Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero or any of the associated works. If I did, I probably would die of overwork like Gil did.(1)
I sat in a meditative posture in the empty cell.
It has been a few hours since my discussion with Caster. She was busy preparing Familiars to scout out the most important locations throughout the city. Having created a workshop at the Ryuudou Temple, she immediately started placing defences and bounded fields, modifying the place greatly.
He was unable to concentrate.
Probably the greatest flaw of the Caster's class is its inability to take part in direct combat. They lack the physical capabilities of the Knight Classes, and even Riders and Assassins outclass them in physical capabilities. The Berserker Class was another matter entirely. Therefore, they had to rely on deceit and misdirection. Using their powerful magics, they can take out the Masters or when given enough time, take out a Servant with low Magic Resistance. All of these factors made the Ryuudou Temple an invaluable asset to them.
He was unable to concentrate.
He had recently realized a major flaw in his hiding spot. It would be ridiculously simple for Maiya or Kiritsugu to find him in the Police station. All they had to do was find a Police Officer here who was hypnotised by Caster to ignore his presence. He will probably need to shift bases soon.
He was still unable to concentrate.
Caster's ability to remove his exhaustion and rejuvenate him was incredible. It was like drinking unhealthy amounts of caffeine but without any of the side effects. He had been putting it to great use, trying to...
"You are not able to concentrate," Caster spoke, as she appeared right next to him.
He hadn't. What he was supposed to be doing was meditating, so that he could learn to activate his Magic Circuits. The process Caster had described was a bit slow and tedious, but required absolute concentration and focus. Without that, the Magic Circuits won't appear at all.
I was somewhat frustrated by my inability to concentrate.
"How the fuck do you concentrate on nothing of all things?", I cried out with frustration. Caster had instructed me to focus on nothing. To clear my mind and empty it of all thought. If I did that then I would see my Magic Circuits, and from then on I can prepare a trigger and appropriate Aria.
Caster hummed, as if deep in thought.
"There is a second, simpler method you know." She spoke like a hunter seeing his prey being lured into their trap. Unfortunately, I had reached the limits of my patience.
"Well then why didn't we do that in the first place?"
She was obviously amused. "Well then boy, have you heard of Pavlov?"
I was confused for a few seconds before I realized what she was talking about. I paled at the implication. (2)
"Tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means", I whispered, horrified.
"Oh, you have heard of him, then? Good. For this second method, all I will have to do is forcefully activate your Circuits from outside, and force you to create an Aria through your subconsciousness." I could feel her smirking under that veil of hers. "Oh, and if your worried about pain don't be. It won't hurt... that much."
"You said that it would be simpler!", I screeched.
"Oh, it is simpler. For me that is.", I could notice the smug tone she held.
"So, now you have two choices. You could put all your effort in your meditation and activating your Circuits naturally. Or you could do this very painful procedure, which would probably kill you with that much pain. It's still your choice after all."
By doing this, Caster had presented me with both carrot and stick. The carrot was that by doing my meditation properly, I could acquire the ability to do magic, or, well, magecraft, whatever it is in any case. The stick was that there was a very painful alternative procedure waiting for me in case I fail to do so.
I think that the choice was obvious.
As I sat down to meditate one last time, I had one last random thought.
Why does the Grail think that Pavlov's experiments are vital information that all Servants should know?
Caster was a horrible teacher.
It was probably because she could have been some kind of prodigy in Magecraft or she was entirely self-trained and had no idea on how to train a Magus. Could be either of the two.
Or it could be something else entirely. Point is that Caster is a horrible teacher.
The reason for that was that I wasn't supposed to concentrate on nothing. It's probably near impossible for someone to clear their thought and empty their head, apart from those with years of mental and physical training.
Eventually, I would learn that it isn't about concentrating on nothing, but rather about concentrating on something, which is abstract enough that the circuits can be seen by our mind's eye.
Instead, I had chosen to focus on something else entirely. As I closed my eyes, all I could see was darkness.
Since I couldn't focus on nothing, I focused on that.
I gazed into the darkness with my eyes shut, and something happened. It was hard to describe what. Through my mind's eye, I could sense something changing in the atmosphere surrounding my soul.
Then unexpectedly, the darkness morphed.
I could see a series of bright, shifting lines appear out of nowhere. It was as if, they were always there. They were bent and varied in size and shape, but they were all of consistent width and thickness. Each of these lines maintained equal distance from each other, emitting a pale, white glow which reminded me of several dozen tube lights, arranged neatly in a row. However, the light they emitted was not blinding since I was not seeing this from my eyes. I was seeing a part of my soul through my mind.
One, Two, Three,..., Twenty Four. I had twenty-four circuits arranged neatly in my soul. Looking at them carefully, I could tell that all of them were on the same plane as if they were engraved on a single rectangular surface.
Like a Circuit board!
I chuckle lightly at my own silly joke before turning my attention to the task at hand.
I remember Caster's instructions to me.
"Once you find your Magic Circuits the hard part is over. They are a part of you and they would recognise that. You will need to create a link with them, one which will allow you to activate them at will. Moreover, you will need to create a mental trigger, an image which will help you activate your circuits. This Mental Trigger must hold some kind of special meaning to you."
Yes. The Mental Trigger must be something which I associate with. While it would be pretty easy to just make it the firing of a gun, or something similar, I would like to make it unique. Something used by me, and me alone.
Magi are typically isolations, ignorant from the world and usually are obsessed with their research. One of the many vague and random thoughts I have had in the last few days was that "Does your average Magus go to the cinema?" They certainly would be getting bored from every day's monotonous routine. Moreover, they would have never seen Star Wars or the Godfather or any of those other legendary movies, essentially a crime against humanity in my opinion.
Star Wars. That's it! Now I know what I want as my Trigger!
I focus really hard on the mental image I had chosen. I reach out, with hands which weren't there towards my circuits. Then, with a flip of a switch, I could feel my insides burning.
A Lightsaber was lit just now. My Circuits were close to complete activation.
But I was not done yet. While I had created a Mental Trigger most likely unique to me alone, I still had to choose an Aria to draw out prana from them. Similar to how Shirou had his unique 'Trace On', I would need something like that as well.
The current state of my Circuits was like one of those electrical circuits shown at school, but the key or switch is replaced with two bare wires which can be kept in contact with each other when a current is to be generated. Someone used to handling the wire can do so effortlessly, but it's for the best to introduce a switch in the circuit.
An Aria like 'Trace On' behaves like a switch. But 'Trace On' is unique only to Shirou Emiya, and all his variants across dimensions. It would feel wrong and uncomfortable to use something which had belonged to him. I would need to use something new of my own.
I carefully choose the next words that I speak.
"Circuits Activate."
As soon as I spoke those words, I could tell that something was off. The array of lights before me flickered for a second before reverting to their original state.
I could tell that the Aria was not suited for my purposes. It did not match with the mental image I had of my Circuits. I realized that subconsciously I had begun comparing my Magic Circuits to that of blood vessels running throughout my body. This comparison had led to the Aria that I had spoken not activating my Circuits, at least not properly.
Blood Vessels. Truthfully, I did not know why I made this comparison. Perhaps its because when one mentions wire-like structures in one's own body, one would immediately recall the blood vessels and capillaries in the circulatory system of our body.
It is irrelevant. All that matter is that I have to attempt to do it again.
The primary purpose of a blood vessel is to distribute nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. In larger animals, it is probably the most efficient way to do so. Smaller animals like insects lacked that ability, having an open circulatory system for the exchange of nutrients. Blood circulates throughout the body with the force generated in a heart.
I focus on the feeling. I could feel my heart racing, as I reached out to my circuits a second time. I could feel my insides burning, as if several hot rods had been inserted in my body. It hurt to hold onto them, but I knew that if I dropped them, then I would most likely die.
My voice, nearly shaking with resolve, cries out,
"Initiate Circulation."
The Circuits flare-up, and like the eruption of a volcano, roar with power. The white glow disappears, and a sickening, blood-red light is emitted from my circuits. The heat produced by my circuits makes me think that a furnace had started in me.
Two dozen crimson pillars are in front of me. As I leave my circuit board, I had to admit that Red was a really cool colour, especially for my Magic Circuits.
I regained consciousness, sweating from my excursion, from the stone-cold floor.
Caster was standing above me, and I could tell that she was somewhat curious about my progress.
"Well?", she asked expectedly. I get up from the floor and examine my body. The pains I had experienced while activating my circuits is gone now, leaving no trace of it having ever been there. My clothing was drenched with sweat from my attempts to open my Circuits.
I grasped my hands and flex my fingers for a bit, they had become stiff during the process. I look deep within my mind, and flip a switch on.
I could feel a mental image of a lightsaber glowing in the depths of my mind.
"Initiate Circulation.", I spoke with a strange calmness, which was not what one would expect in the situation I was in. A warm, comforting heat was being generated inside me. It was as if I had an engine producing heat and warmth inside me.
A myriad of bluish-green lines appeared on my hand. I could sense that all twenty-four of my circuits were producing prana, but at a lower rate than it should. With training, I would be able to control the number and output of the-
Hang on.
"Caster, this doesn't make sense. The circuits I had seen were red, not blue," I spoke up suddenly.
"Ah, that's really common, Contractor. the colour of your Circuits in your soul would need not necessarily match with the colour of the physical circuits you would see in your body," she said, idly examining the results of the activation of my Circuits.
She stroked my arm with a slender finger before continuing, "These lines you see, they don't really matter. They're just the physical representation of the Magic Circuits when you activate them. An illusion if you will."
I look down at the bluish-green lines crisscrossing throughout my arm. Then, suddenly I feel a deep, uncomfortable feeling in my gut. I felt like I would vomit any second now, it was as if my guts would spill out any second now.
I needed to quickly shit down the circuits, otherwise I would feel that I would fall apart.
Hastily, I mutter, "Terminate."
The feeling disappears, as does the warmth of active circuits. I had a feeling that if I practice, then the sensations would be significantly more bearable.
Caster looked at me as I steadily recovered.
"Well then, shall we begin?"
We watched the sight before us with a myriad of emotions. My expression was a mixture of wonder and trepidation. Caster's gaze was far more scrutinizing.
By the end of the day, I was able to activate and shut down half of my Circuits at will. While it gave me no combat potential whatsoever, it was sufficient for me to do one very important thing: using the Command Seals.
You do not require Circuits to activate and use Command Seals. All you require is to say the words and give the order with sufficient willpower. However, when Prana is passed through the seals, the effect of the Command increases slightly. Moreover, while without supplying magical energy, the Command given can be hit or miss. While with Magical Energy, using the Command Seals is guarenteed.
I return from my thoughts and pay attention to the scene before me. The image was blurry, due to a mixture of distance and the wards over the Tohsaka Manor. However, it was clear enough that we could see what was going on, if not in that much detail.
We were currently watching the scene where Archer destroys one of Assassin's forms using a barrage of Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon. It would be obvious to anyone with a lick of sense to realize what was wrong in the scene.
I had not expected Caster's mental magic to have such utility. Using her familiars, she was able to keep an eye on the most important locations throughout the city. She had accumulated the memories of the Familiars and we were currently examining the most important one of them all. The spell she had used allowed both of us to see the incident with shocking clarity. It resembled the Pensieve from Harry Potter, just through a round crystal ball, like those use by witches in fairy tales.
We examined the recording once, then twice for a more thorough analysis.
Internally I was quite relieved, because I had until then not considered the fact that the Servants summoned were not the ones shown in Zero. At least now I was certain that at least Assassin and, more importantly, Archer were the Hundred-Faced Hassan and Gilgamesh respectively.
"What do you think?", I asked Caster, who looked at the scene thoughtfully.
"It appears as if Archer had been lying in wait for Assassin to appear. Archer certainly couldn't have located Assassin so quickly, especially considering Assassin's Presence Concealment skill.", she paused for an instant, before turning to me and speaking, almost accusingly, "You know who they are, don't you?"
I smirked slightly, before it dropped considering the awesome power Gilgamesh possessed. "Assassin is Hassan-i-Sabbah, the Hundred Faced one to be precise. Archer... is Gilgamesh, King of Heroes."
While she was interested in Assassin's identity, hearing Archer's name, her expression became that of shock. "The King of Heroes?!"
I nod, before continuing. "That golden attack which he used on Assassin was his Gate of Babylon Noble Phantasm. It allows him to store and fire a near-inexhaustible supply of Noble Phantasms, the prototypes of the original Noble Phantasm, and a symbol of Gilgamesh's ownership of the World's treasures."
She nodded. While Gate of Babylon was difficult to face, it was not unstoppable. There were ways to counter it and someone sufficiently fast enough will be able to overcome its barrage.
"Gilgamesh also possesses several Noble Phantasms unique to him and him alone. One is Enkidu, a chain is more dangerous the greater the opponents' divinity is", I paused for a second. "The other is Ea. Through it, Gilgamesh can unleash an attack known as Enuma Elish. It is an Anti-World Noble Phantasm which destroys everything in its path."
I could not tell what emotion Caster was feeling right now. Was it Fear? Hopelessness? Or did she calmly accept the facts and is thinking of countermeasures against him? I could not tell since that Veil was preventing me from seeing the expression on my partner's face.
"How do you stop it?", she asked in a demanding tone.
"Ea? Only an EX-Rank defensive phantasm can block an attack from it. One like-"
"Avalon," she interrupted.
I was slightly surprised at Caster's knowledge on Avalon, but I did not show it. I did not know the extent of the knowledge provided by the Grail to the summoned Servants. It could be that the Grail grants a bit of knowledge on which Noble Phantasm belongs to which heroic spirit, which would allow someone like Gilgamesh to know everything about the Heroic Spirits who came after him. It could be that Caster has a well-versed knowledge on the subject of Noble Phantasms and that Avalon was on the top of that list.
Or it could be that she has some connection to King Arthur, or Avalon in general.
It would be rather simple to just say that Launcelot and Arturia are part of the war. Judging from her reaction to them, I would have a rough idea at her true identity. But I wouldn't. Firstly because I am not even sure that Launcelot or Arturia are in this War. If they aren't there in the War, it would be really weird and awkward trying to explain it to her. And secondly, it was because I wasn't an asshole. It would go against my morals to ask her about her past. I have a feeling that she would tell me about her past when she is ready.
We discussed about what to do about Gilgamesh until the dawn of the next day. Eventually, we decided that the best course of action was to wait and see which are the other four Servants. Due to Caster's inability in direct combat, the best course of action would be to ally with a strong Servant, preferably Saber or Berserker due to their overall high stats. Moreover, it would be dangerous to consider Gilgamesh the strongest Servant, at least now. If someone like Heracles, Ozymandias or a god-damned Grand Candidate appears, then we would need to make plans to counter that threat as well.
Assassin, on the other hand, needed to be kept an eye on. Since they lack Magic Resistance, Caster could win in a direct fight, but even she could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Moreover, the Assassins were deployed all over the city, doing reconnaissance for Kirei and Tokiomi. This would be dangerous for us, since Caster would need to move towards and away from Ryuudou Temple, but we could use them to feed false information, which means that the situation could be turned round to our advantage.
I would still need to stick to my current position though. Caster has hypnotised most of the staff and officers in the Station to ignore my presence, and it has so far worked well. Through them we were able to manipulate their records, making sure that I was not present at all during their finding of Ryuunosuke Uryuu.
Caster would need to find a way for me to defend myself. While her Item Construction sill is at A-Rank, she lacks the materials to actually make a suitable weapon for me. At the rate where I am at now, all of the other Masters would thrash me in combat, except maybe Waver and possibly Kariya. Which is why avoiding them would be the safest thing I can do, at least now.
As I laid down on the hard floor, I was wondering about what had happened so far.
In the past twenty-four-ish hours, I was summoned into the Nasuverse, killed a serial killer out of self-defence, turned a Police Station into my own personal hide-out, was granted the ability to do magic, and was now planning to face off against heroes of legend summoned to fight in a War for a cup.
Truthfully, most of my thoughts went to the 'killed a serial killer' part. I did not regret killing Ryuunosuke. He was a clear threat to my life and safety, and he would continue killing innocent people if I had not killed him then.
What I feared is my lack of remorse in the act of killing itself.
I did not feel anything when I killed. It was as if I had done the act many times before, like breathing. I had felt no shock, despair or excitement from the fact that I had just killed someone. I knew for certain that the me of before I had come in this world, would probably go into shock or something like that from it.
But I hadn't. And that is what bothered me.
I could suddenly feel a strange weight upon my shoulders, and it was only then that I realized how tired I was. I was feeling drowsy, and I felt that I would just pass out on the floor from exhaustion. I nearly fall over once, but clumsily manage to sit down on the floor, lie down on the cold hard ground. Caster had bought a few blankets and a pillow for me to use.
And then, I was out like a light.
A/N: And that's a wrap! In the next chapter, we would be beginning with their actual involvement with the Grail War.
I had intended to begin my Pokemon fanfic, but I got distracted and couldn't decide on a proper path for it to begin. I had a plot and everything, but the beginning has always eluded me, which is why I had to postpone it for a later date.
Also, I have another idea, a One-shot which I would like to release. It's a Type-Moon Crossover with a certain other franchise, but I think I will keep the details of that to myself.
I have tried maintaining a consistent update schedule, but I found myself unable to do so. Which why from now on my updates would depend on my mood.
(1) Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front-Babylonia. Check it out.
(2) Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a Russian physiologist, who did a famous experiment in the 1890s. He observed that his two dogs salivated when food was placed for them, and began ringing a bell when the food was given. Eventually, after a few weeks, the dogs became so conditioned to the sound of the bell, that they would salivate even when just the bell was rung and no food was given. What Caster means here is that she could do what Pavlov did to the dogs to him, just in this case, it would allow him to activate his Magic Circuits. It is admittedly a shoddy comparison, but it somewhat works in this scenario.
Responses to Reviews:
akasuna123: Since the Grail is corrupted, whenever a wish is made, Angra Mainyu would try to fulfil it in the worst way possible. And that involves killing a crap ton of humans. And since he is technically human, he would like to avoid that.
Crown of Reaper: Oh, yes I intend to release Caster's identity in the future. All I'm willing to say is that she is in fact, based on actual stories.
Omni-Celestial: Yes that is going to be a problem which needs to be addressed, and not every problem does not need to be solved by Magecraft. That's all I'm going to say.
Guest: Hi. Ask and you shall receive.
Next chapter is when the action truly begins.
Thanks for the reviews and favourites, now give me more. It's getting addictive.