To make up for the wait on the previous chapter, I came up with a new one for this. This is the "Prologue" of Orleans. I will not lie, this is not exactly my favorite singularity though it is not my most hated...that one comes later. I won't be cluttering things up with Servants, I promise...most of the interactions between everyone will be at Chaldea and not in the singularities themselves. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Orleans: Prologue

Cira jolted awake, sweat beading her brow as her breaths came out sharp and fast. She felt something scramble up her arm and up to her shoulder, a soft chirruping noise catching her ear as something soft rubbed against her cheek.

"Fou," she breathed, her shoulders relaxing as she reached up to pet the little creature, "At least I have something that was friendly show up,"

Fou bounded off her shoulder and jumped to the floor, his tail wagging as his violet eyes looked up at her.

"Kyu?" he chirped, "Fou-fou!"

Cira yawned, stretching as she swung her legs over the side of her bed. It was weird...she couldn't remember what the dream was about at all.

Her bare feet hit the floor, causing a shiver to run up her.

"Hate how it's always so cold…" she muttered as she got up, still wrapped in the quilt that was on her bed.

She thanked her lucky stars that when Chaldea had taken her they intercepted her luggage and got the things she was taking to college with her. The quilt was a parting gift from her mother, made with her own hands and still carried the smell of her perfume. Cira gripped the quilt closer to her, pulling it further across her shoulders as her throat closed.

Humanity had been incinerated...meaning her mother was gone now, reduced to ashes and charred bones out somewhere in the world alongside her sister, her father, her grandmother and cousins…

"Stop that." she ordered herself as she leaned on the desk, "You have to be strong for them. You can't mourn right now...tonight maybe...but not right now. Any second now, Mash or someone is going to come through that door and wish you good morning...you can't let them see you cry."

She gave a shuddering breath as she let the quilt fall from her shoulders and got dressed. She was just getting her hair out of her eyes when she heard a knock at the door.

"I'm decent," Cira called, making sure there was no evidence of tears in the mirror, "Come in,"

The door swished open and Mash stepped into the room, a smile on her face.

"Morning, Cira!" she greeted, "It's almost time for the bri-ack!"

And that was when she hit the ground as Fou pounced on her.

"Kyuuu," Fou purred as he nuzzled her cheek.

"Ah...this is revenge for me accidentally locking you out of my room last night isn't it?" Mash asked, "But I'm glad to see you're still full of energy this morning,"

Cira chuckled, offering her hand to her friend.

"You're awfully cheerful today too," Cira pointed out as Mash took the hand and got to her feet.

"I slept well," Mash shrugged, "What about you?"

"Like a log," Cira replied, "Now what was this about a briefing?"

"Ah...yes...Dr. Roman's briefing. I'm...not quite sure what it is supposed to be about,"

"Well let's not keep them waiting then," Cira said.

"We should have about half an hour...plenty of time to grab some breakfast, but I wasn't sure if you were awake yet or not," Mash admitted, "I know you tend to ignore your alarm."

"That was only once!" Cira protested as she and Mash walked towards the door, "And that was weeks ago!"

The two girls made their way out of the room and down the long hallway towards the command room. They walked past a few of the staff, though they did run into Cira's Servants around the cafeteria, which was unsurprising. Cu Chulainn was currently leaning back in one of the chairs, his feet resting on the table as he closed his eyes in a brief nap, Artoria and Lily were on the other end of the table, both Kings talking to one another though Lily seemed far more animated.

"Did he really?!" Lily giggled, her eyes alight.

Artoria gave a soft laugh, her own eyes misted over with remembrance.

"I honestly had never seen that man's face so red before," she replied fondly, "But he had nothing on Kay,"

"Oh no what did he do this time?" Lily grinned.

"Let us just say we finally found someone to shut him up," Artoria smiled, "He was boasting about how he could chase any woman he wants and manage to get her to have dinner with him...Bedivere decided to test that and pointed out someone. Kay took the challenge...but he was so stunned by her he could not get a word out!"

Lily's hands clapped over her mouth and her cheeks puffed out as her shoulders began to shake. This lasted all but a few seconds before she started laughing, a clear, bell-like sound that made Cira's heart warm. She started swiping tears of amusement from her eyes before speaking.

"Oh big brother…" she laughed, "That sharp tongue of yours didn't help you this time! Oh please, tell me more!"

"I-" Artoria stopped as she caught the sight of Cira in the doorway, "Ah, Master, good morning,"

Lily turned around as well, smiling brightly as she saw Cira.

"Oh! Yes! Good morning, Master!" she waved, "We were just talking about...well...my future and her past I guess is the best way to put it?"

"Lily had a few questions and I took it upon myself to answer them," Artoria clarified.

"Shame DaVinci wasn't here," Cira smiled as she grabbed a tray and plucked an apple and a few pieces of toast from the serving area, "She would have loved to have heard all that,"

"That she-demon is worse than Merlin," Artoria bristled, "At least he had the sense not to ask incessant questions."

"Oh, come now!" Lily countered, "It's exciting to tell stories, Lady DaVinci is the reason I'm here so I suppose I have to defend her a little bit,"

"I still have not quite forgiven her for that," Artoria grumbled, looking down at her reflection in the cup between her hands, "But it does have the added joy of being able to talk to someone from my own time,"

"Y'mean yourself," Cu Chulainn pointed out, opening a single scarlet eye and looking at the older King, "Wait...I thought talking to yourself made you crazy. Does this mean we have to get you a straightjacket and a padded room?"

Two identical emerald glares shot his way, icy in their tone.

"Mind your tongue, Child of Light," Artoria warned, "For karma comes on swift wings,"

Lily stood from her chair and her sword materialized in her hands. With a quick, precise swipe, she swept the remaining legs of Cu Chulainn's chair forwards and the Lancer yelped as his head smacked against the table behind him.

"And Pendragons don't get mad...we get even," Lily replied sweetly as Caliburn dematerialized and Cira started howling with laughter.

"I am so glad I did not take a bite of my apple!" Cira cackled, "Oh Cu, I'm sorry, but that's hysterical!"

"Cira…" Mash sighed, shaking her head as the two Sabers grinned at each other and Cira was nearly crying with laughter, "Please, don't encourage them,"

"Oh God...Artoria I didn't know you had that streak in you!" Cira finally managed to get out, "That's new!"

"There are many things you do not know about me, Master," Artoria replied, taking a sip of her drink as Lily beamed knowingly.

"Are you going to tell me?" Cira asked.

"No...I don't think I will,"

Cira's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "...Did you just…"

"There you are!" a voice cut her off as the cafeteria doors swished open, revealing Romani in the doorway, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"I wanted my breakfast," Cira shrugged, "And I got breakfast and a show, so...win."

Romani rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, his foot tapping against the linoleum.

"Take your apple and come on, the debriefing is about to begin."

"But I just sat down!" Cira protested.

"Can we come too?" Lily asked.

"I don't see why not...considering that your Master's gonna be summoning you at some point," Romani said, "Good God that's so weird...seeing you two look at me and know it's literally the same person. At least it's just two,"

"...Why do I have the feeling you just said something jinxing…" Cira shuddered.

"You'll get over it now come on," Romani rolled his eyes, coming into the room and grabbing her shoulder.

Help me! Cira mouthed, earning a bemused shake of the head from Artoria and a slight giggle from Lily.

"We will join you momentarily," Artoria promised as Mash followed Cira and Romani out of the room.

"Alrighty," Romani said as everyone finished shuffling into the room, "Morning everyone, hope you all slept well...or at least as well as you can in these times. I know we're gonna be busy, so here's the briefing I promised."

Cira couldn't exactly see the three Servants, but she could feel them oddly enough. Cu Chulainn leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the proceedings. Lily wandered about the room like a little butterfly, seemingly curious about everything going on. Artoria stood next to Cira and Mash both, silent and unseen, though the aura about her seemed tense.

"This is so weird," Cira whispered, more to herself.

"What?" Mash asked.

"I can't see them...but I can feel them," Cira admitted, "Right down to what their body language is. It's so weird…"

Mash gave a shrug, as if to say 'That's how it is', and turned back to Romani.

"Cira," he started, finishing talking to the staff and turning towards her, "I know it's...quite a lot and I kinda explained a bit of it a while ago, but as a reminder...this is what I want you to do."

Cira gave a nod, tugging on her sleeves as her leg shook from nerves.

"First," Romani held up a finger, "The investigation and correction of the Singularities. There's seven of them though we've managed to find the first one. They're big turning points in human history. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today. I'm asking you to travel to that era, investigate what caused the Singularity, figure it out and then fix it...otherwise we we won't make it to 2019 and 2018 is where humanity dies,"

"That's...simple sounding but it's probably a lot more complicated than it's made out to be," Cira admitted.

"Good, I managed to dumb it down enough," Romani chuckled, "Anyways that brings me to the second part of your mission."

He held up a second finger.

"Second part, I need you to investigate the Holy Grail that's in that timeline," he stated.

"What?" Cira blinked, feeling Cu Chulainn and Artoria both stiffen, reminded of the last singularity they had been in.

"Ok, so it's just a speculation of mine," Romani admitted, "But I honestly think that it's all tied to a Holy Grail within that singularity. Here's my reasoning. You all know that the Grail is a powerful wish granting device...and it has a ton of magical energy within it. Lev probably got his hands on the Grail and misused its power...because it's impossible to travel back in time and screw up the timeline without the Grail. I need you to find intel on that Grail while you're in the singularity, because if you correct the singularity but leave the Grail behind...it puts us back to square one,"

He held up a datapad, showing it to Cira and revealing a golden chalice placed in a case.

"When you got back from Singularity F, Artoria came to me with this and admitted she had taken it from that Altered King Arthur when you defeated her. I took it and I've had it under lock and key ever since," he told her, "We've added some things to Mash's shield...what it would let us anyways...and there's a small compartment there that's just big enough to contain the Grail itself should you have it...just so we don't run into the problem that that Arthur did in Fuyuki. If you can't recover it...I want you to destroy the Grail so that no one else can misuse its power there.."

"So it's a 'If I can't have it, no one can' situation," Cira reasoned.

"Exactly," Romani nodded, "You'd...need an anti-fortress Noble Phantasm to destroy it though. Thankfully, you have one,"

Cira felt a slight tinge of embarrassment from Artoria as she shifted once on her feet, but the feeling was gone instantly.

"...Artoria?" she asked and Romani nodded.

"And that brings me back to my third point," he said, putting up a third finger, "When you and Mash get to the singularity...we need you to locate a leyline and set up a summoning circle with Mash's shield as the catalyst,"

"Just like Fuyuki,"

"Mhm," Romani acknowledged, "We don't know how long it will take you to destroy the singularity and we can send supplies that way...so you don't accidentally starve or get hurt and need medical attention. Plus...you'll be able to summon your Servants at will. Meaning those three jokers...Yes I am very well aware you three are here listening! Even if I can't see you or sense you or whatever. Point is, I know you're there."

At that moment, there was a flurry of sparks at the door, across the room and right next to Cira as all three Servants materialized out of Spirit form...and made Cira jump three feet into the air.

"Honestly, lurking about is not a very chivalrous thing for three knights to do," Romani huffed, getting a snort from Cu Chulainn, a giggle from Lily and a sigh from Artoria.

"We should set up a base camp first," Mash reasoned, "A place to relax, a structure with a roof...basically a home to go back to. Right, Cira?"

"Right as always, Mash," Cira nodded.

The other girl beamed, seemingly ecstatic with the praise.

"I know I'm still inexperienced with the whole Servant thing," she admitted, "But hearing you have that much faith in me makes me happy. I promise, I will do everything I can to help!"

"I'm counting on that," Cira smiled.

"Awww, look at Mash, all grown up into a fine young lady," Romani gently teased only to get a frigid amethyst and gold glare shot his way, "It was a compliment I swear!"

He cleared his throat.

"Anyways, I know it's early and you're still tired but we don't have much time," he said, looking at Cira, "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Cira nodded.

"Good," Romani acknowledged, "You and Mash go get changed...come back here in about twenty minutes. We'll have the Coffins all set up and ready to go for you two."

Cira shivered as she stepped back into the command room. The skin-tight orange and white Rayshifting uniform did almost nothing to protect against the ever present chill that hung over Chaldea. Mash was already there, dressed in the same uniform, though she looked far more comfortable in it. It seemed to have been repaired since the last time Cira had seen her friend wear it...no burns or tears from where the explosion had taken its toll. Upon seeing Cira enter the room, Mash's face lit up and she made her way over to the young Master.

Romani looked up at Mash's departure and he smiled.

"You look like a real Chaldean Master, Cira," he said as Cira joined them.

"Why is it so cold…" Cira grumbled, rubbing her arms to warm up.

"Don't worry it's not going to be cold where you're going," he promised, "And it's going to be quick and safe for you this time, I promise. We've got the Coffin all set up for you,"

"...Y'know that's not something I would have expected to ever hear before I was a little old lady," Cira pointed out as Mash gently took her hand and guided her over to what looked like a silver tube, "...I'm...not sure I like this,"

"You'll be fine," Romani reassured her, "It's perfectly safe."

"It'll be ok, Cira," Mash said, her voice was calm and soft, soothing.

Cira looked at her friend and nodded, taking a step into the tube.

"Good luck, Cira," Romani called, pressing a button and the door to the coffin closed.

And that was when Cira realized why the Coffin was named what it was. Suddenly the Coffin seemed very, very small.

"Hey...hey!" Cira yelled, bringing her fists up and pounding on the glass front of the Coffin, "HEY! NO! GET ME OUT!"

Her throat closed and the walls seemed to close even closer, her breaths coming in quick, sharp gasps as she frantically scrabbled at the glass.

Unsummon Program: Start. Spiritron Conversion: Start.

"Master!"

Cira's head snapped up...Artoria's voice? But she wasn't here! No one was able to help her, the walls were closing in tighter and tighter…

"Rayshift starting in 3…"

"MASH!" Cira screamed, "ARTORIA!"

She could see the doors to the command room quickly get forced open as a flicker of blue caught her eye. She tried to scream but her throat wouldn't let her...and that's when she heard a splashing noise.

A quick look down revealed that the Coffin was filling with water...and it was rising steadily.

"...I'm going to die here...they're going to kill me...Mash, Artoria, Cu, Lily...please! Please help!"

"2."

She saw a flash of gold and her hand slapped against the glass as the water came up to her chest. She saw Artoria's face in her reflection, realizing that she was right on the other side of the glass.

"PLEASE!" Cira begged, spitting out the liquid that was already pouring into her mouth, it was so hard to keep her head above water...

"1. All procedures clear. Grand Order: Commencing Operation."

The water came over Cira's head and her screams turned watery as the bubbles popped above her...and her world exploded into a silver and blue vortex of light. The Coffin was gone, the water was gone and Cira could breathe again as the world opened up before her…But something was wrong.

Normally, she was able to feel her Servants around her. Even Mash was a faint bond.

Now…

She felt nothing.

She couldn't feel Mash, couldn't feel Cu Chulainn, couldn't feel Lily, couldn't feel Artoria.

Cira was alone in the void of silver, white and blue light that dragged her down into the depths.

First Singularity

Humanity Foundation Value: C+

AD: 1431 Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragons: Orleans

Holy Maiden of Salvation

Master: Cira Albion

Servant: Shielder- Mash Kyrielight

Servant: Saber-Artoria Pendragon

Servant: Lancer/Caster-Cu Chulainn

Servant: Saber- Saber Lily