Author's Notes: I would like to say that this chapter will not have the same polish as the previous chapters. There's a lot of exposition that couldn't be avoided in this chapter, as with all Fate stories. So I would like to apologize for the roughness of the overall writing.
Chapter 6: Fragments of Truth
"Would you prefer to be called Your Highness, or can I just refer to you as Artoria?"
"I do not mind either address, but mayhaps it is more appropriate to discourse under the latter," Artoria nodded, accepting his offer of coffee.
"Would you like anything added to it?" Roman suggested.
"No, it is fine," she stirred the cup to cool it down a bit more. Closing her eyes, she basked in the smell of the fresh brew. "What is the purpose of this meeting, Doctor?"
Roman perused through his tablet, navigating through various records documenting one of his patients. "I could only hear and see so much through the cameras in Chaldea, so someone who was at his side from the very beginning could give me another perspective."
Her arm stiffened, eyes still remain closed, but her smile froze in the midst of her sip. A short lull was enough for her to steady her breathing. She settled the cup back onto the table. The sound of sloshing told him how much remained. "What is it that you need to know?"
The atmosphere sharpened within the office — her gaze demanded not sophistry but resolute answers. He could not help but feel like he was an insignificant squire.
He was reminded that he wasn't dealing with just an average Servant. He was before a King.
So this was how it was on the receiving end, he mused to himself.
There was no point to dance around it.
"Amnesia. There are various causes, but we can rule out several of them. Physically, there is nothing wrong with Issei Hyoudou. Mentally, I cannot say the same. There's no definite cure for it: it may take months, years — or it may not even come back at all. Ideally, he should be placed in a low-stimulus environment, followed by weeks of therapy," Roman frowned, tugging away at his gloves. "Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury to do so."
Artoria pursed her lips. "Indeed."
Roman continued, "Severe memory loss to this degree would have a pronounced effect on his psyche. The best thing we can do is provide him with a strong support structure so that he can work out his feelings. However…"
He couldn't help but agree with her sigh.
She grimaced, "I am not the best of Servants to talk to about 'feelings', given my history."
Roman had heard the stories, the accounts, the records — in order to ascend the throne, King Arthur gave up everything as a person in order to become the 'perfect king'.
'King Arthur does not understand the feelings of mankind.'
"But because of it, I am able to understand part of Issei's. I had once sought for the Holy Grail for two wishes. The first was to save Camelot from destruction."
That was of little surprise to Roman. It was said that Camelot's fall was inevitable, that it truly marked the end of the Age of Gods and Mystery.
She continued, "The second was to undo my selection and have someone else more fitting to become the King."
"But such a wish could…" Roman gaped over the implications that could happen. "That could possibly change the foundation of human history."
She turned her gaze away, staring not at the medical machinery in his office, but at some distant memory. "I was too concerned with what I thought I had to do, rather than accept what I had done. They are similar in that respect. The burden of humanity's salvation lays far too heavily on the last Masters. Despite their successes, they only see their failures. Just as I had believed Camelot's fall was my failure…"
When she turned back to him, it was the first time he could see worry within her eyes.
"Without his memories, without his past, there is no foundation for Issei. He is chasing a shadow of who he believes he should be. There's no pride in what he accomplished, no joy in what he has, and no dreams to call his own. He is a sword without a sheath — one left battered by countless battles, forever marred by his doubts, no longer able to rest even when the fight is over."
The cheap plastic of his pen bent under the stress of his grip. "If he continues like this…"
"He will shatter. Steel can be reforged, but the flame must burn brighter to do so. If it extinguishes, nothing will rekindle it."
Issei's left arm ached. No, it burned inside, a turbulent sensation never before felt, roiled through his blood. This pain spurred his heart on, directing its ire towards the newcomer.
Rival.
Enemy.
Fight.
These insatiable, primitive desires nagged at Issei to tear apart that cold sneer and make him understand who was the strongest, the dominant, the most power—.
Fight.
Issei clutched his face with a shaky hand, eyes wide and open yet they could see nothing through this frenzied haze.
FIGHT.
The dryness of his throat, unquenched with the lack of bloodlust, nearly robbed him of meaningful speech. Ascalon's hilt never felt so biting before — it dug deep into his palm as he scurried to his feet, and he rasped, "Who are you?"
"You've forgotten me?" Wounded pride enhanced the sneer even more. "Then I'll make sure you will never again."
The helmet reformed, and bright wings blazed with blue light and fanned into the sky. Blue energy crackled within his gauntlets as he took flight into the air.
FIGHT. KILL. FIGHT.
With practiced ease, Issei accessed his core and tapped into the ocean of draconic mana. Ascalon bathed within his aura and spluttered with white-crimson energy.
There was no need to think. There was no need to talk. There was no need to hold back.
There was only a need to
FIGHT. KILL. KILL. FIGHT.
The rest of Issei's mana went into reinforcing his body: Mana Burst. It was not at the skill of Artoria, or even Mordred, but it was enough. He roared, "ASCALON!"
A blue magical circle formed from the energy his opponent was channelling, and it clashed with Ascalon's power wave. Part of the circle cracked and sizzled, its integrity held long enough to parry the attack, and then the assault started
There was no room left to breath. Issei kicked the ground backwards, and the expulsion of Mana Burst launched him out of reach of the first punch.
It wasn't enough.
He was too slow.
Or was it that the opponent was too fast?
The next punch, coated with violent blue energy closed in towards his chest. All he could hope is that he could use enough mana to brace for the impact and —-
"Master, regain your senses!"
Artoria's solemn demand was enough to slap some clarity back into him. He needed to FIGHT, no! He needed to stop, to regain control of himself, then FIGHT, no, that's not it.
What was he doing?
Artoria was already in-between him and the opponent, the winds from her Invisible Air buffeted his body and ruffled his clothes. She channeled her own Mana Burst to strike back.
Sword and fist crossed; sparks erupted.
A red hue shone on everyone — Mordred was behind the opponent, sword streaked with crimson lightning as she swung down — but it didn't connect. She couldn't follow through completely as she had to dodge a gigantic boulder flying towards her, and she rolled to recover her posture.
"It's a shame it had to come to this," Nakiri fell into a martial arts stance, a golden aura framing his muscles.
Their last companion shook her head and pulled back their hood. Her skin was very pale, almost the same as the long silvery hair that had unfurled. Dark red eyes gleamed when she drank from a vial containing some sort of red liquid.
The air froze.
His frigid breath fanned out in front of him. Fog rolled in, obscuring the combatants from his view.
"Unnatural fog...almost reminds me of the time in London when we're fighting against Jack," Mordred grumbled as she charged up Clarent once again. The glow was barely enough to reveal their surroundings.
Ritsuka found him and grabbed onto his shoulder. "Issei, what happened?"
"I… I don't know. Another...memory trigger?" Issei hated how vulnerable he was, how helpless he felt against his own memories. Was he always this angry and violent?
"We'll talk about this more later," Ritsuka frowned, surveying the situation. "Doctor, any idea what type of enemies we're facing?"
"The three males have energy signatures equivalent to dragons," Romani answered. "If what we heard was correct, then one of them is wielding the power of Vritra, a famed dragon from Hindu Mythology. You need to also watch out for that female, whatever she had drunk had exploded her mana levels and augmented it with a draconic signature. Presumably, she is the source of this fog."
"Do they grow dragons here on a tree or something?" Ritsuka moaned, scratching her head.
In the modern era, dragons should be near extinct. They were Phantasmal Beasts that had left the world centuries ago. That was what Issei had understood from the time spent researching Chaldea's databases about himself. Perhaps, it was like France's Singularity once again.
"Artoria, can you dispel the fog with Invisible Air?" Issei asked.
Her jaw tightened as she scanned the area, but she nodded. "Given the nature of it, it'll reform unless we stop the caster. However, it could provide us with a brief opening to engage our opponents!"
Cascading torrents of wind shoved away the fog only revealed several tentacle-like appendages, each enveloped by violet flames, flying towards them!
Mashu grounded her shield into the brick road. The appendages could not find any lasting purchase against the shield, but the violent flames still lingered and charred the area around them a cursed purple.
"This isn't good," Mashu grunted, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead, "They aren't extinguishing."
"Hold on for a bit, Shieldy!" Mordred raised Clarent toward the skies. The red energy spiraled and surged through the sky.
She swung down, directing the flood of red lightning towards Saji, rendering the road asunder. Some of his appendages were caught in the stream and lost their structural integrity, fading away into particles. Before Clarent's power reached him though, Nakiri threw paper talismans onto the ground. Faint tinge of light highlighted the characters on the talisman and sprouted a giant wall made of broken brick, mortar, and dirt. .
Such a misshapen wall couldn't hold against the Noble Phantasm, but it served its purpose: buying enough time for them to escape.
Artoria was already on the move, propelling herself forward with the usage of Invisible Air. Excalibur's steel gleamed with golden light as she converged on the female.
The female clicked her tongue, melding into the shadows to avoid Artoria's slash. It was enough to lessen the density of the fog and see once more.
She emerged from Saji's and Nakiri's shadows, grimacing as she touched her face. "That woman has a strong holy sword. Just the light was enough to burn my skin!"
"I'll deal with her, Millarca! You two assist Vali against the others!" Saji rampaged towards Artoria leaving behind violet flames in his wake of his strides, and several tentacles erupted from his back, launching towards her in several piercing strikes.
Vali took to the air; his wings fanned out and framed the sky once more, blue light coursing through the glass pane-esque material.
It shattered.
Mashu's shield was the only cover they had for this downpour of energy shards.
Whatever Mordred couldn't dodge had singed her armor, but she ignored it and continued dashing towards Mashu. "Shieldy, give me a boost!"
Mordred leapt, Mashu elevated her shield and shoved Mordred into the air. Mordred had enough height to reach Vali, and her Mana Burst surged once again.
"I say this not as a King but as a loyal knight. Anything that disturbs the peace of the King will be destroyed! Clarent Blood Arthur!"
"What —- "
Vali began to stack several blue magical circles together to block the Noble Phantasm's full power.
Red versus blue.
One circle fell. The next cracked. The following sizzled.
"DIVIDE. DIVIDE. DIVIDE."
This time, Mordred was the one cursing. "The fuck is this shit!"
With each "Divide", Clarent Blood Arthur lost intensity and strength. The girth of the beam dwindled into a twinkle. It faded away as if Mordred had never launched an attack at all.
Vali's wings shimmered with red sparkles, the same hue of Clarent Blood Arthur. He dove towards Mordred in free fall — she blasted her mana upward to propel her back to the ground faster —- but it wasn't quick enough to escape his punch.
The ground shook upon her impact, forcing Issei to ground Ascalon to brace himself.
But he didn't have time to regain his balance.
Millarca flew into the air, then used the gravity to accelerate her descent into a kick. Mashu defended with her shield, but the momentum was enough to shove her back, even with her greaves digging into the ground.
It didn't end there.
"Super Vampire Princess Smash!" Millarca proclaimed.
Mashu dodged, rolling to her side instead of taking the attack head on. The strength of the ridiculous attack was enough to create a cataclysmic crater.
The dust hadn't settled yet before several chunks of dirt and rock erupted from the upturned earth and flew towards Issei and Ritsuka.
Ritsuka shot down several of them with her Mystic Code's magic Gandr. Issei cut down the rest, but a fist cloaked with golden aura sent him tumbling across the ground.
No time to eat dirt.
Issei pummeled the ground with his mana to bounce back onto his feet. He twirled Ascalon around to block a kick from Nakiri. A sharp exhale was the only comfort he could afford to ease the dullness and pain running up his arm.
It was like fighting against another Servant. The ferocity, the tempo — without his experience tangoing with the likes of Mordred and Artoria, he would have lost his footing against Nakiri's jive.
"I had looked up to you, Hyoudou-senpai!" Nakiri cried out in-between a trade of their blows. "The same for Saji-senpai and Millarca and everyone else!"
"Sorry to disappoint you," Issei grunted.
This wasn't exactly how he had hoped to start out in this singularity. They were in unknown territory and against opponents that could match up to the power of Servants. A prolonged battle would only end badly for them. They had no escape route, and it was highly possible that more reinforcements were on —-
— The air in the sky distorted and rippled, as if it was a giant puddle and a rock was thrown in. For a moment, the chaotic battles had stopped to assess what was going to happen. A golden gleam slashed top to bottom, opening apart to reveal four people.
Issei's heart sank: they were hopelessly outnumbered if they were more foes.
"Jeez Vali, the moment you hear Issei Hyoudou, you rushed out without even consulting us." The first one to speak was the short haired male with a cheeky grin. He wore bright red armor and rested a long, golden staff on his shoulders.
"Shut up, Bikou. We were slow to get here because of your dilly dallying," The long, black haired woman snarled. Her kimono rested well below her shoulders, revealing more than what could be considered decent, but the vicious gleam in her eyes erased any sultriness from her attire. Her cat-like ears twitched constantly.
The young blond girl laughed nervously; her huge blue hat and blue cape contrasted with what appeared to be a school uniform with a blazer. She raised her hands towards her mouth and gasped when she looked at Artoria.
She shared the shade of hair and eye color as the final person that came from the portal. He adorned a formal suit yet his visible and apparent surprise upon following the girl's gasp detracted away the formalness of it.
"It can't be," he murmured, adjusting his glasses as if that would fix whatever he was seeing.
Artoria and Mordred bristled when they laid their eyes on his sword. Issei could feel the sheer power from its aura, yet Issei could not help feeling that it was vaguely familiar.
"You," Mordred snarled and jabbed Clarent towards him. "How the hell do you have Caliburn?"
"Caliburn is a holy sword that is passed down through my lineage," he answered and exchanged a wordless conversation with Saji and the rest, and they lowered their battle auras. Issei and Ritsuka shared a sigh of relief. It might be possible to parlay with them if they weren't hostile.
Much to his and everyone's surprise, the swordsman continued towards Artoria and knelt down to one knee right before her, resting his sword by his side. The younger girl also followed, lowered her head and curtsied.
"My name is Arthur Pendragon, and this is my younger sister, Le Fay Pendragon."
"Descendants of King Arthur?" Mashu blurted out everyone's thoughts as they turned their attention to Artoria.
Artoria's expression softened as she examined the sword. "Yes, despite how much it has changed from my time, the aura is unmistakably the same as Caliburn, but I had destroyed it in my foolishness. Even so, to think that my bloodline still continued to this day..."
"Tch," Mordred grumbled, and Issei laid a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He knew Mordred had complex feelings about the whole situation. Artoria and Mordred had never fully worked out their pasts. Despite the horrors of the Lion King in the Camelot Singularity, it had at least allowed the two of them a chance to work together.
Artoria asked, "How is it that you recognize me, young scion?"
"Our family preserves the history of Arthur Pendragon as decried by Morgan Le Fay when King Arthur passed away and Camelot fell," Arthur answered.
"That witch did what?" Mordred exclaimed.
"It was said that Lady Morgan was the one who brought King Arthur's body back to Avalon," Le Fay remarked, twiddling her fingers.
"There is no denying the feud between my sister and I, but perhaps, if I had..." Artoria pondered but shook her head when she met Mordred's eyes. "No matter, there is little meaning in dwelling on what cannot be changed, but rather, what can be done now. Are we able to discourse under a manner of truce?"
Vali dematerialized his armor, revealing casual attire underneath, and walked towards them. "For now, yes. We need some answers from you, Issei Hyoudou."
Issei met Ritsuka's eyes, and she nodded back. He unsummoned Ascalon as a sign of good faith. "I'll start off by saying this. I may be the Issei Hyoudou you once knew, but I don't remember any of you."
"He goes off saying this shit again," Saji shouted, but Nakiri and Millarca calmed him down.
"He's not lying," Ritsuka stated. "From the moment Issei had arrived in our organization, Chaldea, we had diagnosed him with severe long-term amnesia. He doesn't remember his own past, his friends, or even his family."
"Chaldea? Even when I was in the Khaos Brigade, I never had heard of this organization," Vali frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I can explain." Romani projected himself in front of everyone. "My name is Doctor Romani Archaman, current director of Chaldea. We're an organization of Magi that investigates various magical disturbances."
"Ooh, a magician organization? I didn't think Issei-sama would join one!" Le Fay exclaimed. "What kind of magic does Chaldea specialize in? Devil? Modern? Oriental? Runic? Witchcraft, wait, can males even use Witchcraft — "
" — Le Fay," Arthur interrupted gently.
Chastened, Le Fay blushed, "Ah, sorry. It's just that Issei-sama had never really delved into a magical discipline before."
"I still can't really cast magic. At least I'm not really cut out at casting spells like Ritsuka can. All I can do is strengthening magic while using Ascalon," Issei admitted.
"Still, Hyoudou's Ascalon," Vali mused. "It remains pure and uncorrupted. Furthermore, I have never seen Ddraig in such a weak state before. What do you make of it, Albion?"
A voice, much like the one that spoke from Saji, answered from inside of Vali. "Ddraig is in a hibernative state. It is similar to how we, Heavenly Dragons, don't awake in our hosts before they're ready to wield our power."
Saji scoffed, "Are you telling me he lost so much power that he can't even manifest Boosted Gear anymore? That's some bullshit, especially when we last saw him."
"...What do you mean?" Issei asked.
"Let me refresh your damn memory then. Months ago, you had invaded the Underworld and kidnapped several people! Including Sona-kaichou! Don't tell us that you don't remember that, you fucker."
"I…"
Issei couldn't find the words to answer him. Shock dampened his will and slackened his grip onto Ascalon. He had kidnapped people. Was that who he was before he came to Chaldea? Or maybe that is why he came to Chaldea?
"Hey, hold on!" Ritsuka stepped in. "If you said this happened months ago, it couldn't be Issei! He arrived in Chaldea nearly eight months ago. Could it be possible you got the wrong person?"
"As if we would all mistaken the most infamous Red Dragon Emperor!"
"Yes, Issei-senpai's alibi doesn't quite hold up," Nakiri added, "The attack on the Underworld was around three months ago. And even before then, he wasn't missing eight months ago."
"Even so, maybe it's because our Issei isn't the same as your Issei," Ritsuka murmured. "Director, I would like to reveal the true nature of Chaldea's operation."
"Very well." Romani nodded, grim-faced. "I'm inclined to believe that there isn't an alternative to current circumstances. It is possible that this is reminiscent of the previous Singularity, and we need to establish that our stance here."
"Le Fay-chan, is it?" Ritsuka asked, and Le Fay acknowledged her name with a smile. "We had said that Chaldea's speciality is to investigate magical disturbances, but we had omitted one crucial part. We investigate magical disturbances through different timelines. In essence, time traveling."
"Time-based magic isn't that rare, but time travel itself was just only theorized," Le Fay began, cupping her chin. "But if you say that you and Issei-sama are time travelers, you are suggesting that he is different from the Issei-sama in our time. This would explain why King Arthur stands before us, yes!"
"Not quite." The black haired woman spoke up.
"Kuroka?"
"I can smell the draconic aura in this "King Arthur" and that woman over there. Aside from Issei and this red haired girl, they aren't quite human. Not Devil or Angel either...they're more akin to spirits. But still..."
Kuroka draped herself over Issei. Cat ears twitching, she was close enough that her scent of flowers caressed his nose, but still. Frantic sniffing of his body was not what he expected from anyone.
He needed to ask. "I'm sorry, but...what exactly are you doing?"
"Your scent, it's different from before. In a familiar way," she murmured, resting her head onto his chest, yet her nails dug deep into his arms. It was as if she was trying to convince herself that he was there. "The scent of the Red Dragon Emperor is scant, but it still exists. I can no longer smell the putridness within you. There's no more foul taint. It was as if you were back to your old self, as if you never had..."
She pulled herself away and stalked away without another word. A wishful smile formed on Le Fay before she excused herself and rushed towards Kuroka.
"Foul taint?" Issei mused to himself. He glanced back at Kuroka, who was currently wiping her face with tissues offered by Le Fay. "Is she going to be fine?"
Arthur frowned but nodded. "It is difficult for her, as with all of us, to talk to you like this, in more ways than one."
Vali said, "Whoever this Hyoudou is, he doesn't have that wretched power that we last saw. If he did, his Ascalon would have been a demonic, cursed blade instead of its original form right now."
"...An overwhelming power that could turn a holy sword into a cursed one," Issei began, confirming his suspicions through a glance with his friends. Flashbacks of the dark version of Excalibur echoed within his mind. "...He must have the power of a Holy Grail."
"I'm assuming what you're talking about isn't exactly what the Sephiroth Graal Sacred Gear is."
"Sacred Gear?" It was that terminology again — the same one that Issei had heard from his dreams. "Could you tell me what that is?"
"Sacred Gears are artifacts created by the God of the Bible and passed down to humans."
"Created artifacts?" Ritsuka asked, bewildered. "You mean like Noble Phantasms?"
Nakiri shook his head. "I'm not sure what a Noble Phantasm is, but Sacred Gears have a variety of abilities that can be developed further with training. Saji-senpai has Vritra sealed within his Sacred Gear, while Albion is sealed with Vali-san's Sacred Gear."
"The God of the Bible managed to seal beings from different mythologies into his own artifacts?" Mashu questioned. "Then...Issei-senpai had one of these Sacred Gears then? One that had Y Ddraig Goch?"
"Yes," Vali answered, "The two Heavenly Dragons Y Ddraig Goch and Albion Gwiber were eternal rivals who kept seeking to fight each other, causing massive chaos through the Heavens, Earth, and Hell. Their rampage led the Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels to work together to seal them away into the Sacred Gears Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing."
"I'm sorry, this is all a lot to take in. We weren't expecting to hear that Angels, Devils, Fallen Angels, and even the Biblical God existed still," Mashu apologized. "Still, that explains a part of Issei-senpai's power."
Ritsuka smiled, glancing at Issei for a bit, before returning back to the topic at hand. "When we had talked about a Holy Grail, we're referring to a magical device that contains enough energy to grant wishes. These Holy Grails are often the source of the disturbances that Chaldea investigates."
"If that's the case, then why didn't you come sooner!" Saji spat. "If you did, then maybe Sona-kaichou wouldn't have…"
Ritsuka could offer an apologetic smile. "Even if we say that we're time travelers, Chaldea is far from being omnipotent. We only have two people who can undergo the process to travel through time."
"...I see. So that's why Kuroka says the rest of you aren't human," Arthur surmised. "Still, a source of energy enough to grant wishes...if our version of Hyoudou is able to amplify that power with Boosted Gear — "
" — He could far surpass the levels of Gods at that point," Vali finished.
"How?" Ritsuka asked.
"On a basic level, Boosted Gear can double any power over and over again," Nakiri explained. "That sort of power had cemented Y Ddraig Goch as the Red Dragon Emperor, one of the strongest in our world because he could reach a power level that far exceeded Gods."
"Fuck, are we going to face another Divine Spirit level entity?" Mordred groaned before turning to Vali. "Hey you, what you did to my Noble Phantasm, that was the power of your Sacred Gear, right? Couldn't you do the same thing to your Issei?"
Vali grunted, crossed his arms, and glared elsewhere.
Bikou elbowed him. "Don't mind him, he's just sore that he lost. Divine Dividing can half the power of anything he touches, but if what you're saying about this Holy Grail is true, it explains why it wasn't effective against him."
"Then...what about our Issei then?" Ritsuka asked. "Your friend Kuroka said Issei still had the power of the Red Dragon Emperor, right? Then if we can restore it, would we have a better chance to secure the Holy Grail?"
"In his current state, he needs a strong stimulus to reawaken it. I don't even sense any Devil aura in him, so that might explain why he lost his powers."
"Devil aura? I was a Devil?" Issei was trying to pierce what was all said before. "You said...I was once a Gremory? Is Gremory a Devil?"
Was there a difference between Devils and Demon Pillars? He had to know.
"Issei-sama…" Le Fay had returned back with Kuroka. "Do you really not remember Rias Gremory-sama?"
"Rias…"
Crimson luster once again flashed before his eyes.
"Gremory?"
Issei clutched his forehead, wincing as intense pain erupted from his head.
"You have the potential for greatness. I want to see how far you can — no, how far you will go. No matter what happens, I'll believe in you. Never forget that."
"Was she?" He rasped through deep breaths. "Was she someone important to me?"
Le Fay nodded.
"Then can she help Issei?" Ritsuka clamored.
Vali shook his head. "It's not possible. Rias Gremory is dead along with the rest of her peerage."