Ritsuka was standing inside an odd-looking room. It looked quite similar to his own one, if it wasn't for the fact that the walls seemed to be made of glass. What was going on?
'I woke up at the same time today.' The words seemed to have been imprinted into his mind. 'I checked my temperature. My five senses. To drive the point home, I said my name out loud. A deep breath—I confirmed my consciousness, as I was told it might disappear each time I fell asleep. I was myself. My existence had been approved for one more day.'
The voice sounded eerily familiar. But yet, it couldn't be…?
"Good morning, number two," Another familiar voice, this one being spoken aloud, jolted Ritsuka back into the moment, as an equally familiar man stood on the other side of the glass wall that also contained the only entrance in and out of the space. "Aren't you cold? The temperature outside is 70 below. It's especially cold this morning," Doctor Roman said, before blinking and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, something Ritsuka had noticed was a nervous tic of his at times. "Well, I suppose that's irrelevant as long as you're in this room."
'There, in that clean, comfortable room, I said what came to my mind.' The voice that spoke aloud was when Ritsuka realized just who it was he was re-living the past with. "That's quite troublesome," Mash said in a soft, somewhat emotionless tone.
He wanted to grab her shoulders, stare her in the eyes, and ask her to please tell him what was happening, why Roman had called her number two, and why would she have to worry about her consciousness vanishing? Alas, he couldn't. Doctor Roman tilted his head slightly as he leaned forward intently, pure concern in his eyes.
"Any inconveniences?" Asked the future acting-director, before giving off a reassuring smile. "If there's something you don't like, please, let me know." The way Roman had said that, the troubled look in his eyes…Ritsuka knew that there was more to his statement then it appeared. Then Mash's thoughts flooded Ritsuka's brain once again.
'He smiled as he told me that, and gave a very pained looked. I thought, perhaps, that part of his body was in pain.' "Are you okay?" Mash asked. Roman didn't answer for a few seconds, before nodding slightly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Guess my worries were unwarranted," he said, the last part softly and possibly meant for his ears only. Then he gave a more happy-looking smile. "Congrats on your 5,110th awakening." Awakening?
"Thank you very much," Mash responded, and Ritsuka experienced a wave of genuine pleasure and relief running over him. Then he felt a sharp, piercing sensation in the back of his mind, and everything started to turn white. The last words Ritsuka heard in his mind was his close friend saying 'I was extremely happy. For one more day, I'd get to enjoy the wonders of this world.'
Ritsuka bolted upright, a thin sheen of sweat dripping down his forehead as he let out a sharp gasp. A second gasp follows, this one of pain as he feels something bite his ankles, before moving towards his lap.
"Fou, fou, fou!" Fou chirped, Mash's pint-sized pet looking up at Ritsuka with what he could swear to be concern.
"Ow…" Ritsuka said with a groan as he noticed a horrified-looking Mash.
"N-No Fou!" She said in her best scolding tone. "You must not bite. You should user a gentler touch. Even if he is as dense as a rock at times," the pink-haired girl said. Ritsuka blinked, realizing also that Mash hadn't seemed to notice he was awake.
"Dense about what?" Ritsuka said in concern. Did he miss anything important recently? Mash's cheeks became flushed, her eyes almost the size of dinner plates.
"Oh, good morning Senpai!" Ritsuka couldn't help but smile at the raw sincerity in her words, though at the same time they felt a little darker considering his dream.
"Good morning Mash. Now, what did you mean about me being dense?" Ritsuka asked. His confusion and curiosity were only further piqued as she frantically shook her head.
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all. You should get ready though, Senpai! Roman is starting the briefing for today's deployment in twenty minutes," Mash said dutifully.
"Oh, crap," Ritsuka groaned, clumsily launching himself out of bed. In his haste, he almost slipped on the tiles as Fou dropped onto the ground. At the last second, however, Mash caught him.
"Careful, Senpai," she gently chided him, and Ritsuka rubbed the back of his head before she gently pushed him towards his private bathroom. "Fou and I will wait for you outside, in the hallway." With that, Mash and her enigmatic pet left the room as Ritsuka readied himself for a quick hot shower.
Now, alone in the privacy of his shower stall, he could (quietly) air the thoughts that had been swirling around in his mind even as he tried to focus on his conversation with Mash.
"What was that?" Ritsuka said to himself, one hand cupping his face as he forced his still-tense body to relax under the stream of hot water. Even as he made that statement, in the back of his mind, Ritsuka had a damn good hunch on what that had been.
While his fellow Master had (politely) refused to share the contents of them, Jacob had given a vague idea of what a shared Master-Servant dream was like. Unless he was mistaken, that had been his first one. Also, just like Jacob had mentioned multiple times, it felt like he hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep.
It made sense that it would be with Mash, one of the people he was closest to in all of Chaldea, and he wouldn't be denied the small spark of exhilaration that finally he had tangible proof of sorts of the connection between him and his endearing kouhai.
Unfortunately, that positivity soon vanished, replaced by anxiety and fear, and even a hint of guilt. Demi-Servant or not, Mash was entitled to the right of having privacy, and that memory-dream in a way felt like a violation of that right. The main mitigating factor to this mess was that he had witnessed it involuntarily. However, that wasn't what was really bothering him.
Ever since the first time Ritsuka, Jacob, Mash, and Mordred had dinner with one another, he hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Mash was hiding some things from he and Jacob. Now, he knew that was true. What he still didn't know, however, was what she was hiding.
Part of him wanted to, after he had gotten dressed, corner her and ask her about the dream. The part was quickly shot down though. "Maybe I should talk to Jacob about this," Ritsuka whispered softly to himself as he turned off the water, done showering. "He always seems to have an answer for everything."
Now finished, and dressed as one of Chaldea's last Masters, Ritsuka stepped out, being greeted with a soft smile from Mash.
"That was quick, Senpai. Impressive! I just finished letting the Servants you wanted to bring know to meet us outside of the Rayshift Chamber," Mash reported. Ritsuka nodded at her appreciatively.
"Good. Let's get going. If Jacob is there before us, I might not ever hear the end of it!"
For once, Mordred, the other Servants I had selected to accompany us, and myself were the first ones present in the Rayshift Chamber. I had picked Jeanne, Sasaki, and Amadeus again, while the rest of the team was composed of some of the more recent Servants, including Astolfo.
While I had yet to summon my own Archer-class or Lancer-class Servant, I had summoned my first Lancer and Berserker-class Servants. For the former, it was a familiar face: Vlad Tepes, or as Astolfo and Jeanne had called him, Lancer of Black. It was the latter, however, who was a completely new face.
A tall, imposing-looking man in exotic-looking armor, armed with what I could best described as a double-bladed halberd, and who couldn't speak in anything other than growls and roars. It had taken a little bit of time, but finally, in no small part thanks to Jeanne's True Name Discernment Skill, we had discovered the identity of Chaldea's first Berserker: Lu Bu, the mighty yet capricious warrior from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Obviously, I was nervous about commanding a Berserker, and so this was going to be a trail run to see what Chaldea's policy regarding the role of Berserker-class Servants should be, especially those whose Mad Enhancement reduced their ability to communicate their intentions and understanding of orders or requests.
"Looks like someone overslept," Mordred said dryly, my partner smiling lazily in her armor.
"Hey, it happens to the best of us," I retorted, though I failed at masking the snort of amusement her words had given me.
After about fifteen minutes, Mash, Ritsuka, and the Servants he had selected showed up. Chiron, Chulainn, Medea, and Marie were coming along. Gilles was staying back this time, however, and in his place as Ritsuka's Saber was Nero. Another new face was a female Chinese Servant named Jing Ke, and attractive-looking, alcoholic-loving Assassin-class Servant.
"Glad it isn't me who's late this time," I quipped with a lopsided smile, my words rewarded with a snort of laughter and a slight scowl from Mordred and Ritsuka, respectively.
"I didn't sleep too well," Ritsuka said with a slight pout. I hummed softly, looking him over and noticing that he seemed a little out of it this morning indeed.
"Understandable. Should we see if we can afford to wait another day before deploying?" I ask. Obviously, saving humanity is kinda big deal, but in order to do so, both Ritsuka and I have to be in peak condition. A single mistake in combat could get one or both of us killed, leaving the world well and truly doomed.
To his credit, Ritsuka shook his head firmly, and I could see unwavering resolve in his eyes, and steel in his voice. "No, it's fine." I nodded and clasped my friend's right shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
"Okay. Remember, we watch out for one another," I said with a small smile. I was also pleased to notice how Ritsuka had the pugio dagger Nero had given him in our last mission strapped to his belt. While Da Vinci was finishing up the sword I had asked the Caster to make for him, at least he wouldn't be completely weaponless.
"Looks like someone else didn't get much rest last night, either," Mordred said suddenly as the door opened and we all looked behind us as a familiar, endearing ginger doctor walked in. He didn't address us until he stood at the head of the room.
"Good morning, everyone" Doctor Roman greeted us with a poorly hidden yawn. The acting-director looked haggard, with dark bags under his eyes. "I didn't sleep much," Roman added, noticing my raised eyebrow at the state of his appearance.
"Stayed up late again over the matters of these Grails and Lev?" Ritsuka asked. Roman made a finger-gun gesture at my fellow Master as an affirmative response.
"Yes. We defeated Lev Lainur—"
"Technically, we didn't," I muttered darkly, still upset over how Altera had been the one to cut down the damn traitorous scum. Jeanne nudged my side with her elbow, a reproachful look in her eyes over my interruption.
"—and retrieved the second Holy Grail," Roman resumed speaking, not missing a beat. "That's great, but there are more questions. Such as, what the hell was that pillar of flesh? What are these so-called Seventy-Two Demon Gods? Unfortunately, we lack the resources and the time to properly analyze these questions," Roman finished, looking very flustered.
"Um, Doctor Roman," Mash spoke up softly. "Speaking of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, there is one possibility," Mash said, before pausing hesitantly. A doubtful look appeared on Roman's face.
"Yeah, I can think of only one thing. The familiars who served a certain ancient king." Was it just me, or did he sound just a little bit forced there?
"Ancient King?" I repeated with an arched eyebrow.
"Familiars?" Ritsuka added.
Suddenly, the door behind us slid open without warning as another familiar voice answered our twin questions. "That's right! The King of Ancient Israel, and the greatest summoner in the world of mages!" Da Vinci said, hands on her hips with her normal mischievous glint in her eyes. Once again, her flair for theatrics was on display, it seems. "The familiars who served him were the infamous 72 Demon Gods!"
"Da Vinci?" A startled Mash yelped. The scientist Servant gave the Demi-Servant an almost predatory smile.
"Yes, good. Perfect! Mash, I love your reaction! It was worth slipping those cue cards to Roman! As a genius, my stage entries must be grand!" Da Vinci proclaimed triumphantly, one hand on her chest as she struck a suitably dramatic pose. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mordred's expression of confusion, and almost broke out laughing. The knight looked adorable!
Roman cupped his face, shaking his head slightly as he let out a long sigh. "Please don't tire me out so early in the morning, Da Vinci. Furthermore, please refrain from spreading rumors. None of this information is substantiated." I cocked my head to the side slightly.
"You disagree with Da Vinci on this?" I asked. The doctor shrugged half-heartedly.
"To begin with, the seventy-two Demon Gods are all fantasies. Demon Gods don't actually exist. These days, people speculate that they were merely familiars of the king that were broken down into seventy-two different roles, correct?" He asked Da Vinci, who nodded, though with an unconvinced expression showing on the Caster's face.
"Yeah. But, since those roles were so clearly defined, some theorize that they may be the origin of angels. Seeing as how Lev claimed to be one, is it really unrelated? How about the hypothesis that he, or the 'mastermind' behind the traitor, summoned a 'certain ancient king?'" Da Vinci postulated. I coughed politely, and Da Vinci nodded her head towards me.
"This 'ancient king' you keep referring to…I'm only aware of three ancient kings of Israel. Saul, David, and David's son, Solomon the Wise. Are you suggesting that one of them is involved somehow?" Roman frowned.
"We still don't have enough data. However, Da Vinci and I will be looking further into this. Anyhow, we've gotten off-track. Let's talk about obtaining the third Holy Grail. This may seem sudden, guys, but did either of you get seasick back in Rome?"
Ritsuka and I exchanged intrigued glances before looking back at our erstwhile boss. "No, not at all," I answered first, feeling suspicious about such a rather specific question Roman had just asked.
"Maybe a little bit, but I think that had more to do with…unexpected factors," Rits added, nervously eyeing a thankfully oblivious Nero. Nice catch there, pal. One of the last things we need to deal with is an upset Nero!
"Good! That's reassuring enough. I was about to get some of the motion sickness meds I keep stock of, but it looks like it won't be needed."
"FOU!" Fou clambered up Ritsuka's back, and my fellow Master winced slightly as I saw the odd-looking critter secure his perch by digging in his little claws.
"Oh?" Doctor Roman asked, cocking his head slightly. "Fou is going to accompany you guys again, huh?" He rubbed his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face before her continued speaking. "I don't consider myself to be of the superstitious sort, but I can't deny that when Fou's around, mash's mental state stabilizes." And you're sharing this information now? Those words, I deeply desired to speak aloud, but I held my tongue. Mash nodded sheepishly, rubbing one hand up and down the opposite arm softly.
"I'm sorry, Doctor Roman, but whenever Fou's nearby during a crisis, I just feel so much calmer," Mash said in her usual apologetic tone. I had noticed that during the past few weeks, the pink-haired girl had begun to appear more assertive at times, but it was clearly still a work in progress.
"It's fine," Roman said with a dismissive wave of his hand, an excited smile returning to his lips. "New lands always await us with each Rayshift. The more we find familiar, the better. Now, here's what we have found out about the Third Singularity."
"You have our full attention," I said solemnly.
"The year is 1573. The location? An ocean as far as the eye can see!"
"An ocean, you say?" Mash interjected with a quizzical tone.
"Right. The geography is shifting correspondingly with the Singularity. It doesn't look like there is an area that can be specifically marked 'here'," Roman quickly explained. "That's not to say that there's not a speck of dry land there from what we can tell. There are a few islands scattered around. Your mission is to investigate the Singularity and retrieve the Grail. We're two for two, let's make it three for three!" Roman said in a display of energetic enthusiasm.
"Roger that."
"I hope we don't end up landing in the ocean," Ritsuka commented, fidgeting nervously.
"There's no need to worry about that. We'll input the necessary coordinates for the Rayshift. You shouldn't end up in the ocean. Besides," Roman added with an uncharacteristically impish smile as he and Da Vinci exchanged a look, "you already have yet another promising ally with you."
"Say what now?"
"Ally?" Mash asked at the same time as I. Da Vinci took over, and for the first time I noticed something had been attached to the back of the Caster's belt. She unhooked it and brought the mysterious object to our sight.
"Here," Da Vinci said proudly as she held a blindingly bright yellow inflatable raft with a cartoonish-designed duck head. "I invented this. It's called a rubber floaty. You can use it in case you get into trouble!~"
I stared flatly at the self-proclaimed genius. "Invented, huh?" I deadpanned, and Mordred and a few other Servants snickered, while Mash released a long, exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose briefly.
"I still have some worries, but we don't have time to address all of them. Master, Jacob Senpai, I will give it everything I have."
"Yeah, let's do this, Mash!" Ritsuka said, pumping himself up as we began to head to our assigned coffins.
"Well, at least we can all swim if worse case comes to worse," I said to Mordred, shaking my head slightly. Instead of one of her characteristic and brusque sounds of amusement, I heard a nervous chuckle come from the Knight of Rebellion.
"Yeah…about that…" the one I had fallen in love with started to say. I felt my jaw drop open as I stared incredulously at the blonde.
"Oh, no, please tell—"
"Let's find the third Holy Grail!" Roman shouted as he and Da Vinci headed towards the command center. Unable to finish my though, we all hurried into the coffins. Before the glass doors closed, I quickly called over to Mordred.
"I'll see you on the other side!" I said reassuringly, though her response, probably containing the word 'idiot' in there somehow, was muffled as the coffins finished sealing, and the familiar and eerie automated voice began calling out the standard Rayshifting procedures. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath...
The first thing I felt, even as I opened my eyes, was a slight swaying motion under my feet. There was a salty tang to the air, and I opened my eyes to see a clear, blue sky overhead. Apparently, we had landed on the top deck of a sailing ship.
A sailing ship whose crew was surrounding us, and looked to be pirates. They might appear to be stunned, but I highly doubt that once they recovered they were going to be interested in talking things out…
My first words to be uttered aloud in the Third Singularity were two words that I felt were most adept at describing the present situation.
"Well, shit."
Original Endnotes: And done! Quite a fitting sentiment with those two words, don't y'all think? Also, did you all enjoy the chapter? Decided now that Mordred and Jacob are a couple, I should start to focus a bit more on developing Mash and Ritsuka's relationship. Obviously, of course, Jacob and Mordred are still the main focus, but I think that if I ignore the two, I'd be signing my own execution order!
As I mentioned last chapter, a number of Servants have been summoned, but those summonings and all are going to be covered in another side story! Also, in this arc I am going to try writing Berserkers on Team Chaldea's side, so I hope I do okay! Please wish me luck!
Also, totally forgot how Da Vinci and Roman were semi-trolls in this section, so that was a blast to re-read and write! Not much else to say, other than the questions of the chapter!
First up: What's your favorite month of the year?
Second question: Who is your most and least favorite Servants in the Third Singularity and why?
As always, thanks for reading another chapter, and I hope y'all enjoyed! Can't wait to see what you all are going to comment, reply, and all that good jazz! Have a wonderful weekend, and see you in Chapter 52!
Updated endnotes 9/22/21: Hope you enjoyed. As always, the full-length story can also be found on AO3 for those who want to be further caught up. Otherwise, see you in the next chapter!