feel bewildered. The man was young at first glance. However, when the Hero focused his eyes more, he could see that Ritsuka had the look of a person who just went into war and emerged victorious – a strong mature and wise look. The right coffin opened across from Ritsuka, and the familiar white-haired Emiya emerged and stepped out. The man was wearing the same outfit as the other. Emiya stretched his arms in the air and yawned, clearly tired from whatever mission the two had done. Emiya glanced up and saw the two. He waved lively at them.
Rin waved, welcoming them back, while Mark only made a bow. Those two look like they traveled from a far away place...Hmm? The Hero then noticed a familiar magic ritual circle suddenly forming beneath the Globe. It was the same one that Mark had used before. Lights of mana began to clump together before it burst out. Three Servants appeared and the Hero's eyes widened in amazement.
Mark recognized the Servant in the middle. It was Gilgamesh. The half-naked from waist up and golden armored Mesopotamian demi-god walked out of the circle and was tailed by a person with light green hair and light purple eyes. The Servant of indistinguishable gender was wearing a big white cloak that covered its entire body. The person's appearance confused Mark because the Servant possessed a face that had characteristics of both male and female. Following behind the androgynous Servant was a man with low-ponytail tying his blue hair, and was wearing blue spandex. A red spear was on his shoulders and his face bore a solemn yet bored look.
"Those are Servants."
"Yeah. Whenever a Master Rayshifts, their Servants follow them through the summoning circle." Rin said and turned her head to him. "You and your soon to be Servant will be Rayshifted to whatever era or dimension the target is. Isn't that exciting?" She beamed at the Hero and ruffled his hair.
It is. Mark's mind was running. He imagined himself receiving a mission and then climbing into one of those coffins. He imagined being Rayshifted into the through space and time. His Servant would then appear beside him and fight with him. His Servant, whom he was hoping to be his father, would once again fly with him and help innocent people. The scene was thrilling and joyous for him.
"Hmm…? You're quiet. Are you perhaps tired?" Rin asked after she noticed the man's sudden silence.
Mark blinked away from his daze and glanced at her. "Not at all. In fact, I'm a bit excited."
Rin hummed in interest and grinned at the man's energy. She could clearly see that the man was amazed with what he was seeing right now. "Well then, since you're not tired, shall I give you a tour of the HQ?"
"By all means, Ms. Tohsaka." Invincible said and smirked peacefully at her invitation before the two moved and exited the room.
-CHALDEA - Personal Quarters-
After touring the whole facility, discovering many Servants living within the HQ, and taking his dinner at the cafeteria, Mark was now drying his hair as he walked out of the bathroom after taking a bath. The coldness of the room crept into his black shirt and white pyjamas. He felt a chill biting his skin even though the room was already warm from the heater. So cold…Mark thought and groaned before he glanced to his left.
All of his luggage had been unloaded and brought to this room, which Rin introduced to him as his personal quarters. Piles of books were scattered on his desk and most of his clothes were still inside his luggage, which was lying on the bed. Hmm...maybe I'll tidy up my clothes first. Mark opened his luggage and paused. His eyes landed on his costume and a nostalgic feeling formed on his chest. All the heroic deeds that he had done before played in his mind, remembering all the things that he had experienced, all the feelings that he had felt during that time. Sufferings, despair, hope and then eventually love – all of it had molded him to become a Hero.
"I'll try to regain my path as a Hero. I swear to it." Invincible said to himself with a determined smile. Mark's decision to redeem myself was unshakable and he would do everything he could to achieve it. The hero carried the costume and walked towards the closet.
"I can't wait for the summoning tomorrow-"
"FOU!"
"AAACK!" Invincible yelped in shock and fell to his butt after a white and fluffy creature, faintly jumped and hit him square on the face.
"What the fuck!" Mark quickly stood up and looked behind him to see whatever creature had jumped on him. He finally saw it clearly. The creature was small and it looked like a hybrid of squirrel and puppy. Its fur was white and its ears were as tall as a rabbit. A white cloth was around its back and was tied by a small red ribbon in the center. Its eyes were silver-blue and were staring at the Hero with curiosity.
"What the fuck are-!" Mark, still confused, narrowed his black eyes at the cute animal's mouth. His mask, the most important part of his costume, was between its teeth. "Easy...I mean no harm…" Mark slowly approached the creature in order to get the mask, a tense look on his face. He feared that the creature might take off with it. And just as he feared, it ran towards the door, whisking it open, and took off into the open hallway. "Goddammit!"
Mark wasted no time and chased it down.
"Come back here please!" Invincible pleaded as he flew along the main hallways of Chaldea. The night was already deep and the hallways were empty except for some skeleton employees in the Control Room, still monitoring the world. The creature in front of him was running at a rapid speed. It then took a sharp turn on the right and dashed off. The Hero made a barrel roll and throttled more.
"Come back here, you white chipmunk!" Mark berated, but then the white puppy-like creature careened to the left. Mark groaned and sharply turned left, only for him to gasp and halt his chase.
The creature was standing at the end of the hallway's cul-de-sac. Behind the creature was a large dual sliding door that was made of thick metal. On its surface was the symbol of CHALDEA. The Hero recognized the room. He had seen it earlier during his tour with Rin. They didn't enter it because the door was closed, but the girl told him what it was.
"The Summoning room – the place where Servant's are summoned to this world...Great, now why did you bring me here?" Invincible asked grimly, irritated with the creature. The creature blinked at him before it turned around and faced the door. The bulkhead door suddenly made a thud and began to creak open. "Wait!" Mark called again as the creature ran through the doors. He followed it and landed on the floor.
"Whoa." Mark's eyes lit up as he finally saw the inside of the room. The room was perfectly circular. The walls were made out of metal and the air was stale and cold. He glanced around and eventually narrowed his eyes in front. A ritual summoning magic circle was drawn in the center, not glowing in mana and quite lifeless. In its middle was the creature with his mask still dangling in its mouth.
"There you are!" Invincible quickly reached out and scooped up the creature. It was extremely light and fluffy – almost alien like. The creature glanced at him, inquiringly staring at Mark's black eyes, before it let go of the mask, which the Hero caught with his other hand. "Thank you." the Hero said softly to put the creature down. Mark put the mask in his pyjama pocket before he focused his attention again on the ritual circle.
"Illegal summoning is forbidden here." A voice, soft and a man's, suddenly cut through the silence of the room. Mark looked behind him and was startled to see the aqua blue eyes of the young man earlier staring right back at him.
"Ah, no. I'm not doing that." Mark explained and shifted his eyes down. The creature was in the young man's arms, sitting comfortably. Mark added with a slightly disapproving tone in his voice, "That pet took my mask and I just gave it a chase. It led me here."
The young man glanced down at the creature, an understanding smile forming on his lips. "Sorry about that. Cath Palug is a bit nosy with newcomers. Its his way of welcoming them, you see." The young man looked back at the Hero. "I am Ritsuka Fujimaru, by the way."
"Your cousin, Rin Tohsaka, already introduced you to me. She also told me that you're my upperclassman."
"Oh, that's convenient." Ritsuka said while stroking the back of Cath Palug, who yawned. "Then that would mean you're Mark Grayson, the Invincible. I heard so much about you." The young man grinned happily and energetically, casting his serious look away. The Hero blinked and gladly smiled back, startled that the young man's serious look was gone so suddenly.
"Glad that I'm still famous then...in a good way."
"Of course, you're the Hero of mankind. Although, I did hear everything about you...including the reason why you're here."
Oh. Mark felt downcast at what he said. If Fujimaru knew what had brought Mark here, then he would know how the Hero lost his way and how he became a criminal. What did Fujimaru think of him. He seemed to accept Mark to his fold.
"I understand, Mark." Surprised, Mark looked up and met the sympathetic smile of the young man before he continued. "When in times of desperation...humans always act in irrational ways. But they were never truly bad." Fujimaru looked down at the magic circle. His smile shifted into a longing one as a memory surfaced in his mind. "You've chosen to pick yourself up and walk on the path of heroism once again. Is that why you're called 'Invincible'? Because you have an unyielding desire to help everyone? A perfect, indestructible, and invincible will to become a superhero?"
Invincible couldn't help but feel happy about what the other said. Fujimaru was right. Ever since Mark learned that his dad was a superhero, he always wished that he would become like the older Hero. And when he got his power, Mark started saving the helpless, never stopping and never giving up no matter what the circumstances or odds were. Fujimaru completely understood Mark.
"Yes. I was born to be a Hero. It is my fate to help everyone and keep this world safe." Don't think. Become. Invincible remembered the words of Merlin. A courageous smirk formed on Mark's face, making Fujimaru mentally gasped.
You're just like her. The faint image of a woman with lilac hair and lavender eyes flashed in the young master's mind. The Hero's smile, words, and bravery were all similar to her. A wave of emotions swirled inside Fujimaru's chest and the young man couldn't help but gulp down tensely.
"You're a good person and a Hero, Mark." Fujimaru said peacefully as he looked away, hiding his glassy eyes, preventing Invincible from seeing it. "Um...it's already late, we have curfew at twelve for newbies. It's part of their training here."
"I understand." Mark said as he bowed to his upperclassman, noticing his sad reaction, and began to leave.
"Invincible, wait." Mark paused and glanced at Fujimaru again. He saw a tranquil grin on the upperclassman's face. "Good night." Fujimaru said simply. The Hero nodded and chuckled in delight, finding the young man's greeting to be funny.
The door of the Ritual Summoning Room closed, leaving Fujimaru alone with Cath Palug in his arms. The young man's smile then shifted into a sad one as he finally opened his eyes and let out the tears he held back so that he wouldn't cause any trouble to Invincible.
"Hey, Mash...I met a new man today. He's just like you, always looking up to the world." Fujimaru began, speaking to the girl in his memory.
"It's been a year since you sacrificed yourself in order to save me." Fujimaru lowered his head and put his hand on his chest. Mash Kyrielight was his previous partner and Servant. They had done many missions, fixing timelines and anomalies in the past, and they were thick as thieves. However, it all ended one day when, during one of their missions, she sacrificed herself in order to save him, catching all of the enemy's attacks and leaving him unscathed. His last memory of her was her smiling face and her last words that rang deep and sweetly into his ears.
'Thank you, Senpai, for everything. Keep fighting the good fight.'
"Don't worry. As long as your essence is within me, your Noble Phantasm and your wish to keep me safe, I will never stop fighting for the good fight." Fujimaru opened his eyes, and a valorous look formed on his face. "Just like Invincible, I mustn't give up."
'Fou?' Cath Palug looked up to Fujimaru and noticed his tears.
Fujimaru grinned happily, banishing his sadness away, so that the creature wouldn't be sad for him. "Let's sleep, Cath Palug. Invincible needs our help for tomorrow's ritual."
'Fou!'
The squirrel-like creature yipped once, agreeing with him. Fujimaru nodded and walked out of the Summoning Ritual Room, the door closing behind him. He decided to retire for the night.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Fate/Stay Night, Trollhunters and Invincible. Names, places and events are pure fictional. If one exist in real life then its purely coincidental.
special thanks to Pure Red Crane for beta-reading and proofreading.
So how was this chapter everyone? I was planning to add more servants on the globe part but...nah, I feel tired. Suggest me some servants for the next chapter, will ya?