Chapter 18: Memories of a Distant Utopia

"Hmm? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

I heard a voice in the infinite darkness.

"You just can't catch a break, can't you? You ended up in a really faraway place, and yet your personal hell shows no signs of ending any time soon."

I could not see anything, nor could I move; all I heard was that voice. It was everywhere and nowhere simultaneously; I heard it just next to me and in the far distance. It was a low voice but resounded powerfully in my being.

"But fear not, you'll be fine. You always managed to overcome the obstacles in your path. After all, that's the type of meddlesome guy you are." The voice released a mocking laugh. "You only need to remember what was given to you, what saved your life, and you will be able to find your path again."

A voice that sounded so familiar…

"So don't ever forget about it...although knowing how you are, I am sure you cannot actually forget." I couldn't see him, but I knew the owner of the voice was smiling for some reason. "If that's a blessing or a curse, it's only up to you, Master."

My eyes suddenly opened, and I found myself breathless; my heart thundered in my chest, and my entire body felt drenched in a cold sweat.

As I desperately fought to bright air to my lungs, I looked around me, only to find the very same grayish ceiling I had stared at every morning since moving to my apartment a few years ago.

I was in my room, lying on my bed with the lights turned off, small rays of sunlight entered through the not totally closed curtains.

My ragged breath slowly began to calm down as I realized I wasn't in immediate danger. However, my memory was a mess; the last thing I remembered was…

"Ah!" My head hurt as I tried to recall the past. I could remember fighting the Admiral alongside the Royal Navy in the military base, but everything else was foggy. What happened after that? How did I end up back in my apartment? What happened with the battle? I couldn't remember any of that.

"..."

First things first: I wasn't going to gain anything by just laying on my bed, so I decided to get up and look for answers; surely someone from the Royal Navy would be here with me.

However, the moment I tried to get up, my hand found something on the bed alongside me; it was something big, soft, and frankly pleasant to the touch.

I kept touching it, not believing what was in my right hand. It couldn't be, right? It must be a pillow or something; it couldn't possibly be…

"Ah…." And then I heard a voice; the quiet sigh of a woman, which made me withdraw my hand immediately in surprise.

I was so shocked that I didn't do anything for a long minute.

Focus, Ritsuka. Think carefully about the situation: You just touched a boob, correct? Correct. And that boob obviously belonged to another person, a person that was sleeping in your bed alongside you. Good, everything checked out so far. Now the question was….why was there an unknown woman sleeping on my bed!? Did one of the maids actually get into my bed while I was asleep? I could honestly see Sirius doing that, but…was it really the time for that? Didn't we just have a fierce battle?

All kinds of thoughts raced through my mind when suddenly I could feel something moving on the bed, but it was neither the woman on my left nor me.

It was the third person; another person was in bed with us.

"…"

I had no idea what was going on anymore. Why was I sleeping with not only one but two unknown people on the same bed? Even Kiyohime and Serenity never dared to lay on my bed without my permission; most of the time, they were content to just silently stare at me in my sleep, which wasn't any less worrying, but nowhere near as daring.

Then, the room lights were turned on, and I finally could hear a voice I recognized.

"Master? Are you awake?" It was Belfast, I could see the maid entering the room and walking towards us.

"I have never been this happy to see you, Belfast." I spoke quietly; and slowly sat on the bed, being careful not to wake up the two women at my sides. "Can you tell me what-?" I couldn't finish because my body suddenly froze.

The lights were on, so I could see who those women were.

To my left was Dido, who wore a light-blue pajama that seemed a bit too small on the chest area for her; in fact, it resembled one I owned. And to my right was Sirius, which in contrast to Dido, was completely naked under the bed's covers.

My heart rate suddenly accelerated. My mind thought about every single possible reason as to why those two were on my bed.

"Master? Is something wrong?" Belfast asked, disregarding entirely that I was on the bed with two of the royal maids.

"Belfast…" I brought two fingers to the bridge of my nose; I could feel myself developing a headache. "What happened yesterday…?"

"Yesterday? I don't remember anything noteworthy happening, Master." The maid said, calmly.

"But… what about the Admiral!? What about the Sirens!? We were fighting against them and…you were hurt, I saw it…." Imagines flashed on my mind. "Belfast, you had wounds all over your body, and the rest also were…!"

I didn't continue, because the maid suddenly put her arms around my body, and hugged me.

"I am fine, Master. Everyone is fine." She muttered as she rested her head on my shoulder. "Those days are long gone."

"Eh…?"

"You had a bad dream again." She continued, trying her best to reassure me. "It had been years since that time, Master. Everything is over now."

"No… what are you saying, Belfast?" I asked, confused. "It was just yesterday… we… we were…"

"Those memories, no matter how painful, belong to the past." She separated a bit to look at me in the eyes. "The war, the skirmishes, the fights; we no longer have to do that again. We are free."

"Free? What do you-?"

Without any warning, Belfast brought her lips against mine and kissed me. I was surprised at first, but I immediately reciprocated. Her lips were warm and inviting; their mesmerizing touch almost made me forgot about my worries, about my fears. It gave me tranquility that I had not felt in years.

No, I had actually felt like this before. It was not the first time we had kissed like this, we already did it before… but when? When did that happen?

After a couple of long seconds, our lips parted away, and she looked at me with a sad smile.

"I know it's difficult for you to forget about it. We lost so much…" She brought her hand to my cheek in a gentle caress. "But you are not alone in this, Master. You have us, and we will always be by your side because you are our Master, and we love you."

"…" I was speechless; I could hardly articulate a response.

She gave a light kiss on the forehead this time, and she finally put some distance between us.

"So try to cheer up, please." Belfast looked at the women at my sides. "They will get sad if they see you like this."

"…Yes, I… will try…" I said almost mechanically, trying not to meet her gaze, in part because I was confused and in part because I was embarrassed about what we just did.

She nodded.

"I am about to serve breakfast." She said, finally sounding a bit more cheerful. "Come whenever you feel ready; we'll be waiting." She said and walked away to leave the room.

After she left, I remained there, unsure of what to do.

"Could it be… am I still dreaming?" I asked myself, bringing my hand to my head.

After carefully leaving the bed where Sirius and Dido still remained asleep, I walked towards the living room. And there they were: Sheffield was in the kitchen preparing tea, Belfast was putting a couple of plates on the living room table, and Edinburgh sat in front of the television, playing a game in a console I didn't recognize nor remember owning.

It was a strange sight, having so many people in my tiny apartment at the same time.

"Hmm? So you finally woke up, pest." Sheffield greeted me in her own characteristic way.

Belfast gave me a smile alongside a slight nod and continued doing her chores.

"Ah! Master!" Edinburgh paused the game and turned towards me. "Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?" She asked but also gave me a knowing smile, like she was cracking a joke I couldn't understand.

I didn't answer immediately; all this attention the first time in the morning left me stunned. I was by no means accustomed to it.

"Ah… yes, good morning to you all." I quickly went to the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

"What is going on…? Why are they all acting as if nothing had happened…?" I was genuinely puzzled.

Like Belfast had said, they were completely fine; there weren't even marks left of the wounds they sustained in the battle against that Siren.

"She said that years had passed since then, but that doesn't make sense. How could I have lost years of memories all of a sudden? And if I did, why do I still remember everything before our battle with the Admiral?"

There was clearly something going on that I wasn't seeing, and the proof was just right in front of me in the mirror. I could see my reflection on it, and it was no different from yesterdays. If years indeed had passed, then there must have been some sighs of the passage of time. However, I still looked as if I was in my late twenties.

I opened the faucet and vigorously rubbed my face with cold water.

"If this is a dream, then I really want to wake up now." So I said to my reflection.

At that moment, I heard someone knocking on the bathroom door.

"Breakfast is ready, don't let it get cold by staying two hours in the bathroom, pest." That was clearly Sheffield on the other side of the door, her usual sardonic comments the same as always.

Same as always? Then perhaps…

I opened the door and took her by the hand. Surprisingly, she didn't resist one bit and let me drag her into the bath and close the door behind us.

"Aren't you too energetic in the morning, Master?" She asked, with her usual deadpan expression.

"Sheffield, please hear me out." I decided to put my faith in the serious maid. She was always direct and to the point; I knew she would openly tell me if something had happened. "I am a bit confused with this situation."

She tilted her head.

"What situation?"

"This situation! Me sleeping on the same bed as Dido and Sirius, Belfast kissing me all of a sudden, you three doing things around my apartment as if you lived here! I… I just don't understand what's going on. Can you please tell me what is exactly happening here?"

She looked at me seriously without saying anything for a couple of seconds until she released a sigh.

"Is this a new fetish of yours, Master?"

"Excuse me?"

"I am asking if this is some kind of play you are pulling here because, as far as I remember, we have been living here for years and you sleeping with some of us is a common occurrence." She approached me, and I was forced to step back until I hit the wall behind me. "So is this your idea of a sadistic play? Pretending to forget about your wives?"

"My what!?"

"I see, so this is how it is, huh." She brought her face close to mine; she was a bit shorter than me, so she had to stand on her tiptoes to do so. "Should I make you remember, then?"

And then she brought her lips against mine and kissed me with passion.

"…!"

I didn't have time to think. My arms moved on their own and hugged her firmly, not letting the smallest space between us as we kissed.

I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help but compare her kiss with the one from Belfast. While the head maid's lips were subtle and composed, Sheffield did her best to attack my mouth at every moment, her tongue rapidly entering inside and letting me taste her mouth and saliva. While Belfast had given me tranquility, Sheffield gave me a different feeling, a more passionate and wild one. The more we devoured each other, the more I desired to continue, to embrace her there at that moment.

However, I knew things would end up badly if I let us continue, so before I could lose my sanity, I gently pushed her back.

"You said…." I stuttered a bit. "You said breakfast was ready, right?

She looked at me with a reproachful gaze; her amber eye judged me for interrupting this intimate moment with such a minor reason but ultimately conceded.

"You are enjoying this way too much, right Master?" She gave me a peck on the lips. "We'll continue this later."

After that, she opened the door and left the room, and I remained there, processing what I had just seen.

The moment her lips touched mine, I started to remember things.

Sheffield and I… no, not just her, Belfast, Edinburgh, Dido, and Sirius… as we fought side by side during the war, I eventually fell in love with them, and we finally got married after the war ended. It was a beautiful ceremony, not fancy and with just a couple of people. Still, we were happy regardless because we loved each other.

We decided to move together and started saving money to buy a more spacious house, it had been years since then, peaceful years.

That's what my memories told me, but there were huge gaps on it as if they were incomplete. I couldn't remember anything about that "war", neither about what happened with the Sirens. If the war indeed ended, then how did we beat them exactly? I couldn't imagine forgetting something so important.

But the most glaring difference between my memories and my current state was another. One that I couldn't possibly ignore: I remembered my feelings towards the maids, loving them and being happy to be by their side… but as it was right now, I didn't feel those emotions.

I didn't feel any of that.

With no other choice, I went back to the living room to find Sheffield and Edinburgh already sat around the table, eating breakfast.

"Master, sit down, please." Belfast indicated as she moved a recently fried egg from the pan on her hands onto my plate. "We recently ran out of bacon, so please remind me to buy more when we go to the grocery store." She said as she passed by me to leave the pan in the kitchen.

"Yeah… sure…" I answered as I sat in my place at the table.

It was weird. When I woke up, I couldn't believe they were acting with so much familiarly, but now it felt just "right" as if they naturally fit there.

I observed the food on my plate, fried eggs accompanied with a couple of toast and seasoned with a pinch of paprika. It was a simple meal, really, one that I had prepared a thousand times before. However, it looked different than when I made them for some reason.

I cut a bit of the yolk, accompanied it with a piece of bread, and brought it to my mouth.

"…!" To my surprise, it even had a different taste than when I prepared it, richer and with a smoother texture; Belfast was clearly a better cook than I was by a long shot. "This is so good…" I cut another piece of bread and took another bite.

"Hehe," Edinburgh chuckled. "you talk as if it was the first time you had tasted my sister's cooking! Bel sure knows how to handle the kitchen." She happily praised Belfast.

"It is only natural for a maid to be able to do this much." Belfast gave a wry smile to her sister. "In fact, I wish your abilities were at least on par with this, Edinburgh."

"You are asking the impossible, Belfast." Sheffield commented while taking a sip of her cup of tea. "Master won't be the only one getting food poisoning this time if we let her cook our meals."

"It only happened one time!" The maid with the glasses protested. "And Master already forgave me for that! Right, Master?" She turned to me, expecting some kind of response.

To my surprise, I did remember what she was talking about, it was one time she tried to make curry, and the rice was so burned that it tasted like charcoal.

"I still fear for my life whenever I see you in the kitchen, Edinburgh." I said, smirking.

"Master!" She clung to my side as if asking for forgiveness while Belfast laughed, and even Sheffield released a quiet chuckle.

I too laughed; no matter how many years had passed, she was the same as always-

Years? Did years pass? Wasn't it just yesterday that we fought against the Admiral? Wasn't it just yesterday that we assaulted that base…?

"Ah!" I brought my hand to my head. It was starting to hurt again.

I did see my reflection in the mirror… I knew years couldn't have passed… Why would I suddenly think that…?

There was something wrong here… I… my memories were…

"Good morning." I heard someone yawning behind me. "Hmm? Are you already eating breakfast?"

"Wahhh, sorry I overslept!" Another voice, more worried, joined her. "Please don't abandon me for this, Master!"

"Sister, you have been happily married to our honorable Master for years. I think it safe to say that he would not do that at this point."

"But… but…"

"Ah, come one." I stood up and went to hug Dido. "You should know that I would never do that." I patted her head.

"Master…" She hugged me tightly as if she was afraid I would let her go.

"Flirting in the morning already? Didn't you do enough last night?" The severe maid asked with a tired tone.

"Is that jealously I detect in your voice, Sheffield?" Belfast rebutted her with a smile.

"Must be your imagination." She drank more of her tea.

I laughed again.

"Come on, let's eat breakfast." I said as we sit around the table. It was a bit small for six people, but it was just enough to give everyone some space. Also, I didn't dislike being these close to them; sharing the table like this made me feel that we genuinely had become a family.

A… a family…? When had I felt like that before? Did something like this happen before?

"Is something wrong, my honorable master?"

"No, I just feel that I forget about something, but I can't seem to recall it."

"It was probably nothing important, then."

Yes, that must be it. What could I have possibly forgotten? I had everything I ever wanted: A peaceful life with my beautiful companions. Now that the war was over, I could finally enjoy the rest of my years in peace. I couldn't ask for anything more.

As it was right now, I truly felt hap-

"Don't ever forget about it."

A voice, coming from nowhere, spoke directly to my mind.

Don't… forget? What was that I shouldn't forget? I had everything I wanted. What could possibly…?

"Remember what was given to you."

What was given… to me?

And then I saw it.

For some reason, the moment I heard that voice, my eyes naturally went to a specific place in my apartment, an empty space on the wall where I used to hang something... something important, but what it was?

"Ahh!" My head hurt again. It was as if my mind refused to remember; as if I instinctively knew that I would be happier if I forgot, as if those memories would continue to haunt me for the rest of my life.

But… I wanted to remember; no matter how painful those memories were, I wanted to remember.

"Remember what saved your life."

To remember the shield that saved my life and the girl I loved.

Mashu…

I can't forget about you, Mashu.

I don't want to forget about you, ever.

"What I am doing here…?" I looked around, feeling confused. Why was I sitting here eating breakfast as if nothing else mattered? Why did I feel as if everything was over? As if I had nothing else left to do? It's true that I desired a peaceful life, but not if that means deluding myself. That's not what I wanted.

"What's wrong, Master?" Belfast asked me, looking worried.

"Belfast…" These memories, my memories with the maids, were beautiful, but they didn't make any sense, and that's was the only truth. "Where is Lord Camelot?"

Suddenly, everyone stopped eating or talking and turned to me in surprise.

"Why are you suddenly asking about it, Master?" Belfast was equally confused.

"Because it is important to me... because it's a precious memento from an important person." I said, more serious this time. "I recall using it during our battle against the Admiral, but it's completely absent after that. Do you know where it is?"

"Master…." Belfast's voice sounded doubtful. "You stopped using that shield a long time ago."

"What…? That doesn't make any sense! Why would I discard Lord Camelot!?"

"If I may," Sirius spoke. "After you acquired the cube from the Sirens, you decided to stop using it, saying that you didn't need it anymore, my honorable Master."

"The cube… from the Sirens?"

And at that moment, everything came back to me.

I remembered clearly how Observer Alpha pushed the black cube against my chest and how it fused with my body; I remembered the burning pain I felt and the visions that assaulted my mind. Images about me commanding forces of ship girls and decimating entire cities.

My heart rated accelerated. I instinctively brought my hands to my chest and looked under my shirt. Still, I found no wounds or any sign that the black cube had entered inside me.

However, I knew it was still there. I could feel it.

"Hmm, are you feeling alright, Master? Do you feel sick?" Edinburgh put a hand on my forehead as if trying to check if I had a fever. "Should I call your work and tell them that you don't feel well?"

"Tell me." I took her hand away from me. "The war… the war we fought together and won… it wasn't against the Sirens… right?"

"No." Sheffield was the one to talk. "We joined the Sirens against the other shipgirl factions: The Sakura Empire, Eagle Union, and Northern Parliament." She looked at me with her dead stare. "You should know about that, Master, because it was your decision to join them."

No...

"Using the technology that the Sirens gave us, we found where each nation was researching their own wisdom cubes." Belfast continued. Her tone had a lingering sadness. "Then you led the assault against the other nations, and we destroyed them before they could create an army that could rival ours."

No… I would never… I would never do that…

"They were hard times; many innocent lives were lost." Belfast extended her hand to hold mine. "But it was necessary to build the peace that we enjoy today," She tightened her grip a little. "The peace that you always wanted, Master."

"Invading other countries in the name of peace…? Belfast, you are not like this… none of you are like this..." What she told me was ridiculous. I would have never accepted any of that, and neither would they.

Unless it was never me the one who took those decisions, but the thing inside my chest.

Unless I had become nothing more than a puppet of the Sirens.

"….!" I let go of Belfast's hand and stood up. "I think… I think I go out for some fresh air." I made up an excuse on the fly as I took the keys to my apartment and went towards the door.

"Master please wai-" Belfast tried to say, but I didn't fully hear her as I exited my apartment in a hurry.

As soon as I closed the door, I sprinted towards the stairs.

I finally understood: it wasn't that something was wrong with them; it was me the one who was wrong all along.

"That thing… the cube is still inside of me." I was bound to the Sirens as long as the cube was inside my body; I couldn't trust myself or my memories with that thing in me. Who knows what could be possibly doing to my body or to my mind.

I needed to find a way to take that thing out as soon as possible.

I stopped running once I was far enough from my apartment. After checking that none of the maids were following me, I sat against the wall of an alley, hidden from the view of most people.

"Ahh… Ahhh… Ah…" As my breathing calmed down, I looked at my chest. Then I closed my eyes and placed my right hand on it.

I activated a structural analysis spell, and in both my arm and my chest appeared glowing green lines. I immediately began to feel how everything inside my chest worked: I felt my heart beating, my lungs inhaling and exhaling air, and my blood flowing through my veins. However, I could also feel diminutive particles going around my body. These particles were composed of an unknown material, which couldn't be identified even with magecraft.

Those were parts of the cube, I was sure of it.

"Shit." I opened my eyes, and the spell disappeared. "They are everywhere, moving through my bloodstream through my entire body." I clenched my fist in anger. "How am I supposed to take it out if I can't even grasp it?"

Maybe if I replaced all my blood through transfusions… but who knows. It might even change shape again and move to my lungs instead, or to any other of my organs.

I hit the back of my head against the wall. I felt useless. I didn't even know if this was actually happening or just an illusion created by the cube. If I couldn't trust my memories, then what could I trust in? I felt prisoner of my own body, of my own mind.

What was real, and what wasn't?

As I asked myself that question, I felt something touching my foot. I first thought it was a stray cat or something and didn't even turn to look at it, but everything changed in just a moment.

"Fou!" The small animal cried.

No, it can't be…

I quickly moved my eyes and find that small and fluffy white critter resting one of its paws against my foot and looking at me with its violet eyes.

"Fou! You are here! You-!" I stopped myself from grabbing him and jumping with joy.

"Fou?" Fou looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"Are you… real?" I couldn't contain my doubts; it might as well be another of the Sirens to distract me. How could I know that I wasn't being deceived?

"Remember what was given to you."

"…!" But then the same voice spoke again. "Does that mean…?" I tried to extend my hand to touch Fou once again.

"Fou…" But the white animal moved to the side, not letting me touch it, as if it was disappointed in me. Then, it turned around and began running away.

"No! Wait!" I stood up to chase it.

But a sudden pain assaulted my head, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"Ahhhhhh!" The pain was unbearable, much worse than the previous times. It felt like someone was directly gripping my brain with tremendous force and squishing it. "Stop!" It was the cube; the damn cube was messing with my brain again. "I won't forget about her! No matter what you do to me, I would never forget Mashu!"

And then, it suddenly stopped.

"….!" Surprised, I opened my eyes, only to see that I was no longer in the alley.

For some reason, I was back on the bed, as if I was suddenly teleported there. However, it was not the bed of my apartment this time.

I was in an almost entirely white room, except for a decorative plant on the wall opposite the bed. I never took it out because it was the only bit of personality I could add in an otherwise dull room. Aside from that, there was a nightstand next to the bed, a screen to facilitate communication at any time, and a shower cubicle in the corner.

The room was far from luxurious, and it could honestly use some space. Still, I had grown to love it with time because whenever I came back exhausted from a difficult mission, it was always there, ready to accept me as I collapsed in the bed.

But after everything that happened, I had accepted that I would never be back there.

But here I was, in my room of Chaldea.

"I wonder what you are seeing right now." Observer said to the unconscious man in front of her. "Is it a pleasant dream or a hellish nightmare?" She asked even though she knew the man wouldn't be able to answer, as he was sunk in a deep sleep, one that wouldn't end until the cube finished its task of turning him into one of them.

Fujimaru Ritsuka would soon cease to exist, and another being would be born.

"I am sure you'll be a fine agent," She caressed his face. "One that will push human evolution even further." She grabbed the man and took him in her arms. "Now, let's get rid of that frail human body, shall we?"

She was decided to return to their base, where the necessary machinery needed to finish the transformation was stored. However, she couldn't take one step forward before the air in the room started to darken, as a strange mist began to form around her.

"Mist in an enclosed underground space?" Rather than being surprised, Observer just found the idea funny. "Did you perhaps forget something, Purifier?

The strange phenomenon quickly focused on one point of the room like a small twister. Then, the mist acquired a thicker presence until a person came out of it and disappeared.

"Doing things behind my back, huh, Alpha? You were always such a scheming little Siren." The Siren Purifier said as she walked toward Observer. "That's what I like about you." She smiled.

"And you are always doing whatever you desire." Observer nodded. "You would be a specimen worth of observation if you weren't one of us, my dear Purifier."

Purifier laughed hard.

"What can I say? Being basically immortal does get a bit old after the first five hundred thousand years. After that, one starts to appreciate the little things, like that human you have on you there."

"He was truly quite an interesting human, a "magus" on top of it." A devilish smile appeared on her face. "We'll gather a lot of data once he becomes one of us; he may even become a new species altogether."

"True. A shame that I won't let that happen."

Silence.

Neither Siren said anything for a while and just stared at each other, both maintaining far too happy smiles on their faces.

"How curious. I thought you wanted him on our side."

"Hahahahahaha! What an amusing thought, Alpha! Are you really trying to analyze me as one of your pawns?" Purifier's eyes began to glow. "Did you truly think I would be satisfied with you turning my friend into your puppet? Extinguishing the only source of entertainment I had after so many centuries?"

"I see. You'd rather preserve him as a human." Observer thought about it for a second. "An interesting path, but unfortunately, the cube has already started to modify his biology. It can't be stopped now."

"Don't worry, I will handle the difficult part for you." Purifier patted the shoulder of Observer in a friendly way "I just need to take the cube out, and everything will return to normal, right?"

"Of course, but you know that might kill him in the process."

"I am willing to take the risk." Purifier smiled, but her hand started to grip Observer's shoulder with force.

Observer stared at her in silence for some time.

"I do wonder if your obsession with the concept of entertainment is the reason you keep betraying us first." She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Maybe." Purifier smiled.

Then she quickly took Observer's head with both hands and turned it around, breaking her neck. But not content with that, she put even more force into her grip and tore her head off her body in a gruesome festival of blood. The headless body of the Siren fell unceremoniously on the floor, alongside the sleeping body of Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"But I also really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really want to kill you, ALPHAAAAAA!"

She threw the head as if it was a ball against the nearest wall and kicked the body far from her.

"Is that so?" The severed head of Alpha sighed once she fell on the floor. "Your antics are certainly special; it gives some individuality to a mere disposable body." First, her body appeared beside her head in a black mist cloud, and then from the severed neck came a series of black cables that connected the head back to her body. "It's truly a shame that you are one of us."

"Oh no no no no no. It's these moments what I live for." Purifier moved in front of the sleeping body of Fujimaru. "The adrenaline of knowing I am about to face you one more time! I can't get enough of it, Alpha! I can't wait to crush your heart with my very own hands!"

Observer chuckled as her head finally finishing connecting to the rest of her body in a rather crude way.

"You are like a human kid." She cracked her neck. "Zero is going to be mad that one of the high-ranking Sirens leaves the simulation this early." Her eyes opened like plates and began to glow with a golden light. "But how can I deny you when you are so excited!?"

From behind her, an enormous black and golden octopus appeared, on which she sat like it was a couch.

"That's the spirit!" Purifier extended her hand and her shark appeared by her side. "Let's have some fun together, Alpha!"

The pain in her arm, or rather the lack of it, was unbearable. Whatever was inhibiting her sense of pain before had disappeared the moment she recovered her memories, and now she had to suffer the agony of her nerves trying to reach an extremity that was no longer there.

But that wasn't what hurt Formidable the most, no. Instead, it was the look of distrust in Warspite's face; it was the bloody bodies of her companions, her friends, lying on the floor. That hellish scenario was her fault, and that was a much crippling pain than having lost an arm.

"Warspite…" She muttered, but the knight only answered, tightening the grip on the sword she was pointing at her. It was no use trying to apologize, and she didn't think she deserved forgiveness anyway. However, there was one thing she did want with her entire being. "We have to save them, Warspite."

"You speak like her." Warspite didn't flinch. "But are you truly the Formidable I knew, or are you still a puppet of the Sirens?"

"…" Formidable looked at herself; she was beyond pale, her previously ashen locks were a distasteful tone of white, and even if she couldn't directly see it, she knew her eyes had acquired a golden color. She had the appearance of their enemy, the Sirens. "I may look like this, but I swear my mind and soul are of Formidable of the Royal Navy, member of the illustrious-class carriers and vassal of her majesty."

"I wish I could believe you." A hurtful expression appeared on the knight's face.

"Please, Warspite, we can't lose any more time!" Formidable shouted desperately. "The wounds on Sirius and Dido look especially severe. We have to do something before it's too late!"

Warspite didn't move; her mind was full of doubts. She knew that what Formidable said was the truth, they had to treat everyone's wounds as soon as possible, but she couldn't help but think that all of that could be a trap.

Upon seeing that, Formidable lowered her head.

"I understand." Formidable's voice couldn't hide a tone of sadness. "I would feel the same if I were in your position. I genuinely want to help the Queen and the others, but if my presence stops you from doing so, then I have no choice but to leave." She turned around. "I am so sorry for all this, Warspite."

"…" The knight saw how Formidable walked away, leaving her back completely exposed to any attacks. Was that really a trap? Would the Sirens really go so far when she could have attacked her by now? Could it be that she was truly Formidable? "Formi-" Warspite began but was interrupted as the lights of the room suddenly began to flicker.

The knight looked up and saw that the light bulbs weren't working well. It wasn't just one, but every light bulb in the room that constantly changed between being on and off, and in strange synchronicity.

Until they finally turned off, leaving the room in the dark.

"…!" Warspite quickly stepped back to be closer to her Queen, who was still unconscious on the floor. She didn't know why, but at that moment, she felt a sudden inexplicable anxiety, as if something was there in the darkness. She had never felt like that before. She was a knight; after all, it was unthinkable of her to be afraid of something as mundane as the dark.

But something was different that time. The fear she felt was something more primal as if her instincts were telling her that an invisible enemy was looking at them, waiting for the moment to strike.

It was nothing more than mere minutes, but for Warspite, it felt like hours until the lights finally came back. And the first thing she saw was Formidable, looking at her with a couple of her drones by her sides and pointing their cannons towards her.

Was she right all after all? Was all that talk just a trap?

"Run." However, what Formidable said left her perplexed.

"What?"

"Take Her Majesty and run!" Formidable shouted as the drones began to fire not at her, but at something behind her.

"…!?" The knight quickly turned around, and for a split second, she saw a pale woman clad in pure white clothes, observing them with a sole dark blue eye, before the light turned off again, leaving the room in the oppressing dark one more time.

For a few seconds, the only thing that could be heard in the darkness were the canons of Formidable's drones firing continuously and their bullets obliterating whatever they came in contact with.

But when the lights came back, the mysterious woman was nowhere to be found.

"I know you can't trust me." Formidable quickly approached the knight. "But you have to believe me, if you don't leave now with her Majesty, then all of us are going to die." There was fear in Formidable's voice, she was absolutely terrified.

"That thing… was a Siren?"

"I don't know what she is." Formidable added. "But I feel it deep inside me; she is not an enemy we can defeat."

The lights turned off and on for a second, and the Siren appeared on the opposite side of the room as if she had teleported.

"Denomination: Observer Zero." The woman spoke in a tone that didn't show any emotion other than disinterest. "Terminal dispatched to supervise the simulation in the timeline gamma-five-six-one-seven-one."

"I'll cover you, so go!" Formidable declared as she made more drones appear and prepared to face Zero.

But Warspite didn't move, because she had noticed something.

"Formi… she isn't looking at me at all." Warspite instinctively raised her sword. "Her eyes… they are dead set on you."

"What…!?" Just then Formidable noticed, it was as the knight said, the gaze of Observer Zero only looked at her as if Warspite didn't exist.

"Unauthorized experiment, number four-seven-eight-eight-five-four must cease operation at once." Zero continued talking, not caring at all about their conversation. "Reason for termination: the core of the unauthorized experiment cannot fall on the hands of the test subject at this point of the simulation. Failing to comply will result in the core being forcefully removed." Her eyes began to shine blue, and for the first time, she looked at Warspite. "Pawn interference is not recommended, as it may result in a long and painful death."

"This is not real." I repeated that in my mind over and over again.

The bed I was sitting on wasn't real.

The decorative plant to my side wasn't real.

The shower cubicle wasn't real.

The room wasn't real.

None of what I was seeing, hearing, smelling or touching was real. Everything was an elaborated illusion created by the Sirens. I couldn't know for sure, but I might have been in some kind of induced sleep, where they could control everything I felt with any of my five senses.

"I need to find a way to wake up, and destroy that cube inside my body." I repeated that for myself because I knew what was to come now. They had reproduced every centimeter of my old room in Chaldea, even the specks of dust under the bed were exactly as I remembered; it was safe to say that they had full access to my memories.

It was just a matter of time until they tried to use that, and I had to be mentally prepared to see it. So my only objective was to find a way to escape the illusion. Anything else would be a distraction, a ploy of the Sirens.

I released a deep breath and finally stood up.

"Let's go."

I walked towards the door and opened it, a familiar corridor awaited me on the other side; the one I had walked every morning to come and go from my room. I could remember how to reach every facility in Chaldea, but this was not my Chaldea, I doubted just crossing the exit gate would be enough to get me out of here.

Just how could I escape this illusion?

While I was thinking about that, I heard footsteps quickly approaching me from behind. I tried to distance myself from them, walking in the opposite direction, but it was in vain, because I heard her voice.

"Good morning, Senpai."

A voice I hadn't heard in a long time, one I would have given anything and everything I had just to hear again. It was sad that after so many years, hearing it only hurt me this much.

I tried my best to ignore it, and continued walking; any place was fine as long as she wasn't there.

However, she followed me.

"Senpai? Where are you going in such a hurry?"

I didn't say anything and sped up my pace. However, she grabbed me by the hand.

"Senpai, is something wrong?" She asked, maybe wondering why I wasn't answering. "You haven't said anything yet. If something is bothering you, then I will do my best to-"

"Shut up!" I shouted. "Don't act as if you truly were her! You are not-!"

And then I made a mistake: I turned around my head to see her.

Maybe I thought I could bear it, that knowing that she was not real would be enough to dismiss her as fake.

Or perhaps did I do it on purpose. Perhaps my desire to see her again was so strong that I subconsciously wanted to see her again even knowing that she wasn't real.

Whatever the case, it was a mistake, because I felt my world being completely shaken when I laid my eyes on her.

"Mashu…" I muttered as I looked at her, an exact duplicate of the woman I loved, Mashu Kyrielight, looking at me with an innocent and worried expression.

END OF CHAPTER 18

AN: I wanted to end the arc in this chapter, but that would have taken me a lot more time, so I decided to end the chapter here. Arc 2 is surely going to end next chapter.

Discord where we talk about dumb things: discord. gg / kvRCbruzaT (erase the spaces, obviously)

And that's it for now, see you in the next chapter

AN2: We have a new member on the team. Welcome Lower Black, our new spellchecker. Hopefully, with his addition, the chapter won't be as riddled with mistakes as before.