Chapter 153
In an era where modern science slowly supplanted the system of magic, the widespread nature of humanity overturning the mystery that used to proliferate in every corner of the world, Mystery was slowly dying out. In the Common Era of mankind, god, beasts and magic was considered to be a falsehood, a legend with little substance beyond that of a story. Modern magi were no longer able to obtain energy directly from the Root like those from the Age of Gods, forced to rely on the od and mana remaining in the world.
The gods, severely injured by Sefar, then betrayed by their creation Gilgamesh, went from being able to physically walking the land to only being able to possess suitable human bodies, and then finally transforming into Divine Spirits and retreating into the Reverse Side of the World, with the majority of Phantasmal Beasts and Mystery receding into the same layer of the World, a place where the rules from the Age of Gods still held true.
Barred from the Root, with the laws of physics and science taking the place of mystery, the Five Magics were created, that which was capable of reaching the Root, or had already done so. The Earth twisted and changed to suit the species of humanity, a foundation of science built up from the Greeks to modern scientists like Einstein and Bohrs. By shifting the perception of the masses to believe in science instead of mystery, the majority of humanity became convinced that science was indeed true, with the proof of experiments backing them. Galileo's observations of motion, Darwin's theory of evolution, Aristotle's elemental theory, humanity built up a framework starting from basic observations of ordinary life and daily phenomena, and from there built up a sprawling mass of principles and facts that were supported with hard evidence, calculations and experiments.
In time, humanity could surpass Gaia itself and reach for the stars, potentially outliving the planet that had spawned them.
Back to Saber though, her time was an age where Mystery had yet to completely fade, though it was the beginning of the Common Era. It could be said that King Arthur's age was the final echoes of the Age of Gods, where Mystery still remained prevalent for one last time, before it breathed its last and disappeared to the Reverse Side of the World. The boggart was proof of that, a Phantasmal Beast that was so very rarely seen anymore in the modern world unless called out from the Reverse Side of the World to the Present World by another power.
Releasing magical power wantonly in the middle of a forest that humans barely stepped in was a surefire way to attract otherworldly creatures. With such a great source of mana practically screaming to the world that she was there, with her Magic Core running rampant, anything with even a lick of magical aptitude could sense her presence within the forest in a ten mile radius.
When Shirou heard the rustling behind him, he instantly turned around, facing the bushes as he stood up, standing protectively over Saber's body. Though it was useless in a dream, his body couldn't help but move by itself, unable to leave Saber's defenseless body by itself.
In fact, there wasn't a need for him to do so.
First, the tip of a spiraling cone peeked out of the bush, the tip glimmering like it had been sprinkled with dust, then Shirou caught glimpses of the white behind it, like freshly fallen snow, until the beast pushed its way through the undergrowth and came into the small clearing that Saber was resting in.
It was magnificent.
This was the first thought that crossed Shirou's mind when he saw it, a creature so beautiful that words failed to describe its appearance. The color of snow seemed like a dirty gray when compared to it's skin, with a flowing mane of purest silver that shone regally under the moonlight. Eyes filled with intelligence stared down at the girl laying on the ground, now glowing with so much golden light that her features were lost in the radiance, her body burning a human shaped impression into the ground. Yet the newcomer shone with its own light, silvery white warring with the gold from Saber's for dominance. The most prominent feature though, was the horn on its brow, an object that surpassed the most precisely cut diamonds, a firm beauty akin to the moon that hung in the sky surrounded by countless stars, something which mankind could never replicate in full.
Shirou almost fell to his knees at the sight of it, his mind going blank for a second as his heart was drawn to it, losing all sense of time and being for a moment. Still, his mental strength was not to be underestimated, and he was somehow able to wrench his gaze away from it and look at the ground, knowing that he would be rendered dumb and incoherent if he looked any longer, captivated by the beauty of the creature. His head yearned to take just one more look, but he resisted, knowing that beauty of that degree was dangerous, a weapon that could make people lose their minds and ravage others with but a single glance. It was no exaggeration in the legends when goddesses and gods of great beauty turned mortals insane with but one look. This one though, was no divine spirit, but a Phantasmal Beast of high pedigree, completely outstripping the boggart in both Mystery and nobility.
It was a unicorn.
Hooves gently pacing to stand next to Saber, the unicorn looked down at her body lying prone on the ground, its head leaning so close to her that its breath tickled her body, ignoring the heat pouring off her body in waves. Shirou couldn't see anything, with his eyes screwed shut tightly, but he could hear the hooves brushing against the ground, lighter than a normal horse could, and its breathing, a feathery sound that tickled his ears and tempted him to look upon it again.
Bowing its head low in a submissive gesture unfitting of its royal air, it placed its horn on Sabers chest, right above her heart, and pricked it. The tip of its horn, a point infinitely sharp and fine, easily slipped through her skin despite the Mystery she herself possessed, encountering only the smallest of resistance. A bead of blood welled up at the point of contact, staining the flawless surface of the glossy horn, a deep azure that seemed to harbor other things inside the longer one stared into it.
The unicorn did nothing more, staying as still as a statue in that position, horn piercing her skin and eyes closed. Shirou heard nothing else, just the silence of the forest that seemed more hushed in the presence of the creature, the silence filled with something else, a pleasant wind that seemed to hum in his ears while being soundless.
After what felt like hours for Shirou, but was merely minutes in reality, the unicorn finally raised its head, the horn leaving Sabers skin as a droplet of blood fell onto the pinprick hole that it had made.
Shirou heard a soft whinny, a gentle wake-up call, then silence.
Slowly, Saber's eyes opened.