It had been a long day for me.

Narrowly missing being blown up by a possible bomb, then being teleported to a nightmarish hellscape where pretty much every five minutes there was some sort of life-or-death situation. Granted, some things did happen, such as Mash apparently discovering her Noble Phantasm (name to be shared later hopefully), summoning Mordred, and gaining Caster Chulainn as ana ally/guide. Which was immediately followed by several more near-death experiences.

The last thing I had expected today, however, was one of the world's worst family reunions.

"It looks like Archer has fallen," Saber commented, ignoring Mordred. I furrow my eyebrows in distaste at the action, staring at Mordred's father (God, this gender stuff is going to mess with my head). However, Archer's last request still needs to be fulfilled. I slowly nodded my head.

"Yes. Your comrade put up quite a fight. Before dying, he asked me to deliver his apologies for failing you," I said, doing my best to keep my tone even. Saber said nothing, forcing the next couple of minutes to pass by in an awkward silence. Finally, the corrupted Servant shook her head in what I assumed was disappointment.

"Hmph. No matter. I will defeat each and every last one of you," Saber declared, as if the fact wasn't a possible outcome so much as the only outcome. In front of me, Mordred growls.

"Like hell it will be that simple," she warned, finally gaining the attention of her father.

"So…I see someone has summoned you. Perhaps it is fitting that I will be the one to crush you," Saber said to a fuming Mordred. Her yellow eyes stare impassively.

"You look different, King of Knights," Mordred replied with a soft snarl, bile focused on the title. If I had thought that the mind games Archer had played on her were bad, this was going to be worse. However, the way Arthur's son was clutching the hilt of Clarent gave me the sense that I shouldn't interrupt.

"The Grail showed me that I had made some mistakes. Mistakes that I will not make again."

"Like not acknowledging your son?" Mordred shot back bitterly. Saber shook her head, unaffected by the accusation.

"Not quite. That moment where you declared your intentions when I denied your claim to my throne, that was a mistake. I should have cut you down then and there. Instead, I allowed you to live. That was my mistake."

I can't help but flinch at that statement. A sentiment that the rest of our group seems to share. Mordred said nothing, her body shaking slightly. Whether that was in anger or something else, I couldn't tell as the Knight of Rebellion refuses to look anywhere other than at her father.

"Master…" She finally called out to me. Her voice for once was utterly emotionless. It makes me shudder slightly. Having gotten use to, and dare I say enjoy, her typical boastful and excited personality, this seems just wrong.

"Yes?"

"If you interrupt this fight, it won't end well for you. This is between me and my father. Got it?" She demanded. I sigh internally, having accepted that this was going to happen. I nod before speaking up.

"In that case then, I have one thing to ask of you in return. Don't die." Please don't die. Not when we are so close to finishing this nightmare.

"Understood, Master," Mordred replied, scowling further at her father before her helmet slammed back into place. Crouching down, she readied Clarent before both Sabers lunged forward. The first clash of a corrupted Excalibur against the larger Clarent shook the floor somewhat, causing a few small rocks to become dislodged from the ceiling. Thankfully, they fall harmlessly, but it served as a reminder for us the risk we would take if we focused too intently on watching the duel.

"I thought you were the perfect king! Unable to make a mistake, and instead to always use wisdom! So why are you doing this?!" Mordred shouted over the clash of metal.

"Maybe once those would have been correct, but your actions ensured that the ideals of Camelot are no longer necessary now," Saber responded. Wow. Who knew that King Arthur was capable of being this cruel? Chulainn watches the fight carefully nearby, and I turn to him.

"If it looks like Saber is about to kill Mordred, get her out of there. Please," I ask, almost begging. The Irish Servant gave me a brief sidelong look before nodding.

"Just be prepared to use a Command Seal if she tries to take my head off. With a little bit of luck, that might not happen," he responded before creeping around to the side, eyes narrowed. I turn my gaze back to the fight, my anxiety building in my stomach by the second.

It had been at most a minute by now, but to me, it feels like the fight has gone on longer. Thankfully, Mordred hadn't been wounded by Saber's sword yet, though at least on one occasion I saw the blade barely miss scratching my Servant's chest plate. However, Mordred has also failed to deliver any meaningful blows.

The flurry of blows and counterblows proceeds unabated in intensity. It seems the two Saber-class Servants were evenly matched in this case, as nothing beyond superficial damage had been dealt to either party. After the corrupted Excalibur deflects yet another swing of Clarent, father and son leapt backwards.

The battle pauses for a moment as the two face off. Then Mordred's helmet retracted, allowing me to see the burning anger in her emerald eyes as the hair stands up at the back of my neck. Is she about to use her Noble Phantasm.

"This is the evil sword that destroyed my father…" Mordred intoned as Clarent's blade was covered in crackling red energy. The red pieces at the base of Clarent shifted slightly just before the massive blade became engulfed in energy as Mordred readied her sword.

"Vortigern, hammer of the vile king, revers the rising sun, swallow the light," Saber responded in her monotone, readying her sword as if to swing as the entire form of the weapon is covered in the same energy as when my Servant and I had entered.

"Excalibur-"

"Clarent-"

"Morgan!"

"Blood Arthur!" Mordred howled in response, swinging Clarent as a surge of red energy slams into the black-and-purple mess that the corrupted Saber sent towards the Knight of Treachery. The two Noble Phantasm smash into each other.

A massive blast of wind almost knocked us off our feet. I can feel my cap being blown off my head as my right arm covered my eyes protectively. However, a terrible groaning sound caused me to look upwards, eyes widening as I see part of the battered cave ceiling giving falling towards us.

The others stare also in horror at the new danger. There are too many of us for Chulainn to rescue in time, Mordred was still fighting, and Mash doesn't seem to be able to repeat whatever defensive ability she had used earlier in blocking what must have been Saber's Noble Phantasm.

Thankfully, I have one trick up my sleeves, even if I have never tried it before in a situation even close to this one. I have no other choice, however, but try or die.

The closest to a specialty when it came to magic with my family was with the use of natural elements. My father focused on earth, my mother fire. My grandfather had chosen air, which would turn out to have been a rather wise choice, though he did not know it at the time. As for me?

I had chosen ice.

Interesting fact. Solid Ice can be incredibly durable. Three feet of solid ice can support up to roughly one hundred and ten tons, for example. I activated my Magic Circuits and pushed out. In my mind, I imagined all of the water dripping from the stalactites, hidden pools in crevices, even the sweat on my own forehead. All this water, collecting in one point overhead.

The main issue with being able to form and manipulate ice, at least for me, was that I needed water. The parched air outside had held none. But in the cold depths of underground, there was enough water that I could work with.

"Eis, bilden! Mach dich zu eninem Schild!" I shouted, holding my arms out, my eyes still closed. In my mind still, I imagine the water turning into ice, spreading overhead. There was not enough water to make it as thick as I would like.

Thankfully, I only required a small amount to start with. I imagine a thick sheet of ice overhead, my arms becoming two massive pillars to keep that ice over our heads.

A wall of ice floats overhead as the falling rocks smash against the surface, each impact feeling like a punch to the gut for me as I began to strain my muscles.

I had never summoned such a large amount of ice nor used it to support such a heavy wave of force impacting against it. The rocks slam into the ice, creating a horrendous grating noise. It feels like someone was sitting on my shoulders, trying to force me down. Sweat starts to trickle down my forehead as I groan softly under the pressure. The amount of rocks pressing down actually causes the ice shield to be pushed towards the floor.

Closer towards us.

What was I thinking? I had never summoned anything larger than an icicle before. All I did was buy us a few extra seconds of life, nothing more! My knees start to buckle under the strain of futilely pushing the ice back up.

"Jacob!"

This is it…this is where I fail, huh?

"S-senpai…"

Proving myself to be a failure…

"Aronson! Don't stop, it's working!" The director's encouragement causes me to snap out of my funk.

Unable to speak properly, I instead growled in response. No, no, no, no, no! Come on, you can do this! That one thought runs itself over and over in my head as I feel the wall of ice overhead start to steady itself. It no longer felt like it was being forced down by the impact of more rocks.

With a painful howl, I gestured with my hands to force the wall to one side, causing the rock to slide down, ending the threat. My throat feeling hoarse, I prepare to release the ice.

"Eis, schmelze," I rasped, flicking my right hand to the side to ensure that the rapidly melting ice doesn't splash down on us. I close my eyes, falling down onto one knee. My shoulders rise and fall rapidly as my tired lungs cry out for air. A dull throbbing sound, the start of a headache, no doubt, is felt in my head. I power down my Circuits and force my eyes to not slip shut.

The odd dog-like critter trots over, the brim of my hat being held in its mouth. Nuzzling my arm, the animal seems to be offering my hat. "Fou?" It seemed to ask, and a weak chuckle comes out of my mouth as one shaky hand gingerly grasped my hat.

"Thanks, buddy," I whispered in response, my mouth feeling parched as I place my hat back atop my head. The headache starts to recede a bit as I hear footsteps.

"Jacob Senpai…"

"That was amazing!" Ritsuka exclaimed, while Mash stared at me a bit worriedly, as was the director. Not that I can blame them, though I would never have said that aloud. I had never summoned anywhere close to that amount of ice before, nor used it to deflect such force. Good to know that I can do so in emergencies now, it seems.

"Thanks, Ritsuka. Mind giving me a hand?" I asked, my voice still raspy. I lick my lips instinctively, trying to moisten the dried-out skin. It seems I used up some of the water from my own body. Hopefully the good doctor will have glasses of water as well as snacks of some sort set out and ready for us.

Both Master and Demi-Servant gently grab my arms and help me to feet as the sound of fighting dies down. I raise my head to see Mordred taking a few steps back. I was about to call her name when I notice the blood running down Clarent, and the gaping hole in her father's armor.

"No matter what I try, I will always be doomed to meet the same fate alone, it seems," Saber sighed mournfully, looking at us.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chulainn asked, staff gripped tightly in his hands. "Bastard, what do you know?" He demands. The Saber scoffed at that.

"Eventually, you too will realize it, Ireland's Child of Light. Grand Order…the battle to obtain the Holy Grail has only just begun

"Hey wait! What do you mean by-" Chulainn began to demand, before suddenly his own body begins to dissolve in that rapidly-familiar golden dust. "Whoa. Ah, crap, I'm getting sent back too? Damn it! I don't like this, but whatever," the Caster sighed before turning to Ritsuka and I. "Kids, I'm leaving the rest to you. Next time we meet, one of you had better summoned me as a Lancer!" With that, he too faded away.

Our communication link with Chaldea goes off, but I ignore it, walking over to my Servant cautiously. She hadn't moved or said anything since impaling her father with Clarent. I extend a hand towards her when I pause, hearing Director Animusphere muttering. I turn to see her with a troubled expression on her face.

"Grand Order…" she repeated, her brow furrowing further. "How did that Servant know that name?"

"Director, is something the matter?" I asked, retracting my hand. In response, the director looked at me like a deer caught in the spotlight.

"Huh? O-oh right. Well done, Aronson, Fujimaru. You two as well, Mash and Mordred. Several points are unclear, sadly, but let's call this mission complete regardless. First, let's retrieve that crystal. If it's the reason why Saber became abnormal, then it must also be the clear reason why Fuyuki City became a singularity," the white-haired Magus explained to us. Mash nods.

"Yes," the Demi-Servant, looking a bit better now that she had taken a breather, began. "An immediate retrieval-what?" The source for her confusion was a slow set of claps, mocking us for some reason.

"Well, I didn't expect any of you would get this far. Beyond my plan's expectations…and my own tolerance." My eyes narrowed, focused on the entrance as the masculine voice echoed through the chamber. Behind me, I hear Mordred shift her body. I don't think whoever else is here is a friend or ally, a sentiment it seems my Servant shares with me.

"Master Candidate Forty-Eight. It seems I was naïve and made the mistake of overlooking you as an improbable child. As for Master Candidate Forty-Nine, who would have ever thought that a simple trip to the restroom could cause such a mess?" A man in a ridiculous green suit and matching top hat enters the chamber. The man looks familiar…

Mash gasped in shock. "Professor Lev?"

The communication link still active and connected allows for me to hear Doctor Romani. "Confirm, did you say that Professor Lev is here?" Lev, Lev, Lev…wait…

"Hm. Is that Romani I hear? It seems you too survived," Lev commented casually, shaking his head sadly. "I told you to come to the command room immediately, but it seems you didn't listen…" Lev made a tut sound. This is the guy that Director Animusphere freaked out over not having? Wait…the command room…

"Trash who can't even follow orders," Lev sighed. "Just the mere sight of it makes me want to throw up. Why is it that humans always try to avoid their preordained destinies?" The hell is this guy going on about? My tired mind seems to be trying to tell me something when Mordred gripped my shoulder rather tightly.

"Master, I have a bad feeling about this guy," She whispered. Mash seemed to have reached the same conclusion, forcing herself in front of Ritsuka, a grimace showing.

"Master, fall back! Fall back, please! That person is dangerous… Th…That isn't the Professor Lev we know!" Didn't the doctor mention how there were no survivors from the command room? The odds of this man being here must be slim.

Director Animusphere was smiling, however. "Lev! Lev! You're alive! Oh, thank god for that!" She runs forward, ignoring what the two Servants had just said. "Thank goodness! Without you, I don't know how I could protect Chaldea!"

"Director, don't! That man is…" Mash began to plead, but the director wasn't listening.

"Hello, Olga. You seem well, despite having a rough time too," The Magus said with a smile that rings false to me. I winced slightly as Mordred squeezes my shoulder.

"That smile… It reminds me of the ones my mother would make…" Mordred muttered.

"Yes, Yes that's right Lev! The command room blew up, the city's in ruins, and I can't return to Chaldea! All of these damn unforeseen complications are driving me crazy! It doesn't matter now though. After all, with you here, we'll be fine, right?" Director Animusphere said excitedly, her body shaking in relief. "You've always been such a huge help!"

"Of course, I will help. Honestly, all of these complications have irritated me as well. The biggest one, though, has been you, Olga," Lev said in a cheerful tone, as if he hadn't just called the woman who looked up to him a pain in the ass. At that point, everything my brain was trying to warn me about ever since he started speaking click together.

An inside job…someone who knew about what was apparently confidential information for only top-ranking Chaldean staff…oh shit!

"Director! Get away from that man! He's the saboteur!"

"I set the bomb right underneath your feet, and yet you still live," Lev said at the same time, confirming my warning. I fear it might be too late. I try to run forward, to grab my boss and drag her back over here, but Mordred's grip is too strong. I can only watch as the director's expression turns to one of shock, then horror.

"What? L-Lev? Um, wh-what's that suppose to mean?" Director Animusphere demanded, stuttering in shock. Lev merely smiled before replying.

"Actually, that isn't exactly true. After all, you're dead. Or rather, your body is dead. It's been dead since the bomb went off. Trismegistus thoughtfully transferred you into this land as a residual thought. That means that if you ever return to Chaldea, you will cease to be!"

My body sags in Mordred's grip as we all realize what the traitor meant. "Wh-What? I'll vanish? Wait…I can't return to Chaldea?" Director Animusphere asked, horrified. Again, Lev shoots her that damn smile, acting as if he was caring for a wayward child.

"Indeed. However, that's too sad a story for you. Instead, how about I show you the fate of the Chaldea you devoted your entire life too." Lev tossed a small crystal into the air, perhaps the same crystal the director had been instructing us about retrieving, and the damaged ceiling of the cave shifts, showing the burning orb of Sheba. Just like when Ritsuka, Mash, and I were all Rayshifted here.

"Behold your folly! Not a sliver of blue representing human survival remains. Nothing but a burning, bright red. This…this is the outcome of this mission. Isn't it wonderful, Marie? Once again, your incompetence has brought forth tragedy!"

"But Lev…why?" Suddenly, the director's body is tugged towards the ceiling. She struggles as Lev continues his mockery.

"I could kill you know, but there's no grace to that. Instead, I think I shall grant you your final wish. Your wish to be with Chaldea. Granted, it will be little different from a black hole or a sun, but a human touching it would be a hellish disintegration on the molecular level!" A sadistic expression covers the traitor's face. "By all means, have a taste of infinite living death!

I feel the blood draining from my face, my eyes locked on in horror at Olga Marie Animusphere's body. A pounding sound pulses against my ear drums, the blood rushing, drowning out everyone else.

No.

No, this can't be happening.

"No… No, np! Someone help me! Help!" Olga Marie shrieked in terror, tears running down her cheeks as her supposed friend forced her closer to the rift. "I…I don't wat to die here…"

Her terrified words are the only thing I can hear clearly now. Rocks are dropping from the battered cave roof, as behind me I hear the distorted voices of my comrades shouting, speaking.

"Because I've never been praised…I've never been praised by anyone. Why? Why does this always happen to me? No one valued me! Everyone hated me!"

"It's not true," I whispered feebly. Was the director aggravating? Oh, most certainly. But even at her most bitchiness, she hadn't ran and abandoned us, no matter how terrified she had been.

"No! Stop! No, no, no, no, no…. I haven't even accomplished anything yet!" Olga Marie pleaded in vain. Her words seem to tear my insides apart, made all the worse by the fact that I can't move, can't fight, can't save her!

"From the moment I was born, I've never been accepted by anyone…"

"DIRECTOR!" Ritsuka howled, held back by a sorrowful Mash as the body of Olga Marie Animusphere vanished into the red glow of Sheba. Out of the corner of my eye, I see as Ritsuka tries to break free from Mash, a murderous rage in his eyes as he howled in anger. An anger that I feel, though crushed by the memory of the director's last moments.

No one, no one, deserved to die like that.

"No! Don't do it, Senpai! If you approach that man, you'll die the same way," Mash pleaded, wrapping her free arm around his torso. Hand still gripping my shoulder, I can feel Mordred's body shaking in anger. Lev dismisses the connection he had made, watching us with cruel eyes.

"Impressive, for a Demi-Servant. You have sensed that I am not human, it seems," Lev chuckled darkly. "Allow me to properly reintroduce myself. My name is Lev Lainur Flauros. I am in charge of the year 2017, sent to dispose of you humans." The traitor raises his arms up dramatically, like a lead actor on the stage, speaking loudly.

"Are you listening, Doctor Romani? As a friend who studied magecraft with you, let me give you some final advice. Chaldea is finished! Humanity has reached the moment of its destruction! This singularity is not related to the end, but is part of the end!"

What is he…

"The future didn't just disappear. No, it was incinerated the moment that Chaldea became dyed with crimson! Your end is certain. Your era no longer exists. Those magnetic fields may be protecting Chaldea, but any outside of it will face the same fate as Fuyuki City!" Humanity is gone?

We're on our own, aren't we? I start to hyperventilate, my anxiety hitting critical mass. The fire that had been burning after witnessing what this…this bastard did to the director was snuffed out cruelly. I failed to hear what Doctor Romani said in response. I manage to snap back to the present when the entire cave began to shake. Ritsuka and I looked around wildly, worried

"Ah, is this singularity at its limit? Damn that Saber," Lev muttered in disappointment. "If you'd just obeyed, you would have been allowed to live." Mordred seemed to have growled at the man. "Even when given the Holy Grail, she caused trouble by wanting to sustain this era. Farewell, Romani. And you, Mash, Candidates Forty-Eight and Forty-Nine. Believe it or not, I still have things to do. That means the enjoyment of your destruction ends here." Lev turned around and started to walk out of the cavern. Just before he is out of sight, however, he turned his head to leer at us.

"Now, be good children and be swallowed by the dimensional warp. However, since I am not that evil, I'll allow you to say a final prayer!" With that, he resumes walking to who-knows-where, his cackling echoing around the chamber.

My eyes are fixed right there, as I began to hyperventilate, becoming mute to the entirety of my surroundings as the cave seems to begin to collapse. Then, I start to feel a tingling sensation, similar to when we had been Rayshifted to this Singularity. Did Romani and the rest of the surviving staff at Chaldea completely repair the Rayshift tech?

Are we going to make it?

What are we going to do?

Am I going to survive the Rayshift? Will I wake up, or will it turn out that somehow, I too am already dead like Director Animusphere? The stress finally overcomes me, and my tired body falls limply in the grasp of my Servant, who seemed startled by my reaction.

"Master!"

Then, thankfully, I slip into blissful unconsciousness.