Author's Note:
If you enjoyed the chapter, why not write a review and leave a follow? *wink*, *wink*, *nudge2x* I also take requests for ships, or pairs, or whatever wacky idea you scrubs might want to see being written. That is, if I find it interesting of course:). Anyways! Enjoy the chapter! :)
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「いつか、あなたを見つけます」
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~-~-~-~-~F̴̛͙̌̀͑̔͐̈́͝͠͝ã̶̦̈́̑̈ṯ̵͙͔̖̲̣̘̪͎̻̩͛̓̑̉̊͒̍̆̚͘̕͝ͅe̶̛̺̞͎̗̘͐̆̈́̈̋͌̅͋̊͠~-~-~-~-~
It's such a strange thing is it not?
How can something be so beautiful, yet be all too cruel at the same time? Such a fine line that treads in both destiny and dreams, yet could also be a thread that connects so many people across the known galaxy... From tales, to stories, to legends, and to unfulfilled wishes. This miracle that we call as fate is so unforgiving, yet why do we constantly pray for it?
When all of us know that not even lady luck could save us from it's inevitable wrath.
Be it love, revenge, hatred, or kindness... It could even be something as simple like a promise under the moonlight, or an unrequited battle between star-crossed rivals.
Be it a bubbling feeling of happiness. The indescribable bliss from joy. That tormented feeling of pain. That twisted throbbing of despair. That excruciating pressure that's left behind by regret and betrayal, or the lonely bitterness that stems from both dreams and promises. It could even be as trivial as mere human desire...
Fate is the red string that connects all of these things together and envelops them in a sickeningly warm cycle. Countless people have tried to chase this sought out miracle, yet they failed to truly take hold of it all the same. It's like an unreachable mirage, you constantly try to grasp it with you're own two hands- Only for it to disappear into a burst of unfulfilled light.
...This cynicism may have been unwarranted, but it's still super interesting isn't it?
To think, that somewhere out there- Two people, two souls might have met and fallen in love with each other at a certain point in time, only for them to reincarnate and meet again through a different world entirely and suddenly become sworn enemies.
The thought of it is truly, truly frightening.
Hell, not even the Kaleidoscope could measure the amount of infinite possibilities that fate has to offer. If we as unbeknownst souls even tried to take a peek through that insurmountable telescope, all that we would ever see are limitless reflections that shine like shattered fragments of glass.
And you wanna know something scarier?
It's the fact that this thing called "Fate" is always watching us. Our every movement, our every breath, and every beating feeling that throbs down in our hearts.
Isn't that creepy? We didn't even give the damn thing our consent!... And yet it somehow, in some way shape or form, be it through a different timeline entirely-
It always manages to pull and attract the most interesting of people together like an intangible gravity, as if it was an all knowing quill that constantly tried to make a story out of everyone else's lives, and just the mere thought of it is enough to put anyone into a never-ending cycle of questions and what-ifs.
It's quite the sickening irony ain't it?
Hmm, if only there was a single word to describe that wicked feeling? If only there was a word that best described how unimaginably cruel fate can be...
Ah yes, bittersweet.
Honestly~ Fate is super, super bittersweet, to the point that it might as well be synonymous to it... And I truly do wonder, if we would ever find an answer to it all?
About what fate truly is?
Probably not. I even bet that even Akasha itself would have a hard time describing it, and that's saying something. Whelp, there's no use dilly-dallying and getting excited over a question that couldn't even be solved in the first place, but I really just couldn't help it.
I just get really enthusiastic when something scratches my noggin's unending curiosity!
...Such is the fate for it's incarnate I suppose, Haha- See what I did there~? No pun intended!
Alright, no need to look at me like that.
Just this once, forgive this old woman's ramblings would you? It's been quite a while since I had a visitor after all...
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_{Chaldea}_
An organization that was built and formed to accomplish a single goal. To preserve humanity, and to protect it's people. A place that was made to preserve human life itself, to enact upon the sole purpose of fulfilling-
「未来を守るために」
"⸻The Grand Order."
「未来があることを確かにするために」
Chaldea has gone through a lot of trials and tribulations during this ever fleeting mission, fought enemies that would be unbelievable to even describe, and made ever lasting friends along that long and arduous journey... It wasn't all rainbows and sunshine looking back at it now, the road was a bittersweet one to put simply. The amount of heartfelt goodbyes, the unjust farewells, and the lingering regrets that were left behind by its owner's trail...
Sometimes I wonder, what did that journey prove in the end?
Was all of that pain worth it?
Did any of their sacrifices truly matter?
The answer should be quite simple... shouldn't it?
w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́
w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́ w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́
w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́w̴͍̦̏̌̕͝͠ä̸̫̺͓̑͌̃̈͒s̵̢̢̨̡̤͚̟̗͓̚̕̕̚ ̶̢̭͖̭̼̮̝̲͚̃́͋̂̑̚͠i̴̯̼̹̜̊͑͑̐̑̂̒̕̚t̸̬̱̝͍̳̩̿͑̄̉̑͐̀̽̕?̴̳͉̮̼̂w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́
w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́ w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́
w̶̘͝a̴̰͈̟̟̜̽̌͊́̑̽͒͆s̷͓̤̩͇̙̈́̍̔̾͝ͅ ̴̙͈͚͇̩̊̇̑́͒ͅí̵̧͎̳͖͆͛͐̎̀͂͘ͅt̸̻̞̑̐́͘͝?̸̗̤̮̩͂́
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-{ÿ̴̧͈̬͈͖̹̘́̇̀̍̀̇e̸̝̺̖̹̣͊͑̉̚͘s̸̪̆͊̋̐̓̓̍̓͘ ̷̡̣̾̀͘i̸̥̻͕̠̥͈̟͎͛̽̓͐̋̅͘t̵͔̦̤̰͇̃̔̀͆̃͂̐̎͝ ̵̨̭̹̠́ͅͅw̸̧̹̣̺̯̣̟͎͗́̓̈́̋̕ą̸̳̝͂̈͒̌̅̚͝s̶̹̦̗̱͍̮͍͌͆̃̽̍̕}-
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~Chaldea~
It's roughly around the middle of the 21st century, about 2026 if we were to utilize the newly restored calendar
This is a place where people of old and new can come together, people that came from different times and places, people with different names all together.
...People from the past, the present, the near future, and what lied beyond it...
Be it a peerless Warrior, An infamous King , A whispering Legend, or a Wrought Iron Hero...
People from different worlds and dimensions have all seemingly came together here to fight for the same cause, for the salvation of Humanity.
But that agenda had already long served it's purpose, no?
...This time, this place had a new mission-
~"To preserve Humanity"~
To everyone,
This place was a bastion of hope, a second life to many, and a place that could always be called home...
Within those bleak walls were warm arms that always welcomed everyone under it's kind tutelage.
Yet, before any of this ever happened, before it all came to be... Chaldea had to go through so many things together just to arrive at the conclusion that it was at now. Now calling it as just an "organization" would be quite the injustice wouldn't it~?
No, this place was more than that...
...
...Because after all, Chaldea-
~Is one big family.~
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"On an eve of unbeknown beginnings, destiny struck us like a fate filled moonlight."
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A single snowflake began falling from the night-sky like a chilled touch from the stars themselves, while a warm bliss swept the entire world with a homely embrace. Dolts of golden light rose from the ground like tiny sparkles of honey, as the animated voices of every single resident in the city encompassed the atmosphere like a nostalgic and vibrant melody.
On this eve of whimsical beginnings, the moon shone from up above like an unfulfilled end to a journey, as if an untimely requiem had just circled the entire globe in the span of a year. Wondrous laughter began making waves like still water, from the countless servants that inhabited the ever so lively City of Chaldea's ever growing population, and to the busy buzzes of every establishment who was celebrating the nightly hour in their own little and big ways.
...And even though it was already Midnight's time to sing, practically every citizen was still up and about with no signs of them ever resting in their own abodes. In fact, their countless smiles were filled to the brim with so much joy that it was almost as if they were scattered lanterns that illuminated the fluffy night sky.
Festival lights were hung up everywhere like a rainbow-filled gala, while the city streets donned a candy filled color that refused to ever get outshined by the nightly starlight. A cold soulful breeze swept everyone's side, as if winter itself was tapping their shoulders in order to whisper hello. An unending parade of fireworks boomed from across the dark heavens, lighting everything up like a beautifully scorched candle. The stars only seemed to wiggle and twinkle in delight, while a gorgeous aurora veil lovingly smiled from up above the ever shining City, as if the cosmos themselves were dancing along with the earth's hearty mood.
It had been approximately ten full years.
An entire decade had just seemingly passed by in a blink of an eye, and neither Chaldea nor it's residents wanted to accept that somber fact. That they have come this far in the span of a hare's lifetime, that they had achieved so much ever since that fateful day in that dim hallway.
Through all of their journeys, through all of their farewells and goodbyes, and to every single one of them who fought for a better future. This, this was their happily ever after... And of course, nearly everyone in Chaldea were rejoicing in that well-deserved privilege, not just as a community-
But as one big family.
Although...
One particular building stood out from the joyous rest. It's secluded walls peered over the entire civilization like a reliable fortress, like a bastion of hope that overlooked the everything with an astute gaze. The place was shrouded from the outside by night's dark lark, away from the glimmering celebrations and festive mood of this oh so fateful day.
Why, why did this one building stand apart from the rest in complete isolation? And why was there such a moonless air that surrounded it, even though the stars from up above were doing nothing else but shine in warm delight?
Indeed, why was the Main Chaldeas Building, -the very same place where it all fell and began anew-, avoiding the joys of tonight? Especially when it was Chaldea's tenth anniversary as a global Organization since it's birth?
The answer was quite simple really, it was because unbeknownst to everyone else in all of Chaldea-
Inside of that seemingly lonely building, a twilight filled miracle was already being born like an inconceivable destiny.
Within a lone room amidst those bleak walls was a light that was as dim as golden dusk, while the atmosphere around everyone else was so thick that even mist could've been mistaken as clouds. Practically every staff member in Chaldea were currently present in the Main Control Room, and all of their faces trembled with an unending trepidation, as if their feet had been hammered shut towards the quaking ground. Then again, who could blame them? Who could ever question their excitement in this very moment?
Absolutely no one, considering that they were about to make a big breakthrough after all! This day of all days would go down in history as one of, and if not-, Humanity's greatest achievement! ! !
Through the help of Odin's Knowledge about the insurmountable moonlit world, along with the aid of Romani's authority as the newly reborn King of Mages. They were able to take control, or rather, harness the Throne of heroes' true potential by making a route point between the root itself, and toward the unending worlds that lied beyond the vast cosmos. Essentially, they were able to create a certain gateway- A portal if you will, towards the infinite space of Akasha.
Just the mere thought of it was crazy enough to even make Zeltretch question their sanity.
And who could ever blame the poor old man?
To put it in layman's terms, what they were actually doing was tampering with the world itself and all of it's known records. To every unheard legend, to every untold tale, to every known person that had ever walked in the milky-way's vast universe, and to every piece of living matter that had ever existed in this space called reality. Be it as big as a black-hole, or as miniscule as a tiny star-
Chaldea was finally able to gather and look into it all through one single waypoint.
But how did this all came to be? How in inexplicable tarnation did they manage to achieve such a mind-boggling and grand feat? One word-
Theory-Crafting.
Thanks to Chaldea's recently formed research institute and everyone else's joint efforts, along with the civilization's unimaginably advance technology, and not to mention Ritsuka's desperate pleas towards both Alaya and Gaia to allow this project to continue-
With the Animuspheres leading at the forefront of it all, along with the "supportive" aid of none other than the Master of the Kaleidoscope himself, Zeltretch. Not to mention the countless people who made it all possible thanks to their knowledge and power. They were able to conjure up a universal thesis that coincided with all of Science and Magic, it was such a wild speculation that could leave any Magus or Sentient Deity stumped for who knows how long... And thanks to everyone's constant support, along with the help of the tireless researchers and observers that worked on this world-breaking hypothesis day in and day out. After countless experiments that ended up in a dud, or worse, in a teeny-tiny explosion as Da-Vinci would often call it. After a lot of sleepless nights and caffeine inducing sacrifices...
Inevitably, as if every scientist in existence had yelled a resounding "Eureka!", They were finally able to create it-
"The World Theory."
And ain't it funny what humanity could accomplish if they all just worked together and stopped butting heads?
You could call all of them crazy, and in fact-, Chaldea as a whole wouldn't even blame anyone but themselves if you didn't believe in them. That was how unspeakably psychotic this little project of theirs was... And in retrospect, what they did may not have been the wisest of ideas- Hell, this little theory of theirs was already on the borderline of insanity.
Yet, unending curiosity had always been associated with being deranged, Chaldea digressed to it so.
Why did they choose to ignore the repercussions of there actions? Why was, -in a literal and figurative sense-, all of humanity working together on such a grand scale idea while fully knowing the consequences if they had failed? Why was everyone in Chaldea so on board with such a mad and irrational solution? For better or for worse, why did the guardians of both humanity and the earth agree to such a reality-shattering project? Why did they even agree, much more give their consent to their Master in the first place?
Why were divine and astral beings looking forward to such an idea? Why did every imaginable heroic spirit in Chaldea agree to such an arduous task, and even more, trust in their Master's will?
What was Chaldea's end goal here?
What was their leader, Ritsuka, really thinking in his head when he agreed to the creation of such an incredibly inconceivable plan?
So many unanswered questions, yet the answer to it all was actually quite simple.
To Ritsuka, if there was even the slightest chance that other worlds, that other people just like him were there from beyond the cosmos. If there was even the smallest of possibilities that he could ever help a bunch of strayed and unrequited souls, if there was even a spec of an odd that somewhere out there laid a lot of lost people that don't even know what do with themselves...
If there was ever a chance that he could offer them his help, if there was ever a chance that he could offer them a place, -A home-, where they could belong.
Then Ritsuka would take that chance in a heartbeat.
That was just the kind of person that he was, and everyone else in Chaldea knew that there was no helping it. Kindness of all things, may be the death of him one day, but that was the very thing in his core, and in his heart, that made him an undoubtedly strong person.
And now here he strongly stood, along with his ever present partner- His aid, his fiancé, his kohai, and his everything, his Mashu.
The shielder's long and bubblegum like hair wafted throughout the space as if it were wavy starlight, while her glossy lips began to part like a pair of ripe cherries. Mashu's face was a mask of uncertainty and doubt, yet, when the she spoke- Her doll-like features seemingly began to shine with a radiant tint of bright pink.
"Senpai... all the System Programs are now up and running.. Should we begin?"
And now, here the two of them were- Staring off into what was the distant future along with the countless souls and heroic spirits that were looking on from behind their back like a unified choir, like an unfulfilled symphony. The leader of Chaldea stood in front of them all with his blazing diamond gaze, a gaze so fierce that his irises could've been mistakes as blue flames. While the rest of his friends, that were more so his family, only watched on from behind them with unrestrained grins of their own.
"Yeah, it's now or never."
The true Master of Chaldea looked back at everyone for one final time, before giving a single nod to the operators who were in charge of this grand task... And with a resolute look that promised no hesitation-
Fujimaru Ritsuka then gazed fierily at the very thing that started it all, the very machine that had acted as a catalyst for all of Chaldea's hopes and dreams for all these passing years, and the very altar that not only inspired a new era of Humanity, but also defied his beginnings as a Master.
That very "thing" being Chaldea's one and only Summoning Altar.
"Let's begin then... let's start the process shall we?"
That's right, here in this same platform where legends of old and new stood, and the very place that brought oh so many people together with it's bright and brilliant blue glow. This very portal would now also act as their gateway, as their waypoint to even further heights... And in a poetic sense, this very altar that acted as a coalescent catalyst for both hopes and dreams would now also be the pylon for unfulfilled wishes.
"As Chaldea's acting leader, I now declare-"
This Summoning Altar that had done a lot of things for them, it now had one more job to do- It not only had to bridge souls from both the past to the future, it also now had to be the arch that bonded the moonlit world and what lied beyond it.
"Project: {MEMORIAL_ESSENCE_SYSTEM} to officially begin! ! !"
"未知へ！ ！ ！"
And as if the Summoning Altar had sung it's umpteenth requiem, as if it was whistling in such a sweet and nostalgic tune-
"Romani! Fire!"
"Aye, aye!~"
After a certain brunette's shot-call from up above the room's Main-Control Panel-
That very same astralized platform then lit up with it's all too familiar blue glow, while zodiac like markings began imprinting themselves inside the very space that the altar had projected. An infinite number of rings then began to manifest from within it's chambers, as if they were spatial pillars that lead to the heavens and the cosmos themselves... Until inevitably-
"Odin!, Shiva!, Zeus!, Andiamo! ! Activate the lay-lines por favore~! ! !"
"Mhm~!"
Those very same halos' of light then suddenly began to burst like a twilight filled sun. The radiant light was so unparalleled that it even encompassed the entire building with it's sheer blinding glow, and if not for the otherworldly bounded fields that were layered together as they were set up earlier-
Then the entire planet could have been overtook by the altar's inferable glow, that was the kind of gravity that their situation was in. Neither Chaldea nor it's people could afford to make a single mistake, not when everyone had their own weights to pull that's for sure.
"Alright Zeltretch and company! Do you're thing!"
"We all have names you know?!"
And speaking of team-effort, nearly every Magician and Alchemist that was in the near vicinity then began to chant in a strange and odd art, a spell so complex that it was almost as if different tongues and incantations were merging together into one unified recipe. Unspeakable elements and unworldly glyphs began manifesting themselves throughout the entire space around everyone, it was like as if a delicate string of carefully picked melodies were lulling the Altar to sleep even. Almost as if the concept of Magic itself was being compressed into one, into a single chant that only had the sole purpose of restraining.
True Magic? Black-Magic? Magecraft? Witchcraft? Runecraft? Astral-Craft? None of those labels mattered during this fleeting point in time, none of those empty concepts mattered in this very moment-
"Don't mind the Inventor, everyone concentrate! Especially you Arcuied! ! !"
"Yeah, Yeah... quite nagging me Aoko."
Because as if those strange and unheard characters were finally taking form into a realized shape, into a realized conclusion- That very mythical and universal spell began to whimsically attach itself like impenetrable and coalescent archons, onto the cascading pillars that were threatening to erupt from the Summoning Altar's blinding chamber. The sight was so unimaginable even that it made a certain vampiric Observer in the room rub his eyes from how utterly absurd their situation was in right now.
Never in a million years did Zeltretch expect to see such a breathtakingly beautiful Spell, it was almost like an entire choir was singing in a magical tune.
"Fallo! ! !"
Nevertheless, even with everyone's best attempts at controlling that inferable energy, a single pillar of blinding light still erupted from the astralized altar. The streak of energy broke through the roof like a cosmic force that was trembling in blazing excitement, it even managed to surpass earth's atmosphere, and eventually even the fabric of space-time itself.
And they may have not been able to restrain it to it's upmost limit, but this much was more than enough... And oddly enough, this sort of result was the best kind of outcome that they could have possibly hoped for. At the very least, they wanted to concentrate that energy into a single "manageable" burst of power, so as to not overpower the system that they had spent years building. In fact, it was even a miracle that the Altar was still holding up from the sheer amount of pressure that the beam of light was constantly emitting, not to mention it's overpowering magnitude.
It was so unbelievable that not even the laws of the universe could cage that energy's destructive passion... And not only did it no longer apply, but it was also rending absolutely everything against it's course like a shooting star that had just grown a pair of limitless fairy wings.
The unsuspecting earth and all of it's unbeknownst creatures could do nothing else but gaze in wonder at the majestic sight that they were seeing. Time seemed to move like a shattered mirror, while the laws of reality itself could do nothing more but bow down to that light's exalted grace. The sight truly felt as if the sun had overtaken everything like a beautiful super-nova.
Still, even Icarus had to be brought down to earth.
They weren't just going to sit there and let that omniscient power run rampant, now were they? Of course not, after everything that they managed to accomplish, and after all the hard-work that they put in- The last thing that they wanted was too see their efforts bear no fruit.
"Sion, Rami! put you're butts to it! ! And up the ante will ya~!"
"This is the last time we're appointing Da-Vinci as a project director-"
An unholy amount of spectral sparks began bursting and flaring into life from the Main CHALDEAS System, that was the quantum overseer of everything that resided in the realm of the "unknown". Both the processing systems of SHEBA and LAPLACE, along with the intelligence core of TRISMEGISTUS-V, was now starting to merge into a single floating entity, into the unified program that was now known as-
~{_"F.A.T.E."_}~
"To serve, and protect"
奉仕し、守るために
⸻What was once a holographic reflection of the planet, had now formed into an entirely different astral projection- It was a beautiful mirage of countless spatial nebulas and cosmic rifts, as if the vast universe was idly dancing at the palm of their hands.
And as if something completely unimaginable was about to start, like a breathtaking beginning that was filled to the brim with magical bliss. A parade of sweet and mythical Iotas began rising from the Summoning Altar like bubbles of cherry and ivory. All of them began to flicker with an otherworldly glow, and if one were to describe their immense beauty-
It was almost as if starlight itself had crash landed onto earth, and it scattered like glimmering pixie-dust.
The entire spectacle was nothing short of enchanting, but it was by all means, far from over... And as a matter of fact, this extraordinary sight was only the beginning-
"Alaya! Gaia! Is this the best you can do?~ Come on! put you're backs to it! ! !"
"I swear I'm gonna kill her one day for overworking us Gaia-"
"C-Calm down sister... Ritsuka wouldn't want that"
Because just as that alien-like energy began rising from the ground- It suddenly began condensing as it gave birth to an unknown portal, almost like a crack of fragile glass, from up above the Altar's touch. One might even mistake the sight as something that came straight out of a fairy-tale, and in all honesty the author of it all wouldn't even blame you. The spatial entryway began to contort violently, as it started to glitch in and out of reality like a destabilized quantum rift.
And it was only thanks to the Avatars of both Humanity and Earth, both of which were currently in their reserved forms inside the FATE system, that the occult egress had been kept barely together from the threat of it disappearing into who knows where.
That dimensional door however, wasn't going to stay aimless forever. Because in what seemed like a blink of an eye, the rampaging worm-hole began to surge with an influx of spatial power. Markings of both light and darkness began to steadily converge within the confines of the astralized platform, like if they were just simple Nordic spells that were being embedded into plain runes.
Although, this sudden incursion of energy was anything but ordinary, because as if an Imaginary space was finally beginning to realize itself-
That aimless rift was suddenly brought down to reality. As if the ticking of a peculiar pendulum had finally sung it's tune, as if the gears of fate itself were finally moving into one single direction. The galactical entryway then began to combine with the Summoning Altar itself, like a pair of grand forces that had no choice but to merge in order to achieve a perfect zenith.
And as if the Altar itself was booming with a new life inside it-
A twilight filled rainbow began to dance frivolously from within it's now celestial space, as if a realized glass had finally shone in a menagerie of limitless colors. A luminescent triad of colorless orbs then began to asunder like glossy ash onto the shining platform, while a strange glow began to illuminate from their enigmatic surface. It was almost as if reality itself had been rendered and tore open by there mere presence, as if the light that they shone signified something far greater than what the collective universe could possibly comprehend.
.:*゜..:。:.::.*゜P̸̛̩̋̇r̸̤̉̊i̴͎̘̝̲͎̤͚̾͆m̸̧͕̰̗͎̱̥͗̉͒̅̕̚ȍ̵̫̀̍r̴̨̎͊̃̇d̴̛͇͔͑̑̊͗͝ͅi̶̙̰͍̼͇͌̈́́͑͝ǎ̴̹̫̩̣̥̚.:*゜..:。:.::.*゜
Origin of Beginnings.
。。+゜゜。。+゜E̷̖͕̟̹̙͈̐̽̈́̏̄v̵͈͓̹̭̼͖͑͌̃̈́̆̚r̵̨̧̺̺̆̿̎̊̆̆a̷̬̻̮͉͑̈́̃x̴̨̛͖̖̱̫̋̓̈́̾x̵̯̝͕̲͖̏̃͝x̸͕̙͉͔͓̙̄̓̎̍̊̕,̶̺̗̤͈̱͉͓̒̐͆ ̵̯̳̪̙̌͂͝。。+゜゜。。+゜
Will of the Stars.
.｡:+* ﾟ ゜ﾟ *+:｡.｡:+* ﾟ ゜ﾟ *K̸͚̠̰̂̋ų̸̝͖̭̺̄̎̇̀̉ͅr̸͓̖͓̜̭͈͐͌̎̀̆i̶̛͈̞͍͂̎͆̄͜g̴̞̳̙͂͊́͘a̸̬͐̉̇̈́̿̊m̵̘͖̩̈́͝.｡:+* ﾟ ゜ﾟ *+:｡.｡:+* ﾟ ゜ﾟ *
Apex of Endings.
As these three conceptual entities began to lifelessly explode into concentrated spheres, almost like an omniscient trio of bursting aphelions.
The newly enlightened orbs could do nothing else but twinkle in a whimsical manner from within the Altar's glittering space, as if they were merely just spinning puppets that were dancing along to the somber strings of a childish melody. The blinding spheres then began to bend along with the celestial haloes, and together, they mended into flowing streaks of light that endlessly caged the entire Summoning Altar like cascading pillars of hope... And as if a new horizon was about to set onto them like a virtuous dawn, the entirety of the Altar then imploded in a bashful light that signified nothing else than a new tomorrow-
"The waypoint is stabilizing Master! ! !"
The central point in which the building stood then lit up like a rising beacon, as if a colorless sun was slowly arising from the planet in which they all stood. The huge pillar of celestial energy could do nothing else, but just grow more and more vibrantly by each blinking moment.
"20%..."
It's sheer beauty blinded even the heavens, it enthralled the stars and everything that lied beyond it. It was truly as if the whole planet was bowing down towards the Majestic Grace of that absolute power... Until inevitably~
"55%..."
Even the whole universe could do nothing more than surrender in the face of such an all encompassing light. It's sheer radiance almost touched the cosmos, yet it was nothing short of a fleeting embrace-
"78%..."
Because unbeknownst to everyone else in the known universe...
Reality itself was rewriting reality. Hope was beginning to hope against cruel hope. Countless dreams began to collide with one another, like coalescent fragments of glass that was brought together by the all too familiar bind of fate itself. The fine line between what was real or not began to d҉i҉s҉t҉o҉r҉t. The contorting vision of reality was seemingly brought to it's knees by the unworldly pressure that the Altar was continuously exuding.
"94%..."
To the point that even the laws of plausibility and causality were rendered completely useless in the face of such an ever growing light, in the face of such a never ending will that just kept on pushing to it's absolute limit. No, limits and boundaries were nothing more than hollow concepts in this point in time. All that the universe could do was just stare in complete wonder at the unspeakably grand sight before them, as if their eyes were completely entranced by an ignorant, yet blinding bliss.
The light never seemed to die out, and instead, it just kept marching on like a tenacious heartbeat. As if it was an unbreakable passion that would stop at nothing, even if it came face to face with the incarnation of zeroth itself.
"The gateway has reached full capacity! ! ! Do it now Master! ! !"
And as if a new horizon had just shone-
The young Master who was at the center of it all then began to raise his dominant hand towards the limitless sky, as if he was unknowingly carrying an uncountable amount of wishes inside his oh so flaring palm... Because as if his very soul, and his very being was screaming at him to take hold of this fleeting moment- To grab onto the faint present as if it were a slipping miracle.
"By my Command, I ask the laws of reality to adhere to my call! ! !"
~私の令呪により!~
Ritsuka's Command Spells then suddenly lit up in an all too familiar crimson glow. It's majestic markings began searing into his skin like burning iron, while it's unbreakable authority began to shine more and more resolutely like the color of an intoxicated rose.
"Let the past be our catalyst, let the present be our guiding essence, and let our dreams open up a path for a brighter future!"
And strangely enough, as if a different entity had suddenly possessed his blazing body. Ritsuka's fierce diamond eyes then began to glimmer like a hot jewel. His very existence only grew more and more colorless, bleak as a void, and empty like a soulless mirror. The young Master's very being only began to rage with unrestrained power, while the space around him was enveloped in an incinerating white aura. The kind of energy that would just devour you whole if you got too close to it.
"Together, we will carve our own destiny... And together, we will defy fate itself. Even if we were to cling desperately against the boundaries."
Yet, as if reality itself was shrieking in a dissonant tune. In contrast to his rampaging state, with his sanity only ever ticking back and forth on the edge of his mind- Ritsuka was still in full control. The young lad refused to get crushed under the weight of everything around him, not when his shoulders had so much to carry- Not when he still had the pride of being Chaldea's one and only Leader.
No... not ever, not even in this lifetime or the next one.
And besides, what kind of leader would he be if he wasn't even able to do this much? They've come so far, the least that he could do was to pull his own weight after all. Still, the sheer pressure that he felt, both internally and mentally, was more heavier than the weight of an entire planet, it felt as if the universe itself was crashing down towards his frail and small figure like an unsung burden... Yet, if there was one thing that fate didn't account for-
"Too much for you senpai?~"
It was the unwavering fact that he was never alone, never was and never have been.
On his own, he might have already succumbed to his own power's daunting nightmare. It truly felt as if his own heart was eating away at him like a devouring beast with an unquenchable hunger... And pair that with the excruciating pain of fighting back against that otherworldly power from up above, he wasn't exactly in the most pleasant of mental states. Yet, as if a certain soaring fact, that has always flown against the test of time, were touching him delicately from behind-
"Don't worry Master... Both me, and everyone else here in Chaldea have your back! So just keep on going! ! !"
"Fou!"
At the furthest corner of his blazing blue pupils, Ritsuka could faintly see the all too re-assuring smile of Mashu, along with her all too infallible Shield, and the fading smiles of everyone else behind him that got wept up by the blinding beacon of light from up above. As if they were fading silhouettes that were urging him to move forward, like lost voices that gave him the last bit of courage that he needed in order to make that final push-
"I stand before you Akasha, not just as the Master of this fateful land... But, as the leader of Humanity itself! ! !"
And with a single, breathless breath. The young man's very soul then warped into a glazing blue, while his brittle lips could only turn into a faint smile upon delivering his final symphony...
" So please... Forge a contract with me will ya'?"
...A symphony that was so simple, yet so enchanting at the same time.
And as if the whole world began anew-
The entirety of the Summoning Altar began bursting with a transcendent light, like if new life were born into existence through unrestrained volts of newfound power, almost like unbridled hope. The beacon that broke through the limitless skies began spreading throughout the vast cosmos from up above, like intertwining roots that began connecting with otherworldly dimensions.
It was almost as if that shining light was turning into way-point for the universe itself to see, like an immense outpost that shined brighter than hope ever could.
It began to embed itself into the very roots of reality, until inevitably, that burning light began to grow like a blooming tree. With the stars themselves being it's leaves, and the countless galaxies as it's trunks. What seemed like galactic worm-holes were actually rifts that lead to other estranged worlds, with that inferable light being the only string that bridged the gateway between the current reality to all the other ones.
The Yggdrasil Tree could only pale in comparison to the sheer beauty that the cosmos were emitting. Immortals and Mortals alike could only grow breathless, speechless, and powerless against the exuding brilliance of that gleaming beacon. It's light was so incomprehensibly bright that it began searing itself into the very core of everyone's very being, like a burning memory that imprinted itself into their very souls. Of course, nothing in this world was everlasting, but during this fleeting moment... In this very point of time and space-
Everything was finally falling into place, like falling pieces of a puzzle that were fated to be solved. This was it, the fruits of their countless labors were finally blooming, and the sight of a new era was well within their grasps. Even if all the odds were against them, Humanity had managed to break through the confines of their limits in order to achieve an even greater height-
And at long last, it was finally happening... Chaldea had won.
...
╳〢-{LINK|SYSTEM ERROR: ̶̰̤̰̰̤̰_̶̰̤̰̰̤̰A̶̰̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰Ṵ̶̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰T̶̰̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰H̶̰̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰O̶̰̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰R̶̰̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰Ḭ̶̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰T̶̰̤̰̰̤̰҉̶̰̤̰̰̤̰Y̶̰̤̰̰̤̰_̶̰̤̰̰̤̰H̶̤̤A̶̤̤S̶̤̤_̶̤̤B̶̤̤E̶̤̤E̶̤̤N̶̤̤_̶̤̤B̶̤̤R̶̤̤E̶̤̤A̶̤̤C̶̤̤H̶̤̤E̶̤̤D̶̤̤}-〢╳
...
⸻̷̤̤ ̷̤̤O̷̤̤r̷̤̤ ̷̤̤s̷̤̤o̷̤̤ ̷̤̤t̷̤̤h̷̤̤e̷̤̤y̷̤̤ ̷̤̤t̷̤̤h̷̤̤o̷̤̤ṳ̷̤g̷̤̤h̷̤̤t̷̤̤.̷̤̤
...Because as if a final jigsaw piece wasn't fitting into it's destined place, as if it suddenly shattered into a million pieces- Breaking everyone's sough-out dream like an untimely mirage. Something then cracked. As if reality itself were breaking under the sheer pressure that it was unknowingly fighting against.
Something was wrong, very-very wrong... And everyone unanimously felt it.
Not only did Chaldea shiver from that unexplainable dread, but reality as a whole seemed to tremble with an unnerving fear. Yet, it wasn't fear for the unknown, but rather... It was for something much, much worse. To the point that the existential dread within everyone began to feel indescribable, inferable, and unquenchable. As if it was a seeping poison that had already began to cloud their vision in an absolute darkness.
"Ritsuka! The waypoint... it's suddenly destabilizing! ! !"
Reality not only began to distort... No, it straight up began g̢͓̞̤̱̠ḻ̡̙̟i̧̬͇͖̙t̡̤̯̙͔ç̬̦̲̟͍ḩ͈̤͈̖̝i̢͖̤͈ņ͚̩g̢͚̩͍.
The coalescent archons began to haphazardly flicker like a dying flame, as if the limitless arcane that it held had suddenly lost it's power... And it didn't even take a split second, not even in a moment's time-
For everything to suddenly go wild.
Not even the united front of Chaldea, nor reality as a whole could react in time to the pure devastation that was about to unfold. The ascended beacon suddenly went hay-wire in every possible chaotic direction, causing every bridged string from it's roots to impedingly shake with an unending violence. The sheer scale of the spatial waves that it created not only wrecked havoc throughout the fabric of the universe, but it broke everything like an enraged dagger that was piercing through the balance of space and time itself.
Everything... And that means absolutely everything-
It all began to tremble like a nefarious earthquake that resounded throughout every known world and galaxy... And at the rate that it was going at, if things were to keep continuing like that-
Then even the cosmos themselves will fall into ruin, and reality itself will collapse into utter destruction.
Did they mess up?! What went wrong?! Was the waypoint throughout the root not precise enough?! Did they miscalculate?! Where did it all go wrong?! Ritsuka's head could only grow dangerously light, as his lone figure began to swirl in an insecure abyss of doubts and questions, while his bloodshot eyes could only fill in a deathly and unbelieving shock.
There, at the center of it all- The trembling Master remained aimless, as if both his mind and body had already given up against the seeping despair that he inevitably had to accept.
One could almost bet that not even Fate itself could figure it out, and it was supposed to be omniscient. Yet one rampant fact did remain at the forefront of his empty head, even in the midst of all that blinding chaos... As if a terrible unknown was slowly revealing itself like a cryptic butterfly that was awakening from it's dark slumber.
It was either Chaldea had tampered too much with the fabric of reality, or something entirely different was preventing them from establishing a gateway towards the root.
Like an uncharted force that exceeded beyond what Akasha and all of reality could possibly comprehend. A mysterious and dormant power that was so strong that it was even resisting against the very laws that made the universe and everything that laid within it's domain, to the point that it's inferable pull was so absolute that it even interfered with them from walking beyond the observable yonder.
...And that fact alone was more than enough to make Ritsuka feel anguished and powerless. It made him feel like a lost little kid again, because after all, there was only one thing that you could ever truly do in the face of such an overwhelming power-
"Da-Vinci! ! Everyone! ! ! Shut the whole operation down! It's too dangerous to continue! ! !"
That very thing was to run from it...
"We can't! We've lost control over the System! !"
̷.̷.̷.̷W̷e̷l̷l̷,̷ ̷t̷h̷a̷t̷ ̷w̷a̷s̷ ̷ ̷̷̷i̷̷̷f̷̷̷ ̷̷̷y̷o̷u̷ ̷c̷o̷u̷l̷d̷ ̷r̷u̷n̷ ̷f̷r̷o̷m̷ ̷i̷t̷.̷
For that was the very reason that Chaldea, and all of it's whole entirety, could do nothing more than just shield their visions from the pure catastrophe that was crashing down towards them like an unholy force of nature. Not even the highest Masters of True Magic, or any sort of Omnipotent Deity could protect their frail figures from that unfathomable abyss. Throwing a Hail Mary was nothing short of a useless pipe dream during this point in time, because the very concept of hope had already vanished in thin air, and it only left a dreadfully suppressing feeling in its onlooker's hearts... So much so that even their legs had no other choice but to just give up, as if their very souls were screaming at them to not even move a single pulse in their body, as if they had already lost the will to even live.
That growing darkness that eluded Akasha's wrath, that very same blackness that drenched reality with it's merciless color. No one, and that means absolutely no one, even had the time to think for themselves. Their scattered bodies were just seemingly crushed under the bleak weight of everything around them. Reality itself did not take solace in the fact that it was powerless, but rather, they could do nothing else but just relish in the silent comfort of knowing that everything else was already quite meaningless... Like a bunch of helpless cowards.
The entire sight was filled to the brim with absolute despair.
By it's very word and definition, this was the sole thing that ran rampant as it began to decimate everything with it's blinding cataclysm. The Altar's Astralized light had no other option but to diminish itself, as if it could do nothing else but just relinquish it's hold when it came face to face with such an abysmal mirage, with such an overpowering force.
A force that was so strong that it even overwrote Akasha's Influence, an unknown energy that exceeded even the universe itself, a power so inferably ultimate that it even shattered everyone's idea of what was real or not.
...And now that very same force, was overtaking everything like a depraved storm. It was as if a dark and melancholic dissonance had just suddenly interrupted the whimsical and blissful melody that the planet was playing earlier. As if it was an uninvited variable that was knocking violently at earth's door, with the sole intention of bringing absolute havoc just with it's mere pleasantries.
Until inevitably, after an untimely moment of that deafening discharge...
Within the confines of the Summoning System's swirling space, the blinding light inside it's chasm began to lifelessly explode. Volts of both black and white began rampaging around it like rivaling elements, like a soul clenching sight of both yin and yang fighting uncontrollably. It was a bleak and raging waltz of both dark and light- As if something entirely unknowable had just upset the balance and order between their co-existing harmonies, to the point that their devastating rage was steadily breaking through the boundaries of the Altar's domain.
"This is bad! ! ! Nothing is responding anymore! ! !"
What was once a catalyst for both dreams and promises, was now an enraged gateway that was brewing dark chaos at it's core. Gone was that all encompassing light, that very same beacon that kept radiating so much warmth for hope to flourish even further, it was now just a colorless pillar that kept screaming at the heavens like an unstable soul.
The Altar's all too familiar silhouette, that very same visage that stood the test of time. It was now wrapped and covered to the brim with so much obscurity, as if an inferable entity had just possessed it's innocent shadow... To the point that not even it's very creator could recognize it anymore.
Not even the Spirits that it birthed, the very same miracles that it gave a second chance to, could even distinguish the Altar in which they arrived from the Throne. How could anyone really? Not when it's mere presence was emanating such a deranged and uncontrollable aura. The very core of the once magical oracle, had now been completely rendered into an aimless rift that just kept whirling at the world around it, as if it were trying to tear it apart... like a discombobulating vacuum that was unjustly born from Dark-Matter itself.
And then suddenly, without even so much as a blink of a warning, as if that very same fractured worm-hole was about to implode in on itself, and quite literally everything that was within it's aimless reach-
"It's gonna blow! ! ! It was nice knowing you everyone! Sayanara baby! ! !"
"That's not even Spanish anymore you dimwit! ! !"
The stars themselves began to tremble in an unprecedented fear, while the ground beneath them was shaking with such a violent force that it was threatening to knock the whole planet upside down. The entire world around them seemed to quiver like bristling glass, with such a never-ending animosity, that no one could ever blame it's inhabitants for not even surviving such a helpless spectacle... And it wasn't just the planet too-
Because inevitably, even reality itself, -and all of it's collective entirety-, was being strummed along by that rift's dreadfully dissonant tune.
Even the {F.A.T.E.} System had been redacted into a far more c҈̵r̸y҉̵p̴t̵̷i̶c̸̷ projection, it had now been completely regressed into a single, -yet foreboding-, nonentity. An existential hologram that so dark and unspeakable, that no one would ever blame it's creator for labeling it as a living abomination. It was something so dreadfully Monstrous, that it even broke the purity of the galaxy's innocence... It was such a looming force of darkness, that it even made the fabric of spacetime pale in comparison-
It was but a singular ҉B҉l҉a҉c҉k҉-҉H҉o҉l҉e, yet it's empty form was plunged into the darkest pits of despair imaginable.
And now that very same hollow projection, was imprinting itself onto the deforming confines of the Summoning Altar like a descending madness. As if that inferable matter had finally gone so restless, that it took it upon itself to finally began realizing like a distorted mirage of sorts... Almost as if a corrupted crystallization of power had finally broken out of it's cosmic shell, and was instead imbuing it's very entirety into the Astralized space.
"It" was like an awful and creeping power that saw the earth's all encompassing beacon earlier as it's second chance at rebirth. It tore through reality in order to seemingly enact it's deprived vengeance, like an otherworldly voice that would stop at nothing until everyone hears it's empty tune.
"Here it comes! ! !"
And now...
That very same Altar that was supposed to connect their unreachable world with the vast cosmos, that very same magical place that was tasked with the greater purpose of acting as an entryway for dreams to further flourish... What was once an infallible pillar of hope, the very same place where destiny and fate seemed to intimately intertwine, was now just an abysmal catalyst for something far more unknowable- for something far more unimaginable.
And, as if their inescapable doom was finally sealed with an omniscient gavel.
The dreadful zeroth from within the Altar's rampaging space then began to contort in a sudden ferocity. It's empty frame seemingly raged with a shattered anxiety, as if it's very being was screaming at reality that it was going to mercilessly explode, and destroy absolutely everything in it's cruel trail without fail...
And then, after destiny finally blinked for what seemed like an everlasting eternity-
_[?҉̒̈̀͌̈́̏̀̋̐͠]_~{⌰⍜⌇⏁:⌇⍜⎍⌰...⍀⟒⎐⟟⎐⟒⎅}~_[?̴̧͇͉͈͈̠͇̰̩ͅ]_
I̵͜͡҉̸̛͜ ҉̸̢͞ļ̸͡҉̸͜͞o̸̡͞҉̷̨̛v̸̕͜҉̸̧͡e҉̧҇҉҈̡҇ ҉̴̨͠y҉̨̕҉̷̡͠o̶͜͝҉̶̡͠u҉͜͠҉̴̢͠.̴͢͠҉̸̕͢.҉̕͢҉҉͜͡.̵̡͡
...Strangely enough, ~as fate would unironically have it~, nothing seemed to truly happen (?).
The stars themselves, the planet, and even the whole universe braced itself for a colorless implosion. Hell, reality and all of it's literal entirety had already surrendered itself to being leveled back into a mere atomic quark. Chaldea had already been blinded as completely useless, and every single soul alongside it was already prepared to be burnt away like ash by the Altar's ever-growing bleakness.
And yet... nothing.
The world only seemed to echo in a complete silence. The stars fell still, while the raging nebula from within the heart of it all only seemed to quiet down, even the earth's endless quaking seemed to abruptly stop. Everything, and that meant literally everything, suddenly came into a pure and utter halt... As if the cosmos themselves have finally gone breathless from all the adrenaline rush that was ruthlessly shaking it's very core.
Not even Ritsuka and all his other peers could feel the sharp ringing in their ears anymore, nor could they even sense the rapid sensation of their chest's endless thumping. It wasn't even a case of time suddenly slowing down, No, it seemed as if time itself had suddenly gone blank. Not a single soul dared to even blink, not a single person had even dared to swallow their own breaths.
Everyone, and that meant absolutely everyone in this single point of space and time, could even comprehend the fleeting moment that was laying precariously in front of them. Reality as of now- was both unified and scared for it's life, as if it was a single person that never even dared to muster out the courage of sighing a breath of relief... And it was no different for the aimless souls that were walking amidst it. Literally everyone who was in the near vicinity immediately froze in a petrified horror. They didn't know what to do, what to say, what to think, and most unanimously of all- They didn't know how, or what to even feel through it all. Well, if there was one thing that was to be felt in this very moment, it was the shy fact that the immediate calmness was the very embodiment of unnerving.
To put it simply, Reality was at a complete loss for words... Yet it didn't even take a mere second for that ensuing silence to properly settle in...
"M-Master! The System... it's running again! ! !"
...Because suddenly, as if fate itself would untimely rewrite it's first ever requiem-
As if a fleeting world that had gone unsung for countless eternities was finally waking up, as if a lost and wandering soul was finally being found again... As if a sought out miracle was finally igniting itself into a beautiful existence.
{Memorial Essence:_Extracted_}
̶~̶"̶R̶e̶a̶l̶t̶a̶ ̶N̶u̶a̶"̶~̶
"҉U҉n҉r҉e҉q҉u҉i҉t҉e҉d҉ ҉D҉r҉e҉a҉m҉s҉"
⸻A single streak of light then broke out from the confines of the world around it, like an unrestrained bliss that was bursting with a newfound life, with a newfound purpose, with a newfound joy.
It not only razed the dark emptiness from within the heart of the Astralized Altar, No, it was instantly blown away by the sheer brightness of that ever-growing luminescence. That glimmering beacon of hope then erupted into the starry skies like a cosmic eon, like a fallen wish that had finally regained it's wings, and it's freedom to fly into the unknown again. It's gleaming trail all the while, lit up the night sky as it pierced that very void like a twinkling symphony, with such a radiance that it even outshined the most brilliant of galaxies.
...And it wasn't just an estranged melody. It wasn't just a shooting star that brought hope throughout the land with it's gentle glow, it was so much more than just a streaking heartbeat, because unbeknownst to everyone who was bearing witness to it's fluttering daybreak-
This... this was the start of something new. It not only signified a new era for Chaldea, but it was also proof that there was so much left to be explored. They brought together the unsung past, called upon the blazing present, and had realized the once untouchable future... And now, now-
It was finally time for everyone to see what lied beyond just wishes, to no longer see reality through a rose-tinted lens, but to catch a sight that's so much more bigger than what they could possibly ever imagine.
And for it's destined master, just at the corner of his oceanic eyes that seemed to sparkle under the moonlight-
As Ritsuka gazed at the dreamy eon of light, the very same miracle that was basked to the core with so much starlight that one could've mistaken it for a flaring star. As his unwavering eyes stared deeper into it's otherworldly glow, as he stared deeper into that blinding miracle's very essence, and as he took a deeper look at the ethereal dream that it carried-
"It's so pretty..."
Unbeknownst to him, something inside him just couldn't help but feel a twinge of growing nostalgia. A star-stricken feeling that was both so foreign and so eerily familiar to not just him, but to everyone else who was gazing at it's glistening influence with an undivided passion... And even though it was the moon's cue for an encore, it might as well have been overshadowed by the sheer beauty of that sparkling eon.
"W-Wait... D-Da Vinci, is it just me or-"
And then, as if that very eon had finally finished it's eternal search, as if fate and destiny were finally intertwining through an undying oath... As if a certain wandering dream had finally found it's owner-
"Yep... looks like it's gonna crash back at us."
It then twirled vividly throughout the night-sky like an unbridled rainbow, like a trembling heartbeat of sorts, as it began to descend towards the direction of a certain unbeknownst soul in the midst of the ever wondrous City. It's ever-shining presence was like a glittering meteorite, it's sheer radiance flourished throughout the unknowing land like a motherly embrace, encasing everything in sight with a transiently soft blaze.
Until inevitably, ~as if fate itself was singing to it's heart's content~, as if the other half of an unrequited dream was finally about to be fulfilled...
That star-born miracle then finally began to crash-land towards it's final destination like a definite flame, towards the sole voice that yearned endlessly for it's arrival, towards the one soul that beckoned for it's ever-distant call... Towards the one person that it could proudly call "home".
"We're screwed."
Those were the last pair of words that had left from the shriveling lips of a certain Master, before reality and all of it's whole entirety dissipated in an ever-stretching golden light, as if a new hopeful dawn had just warmly arose from the empty lunar of the moonlit world... As if an endless dream was finally coming to it's fateful end.
...
...
...
「そして私はいつでもあなたを待っています」
...
...
...
A single glint of dust began to fall from the sleeping ceiling like a dainty sparkle of gold, while a whimsical feeling of sorts began to well up inside the quaint room like aimless magic... As if the whole space was enchanted with a fleeting spell, almost as if an ephemeral curse was brewing in the silent air.
To say that the bedroom was painted in a gleeful color would be quite an understatement, not when the whole place was practically a sight that came straight out of a children's story-book. In fact, the whole room in of itself was gleaming like a vibrant fairy-tale, like a perfectly still portrait that was nothing but picturesque. Dolts of gold and pink began rising from the wooden floorboards like seeping starlight, as if the rosy atmosphere had been encompassed by giggling little fairies. All of it sparkled in the air like unrequited essences, like estranged memories that colored the world around them in an innocent rainbow. The breathtaking spectacle however, only seemed to smile like a newborn's first ever nursery rhyme, as if a nostalgic breeze had just entered the open room with a playful tune of it's own... And although the whole word was painted in a pink hue, the entire scenery was still as golden as a new dawn.
...And as if a new chapter in an untold tale was finally about to unfold, like a fading page that was forever left untouched up until now-
The delicate atmosphere then began to lovingly swirl on top of a resting soul, as if the vivid iotas were all gathering in order to perform a bright shower of gold. Towards the one heartbeat that moved time and space in order to fulfill her destiny, towards the one person that allowed this miraculous occurrence to finally exist like a fated promise, towards the one girl that never gave up despite the odds that awaited her.
⸻Because laying there at the center of it all~
Amidst all of the blissful brilliance that reality was seemingly orchestrating for that certain soul, that spirit being a promise that endlessly yearned for her happily ever after... And as if reality itself was subtly playing a motherly melody, almost as if the whole world was lulling a little princess to wake up from her eternal slumber.
~With a simple flutter of her eyes, almost as if an emerald butterfly was spreading out it's elegant wings after what seemed like an eternity~
That certain girl then slowly woke up from her endless dream, like an unrequited soul that had wandered back into the land of the living. Her drowsy eyes however, only seemed to flitter in a very animated way, as if her very heart had just been pulled out from the depths of the ocean floor. Unstinted and unrivaled, both of her eyelids only seemed to flutter like angelic wings, like a pair of quivering doves that were waking up to a bright sunlight. Her skin was as fair as porcelain, and it only seemed to gleam like majestic glass upon touching the surface of the surrounding warmth. Strands of the maiden's golden hair were caught between her fuzzy vision, almost like locks of honey that sticked to her face like fluffy daffodils. Her very visage was like a mechanical fairy if anything... And everything else about her doll-like appearance only seemed to further encapsulate her unseizing beauty.
Any other man would've gone breathless, -not to mention helpless-, upon seeing her slumbering frame. Any other heart would have immediately throbbed by just how alluring her verdant eyes were. Any other unbeknownst desire would be instantly captured by how unmistakably gorgeous the girl was... And any other poor soul would have been undoubtedly enchanted, if they ever made the mistake of staring too long at her fragile lips.
She was like a sleeping beauty that had just woken up from a true love's kiss, and if her disheveled state was anything to go by... Then it seemed as if she had just woken up from a terribly long dream, from an endless nightmare that was as lethargic as it was true. The woman's jade like orbs however, only seemed to glisten like a hot emerald that was straight out from a piping forge.
A single, and lonely tear began to fall from her once graceful face, like a droplet of water that was blessed by the goddesses themselves.
It's fresh trail went beyond her angelic features, yet it was anything but soulless, because even in such a state... She could never ever mistake the all too familiar warmth of crying for anything else, not when she was so akin to the feeling for so long. The girl knew that all too familiar dread, since it was embedded into her very soul ever since her days as an ignorant youth. It was the kind of feeling she both cherished and resented, because not only did it serve as a bleak reflection into her previous lives, but it was also like a deep gaze into the kind of person that she was... Not as a king, not as a Warrior, and most certainly not as a little girl, but into the kind of person that Arturia Pendragon was as an entirety.
The King hated to cry, because to her lost and fragmented soul, it was a painful reminder of her true cowardice as a human.
...And yet, here she was- Reaching out to the floating twilight with an trembling hand in her right, as if she was still trying to get a hold of her sudden reality, of her sudden arrival as an unrequited soul. Yet unbeknownst to her, that aimless destiny was a fact that she soon had to accept. Her soul was locked into a deep slumber for all of eternity, always yearning for a passionate freedom, like an encaged princess that was desperately waiting for the chance to break free and see the world for herself... And she didn't know how, why, or what god given miracle had led her wandering soul up to this very moment⸻
"...Where...am...I?"
⸻But she wasn't going to question it either.
Never mind the ongoing waterfall of tears, that were gently descending from her quivering eyes like a broken dam. Never mind the fact that her rosy lips began to shake with an unrestrained glee, and definitely pay no heed to the indescribable thumping in her once caged heart. For all of these things were normal for a girl that was finally granted the freedom to dream again, to hope again... Although in Arturia's case-
"...I'm awake... I'm awake? I'm... awake."
She had finally awoken to the long lost bliss of breathing life in her lungs, her poor soul had finally tasted the incomparable thrill of living again... And of course, the moment to her was nothing short of surreal. It felt as if hope was filling her trembling body with a newfound love, washing away any sort of doubts that were plaguing her already shaken faith. Her erratic breaths began to feel puffy and hazy, while her very own heartbeat refused to ever slow down from it's endless drumming. It felt as if her whole world had just been turned upside down, yet she never found the courage in her to complain about it... Not when a whole eternity was the sole thing that she ever truly looked forward to.
"How did I... get... here?"
A pathetic attempt to stand on her own two feet was made, and by god had it been so long since Arturia had felt the spirit in her legs, yet she almost embraced the floorboards if not for her sheer fortitude in keeping her body upright. Arturia grunted in an estranged exhaustion, while questioning to herself if she had already grown so old that the mere notion of walking was already impossible.
No it wouldn't be impossible, her frail figure had decided it then and there.
She had to walk, even if it felt like walking on steel thorns. She needed to come to her full senses soon, despite the boiling pain that was pervading in her distressed soul. She just had to find that strength inside her to actually take a step forward, since there were already a lot of unanswered questions that began to swirl in her already foggy mind. Arturia just simply couldn't give up, not when her own heart had been ignited like this, not when there was a whole world out there that was left unexplored and unseen... Just from beyond that unassuming door-
Was a whole new view that she had never seen in her lifetime.
That very same door that was so unreachable, yet it wordlessly yearned for her touch. It called out to her like a fleeting voice, like a humanly desire that urged her to keep on moving forward... Yet, she just couldn't seem to take a hold of it. Not when her own sense of balance was wobbling back and forth, not when her own heart had just grown breathless at the absurdity of it all, and even though an inexplicable feeling of happiness began to gleam from her, otherwise, jarring vision-
"I need to know... I have to know where I am..."
That lonely doorway just seemed so out of reach for her, like a distant and fleeting dream that was both so close and so far. It was akin to a fool's errand that ringed in Arturia's perturbed ears with a cruel irony... And believe the poor Maiden when it all still felt like a fever-dream to her. Her heart wanted to believe that it was but a strange dream within an eternal one. Her longing soul wanted to believe that it was all just some sick fairy-tale- Arturia, not as the King of Knights, but as the girl who had waited for all of time and space for an ending to it all... was really scared about that dreadfully obvious possibility, of her just deceiving herself into thinking that this was real, that any of this was "real".
"Please tell me that all of this... isn't just a lie-"
Ensuing silence had always been Arturia's fear as a kid, because it was either she did something wrong, or it was a way of knowing that the Gods weren't really in her favor... But, then again- When has it ever been in her favor? When has anything, -for a matter of fact-, been in her favor?
"I-... I want this to be real..."
Ever since she was born into this cruel world, ever since her soul had touched the womb of her foregone mother, and as far as her supple mind could remember- Arturia's very existence was meant to serve a sole purpose. No matter the incarnation, and no matter the circumstance... She was fated to be a hollow silhouette of a person that she might have become. As far as her buried memories could possibly ever entail, and ever since she had pulled that accursed sword from that all too fateful stone- Her plastic heart had always worn an empty mask, drawing a clear line between the things that she could never have, and the things that she must be.
"Please tell me that it is..."
...And now, now- That very same reflection was staring down at Arturia like a shattered piece of her long lost self, like an unspoken mirage that came crawling back at her knees like a restless martyr, like a restless soul... And now that very same nightmare of hers, that very same indomitable entity that plagued her eternal slumber like a forgotten memory, came knocking at her front door with a single, yet simple question.
'Do you want to believe that it is true? Or are you simply deceiving yourself into hoping that it is?'
It was honestly strange how mere moments could feel like mere eternities, and for a yearning soul such as her, that had been waiting patiently for only God knows how long- It felt as if the whole world around Arturia had crumbled to a complete halt, to a complete stand-still... Unknowingly, seconds began to feel like hours, minutes felt like days, and a mere blink of an eye could feel like years in that very breathless moment.
"I... don't... know"
It was but a sweet and short whisper from her part, that was the only thing that had escaped from Arturia's quivering lips... And yet, as if it was the kind of uncertainty that fate had always fancied, as if that cowardly honesty of hers was more than enough of an answer to put a definite end to it all-
"...Arty?"
From beyond the distant doorway that was laying right across Arturia's unreadable face, that very same path that seemed to open up to such an unachievable dream... That very same door began to steadily creak open, in such a whimsical way that it was almost as if a wondrous magic was turning the knob for her.
Arturia's feeble figure could only grow speechless as she stared beyond that uncertain yonder, with an outstretched hand that seemed to tremble with both fear and uncertainty. It was not for the unknown though, because that in of itself was already eliciting a glint of excitement in her ever crescent eyes. The King's brittle heart then began to pound wildly, like an innocent youth that was running away from home for the very first time. It was as if a hard rock had been lodged in her throat, resulting in a choking breath that only seemed to quicken further and further, while her own pair of legs had already given up it's mental chastity... And in a mere blink of an eye, as if Arturia's entire world had momentarily transformed into a childish fairy tail, as if an unsung miracle was finally reuniting with a certain lost melody-
"A-Arty! Are you alright?!"
Arturia's cowardly gaze then caught a fleeting glimpse of what lied beyond the other side, all while a lone tear couldn't help but break away from her emerald orbs, with such a bittersweet feeling that it's drop almost seemed to shine like crystalline lake. Her whole figure froze indefinitely, and yet strangely enough, it burned with the sensation of leaping at the source of that chaste and troubled voice...
"...Impossible"
...Because here, in this silent room where dreams and fairy-tails seemed to play with an ignorant bliss. From within the antique walls of the lofty atmosphere, in a foreign land where fate and destiny seemed to bloom the strongest... In an untold place where her long awaited dream had finally reached it's "end".
"...It can't be..."
Arturia's ever trembling eyes then met with her visitor's gleaming orbs... And believe the poor girl's dear soul, ~which was still coming into terms with her newfound reality~, that there was truly no other way of mistaking the person that was right before her. The woman's throbbing heart only seemed to glow with a fond feeling that was akin to reminiscence, because never in a million years did she ever imagine to see her again, much more in a place such as this... And that fact alone only made the sight more breathtaking for Arturia to possibly behold.
"How... Why... This... doesn't make sense."
There was no use in denying it, there was no use in denying her, because even if she were to forget all of her memories in this very instance... Arturia could never, ever, mistake that face for anyone else's.
"Is it really you... G-Guinevere?"
Those squeamish pair of obsidian eyes that encompassed the illustrious beauty of the stars, that almond hair that was painted in such a magical hue of violet, that sultry figure of hers that always strided on with an unparalleled pride, as well as that all too familiar corsage that always seemed to fondly glow like childhood nostalgia... And how could she ever forget those floral features, that very same smile that bloomed like a lit orchid under the moonlight.
"Who else could I be Arty? Of course it's me!~"
Those were all the little things that laid in front of Arturia's heaving figure, and yet somehow, even when her heart felt like it was about to explode in a myriad of emotions... She still found that last bit of courage inside her, to throw herself into the warm arms of that very person. Towards the sole girl that brought joy into her façade of a life-
"H-Hey! What's wrong?! Why are you crying?!"
⸻Towards the all too nostalgic embrace of her one and only best friend.
"Ahh... Ahh... It's r-really... you... I-I-"
Arturia, for all of her bravery in breaking free from her dream like state, only began to completely break down in front of the one person that she swore to only ever smile with... She began to dryly weep in a desperate whisper, she even began to breathlessly murmur and whimper, almost like a lost little girl that had found her home again. Her tears were truly merciless, in such a way that they broke free from her unshackled heart, without even asking for her consent. Arturia's feeble figure then began to shiver, as she allowed that all too familiar warmth to sink deep into her trembling body. She wanted to bawl her entire eyes out, believe her when she wanted to do so. Still, her incoherent sobs only ever weighed her further and further from that reality, to the point that it completely dragged her defenseless figure into the innocent ground... Yet, even if her entire body had already lost it's fortitude, her clutch on Guinevere's frail shoulders never seemed to really let go, not even for a single moment. It was almost as if she was clinging onto her friend for dear life, too scared, too afraid to accept the fact that this could all probably still be a dream. Arturia didn't want to let go of her embrace, thinking that if she even blinked once, all of it would seemingly disappear into nothingness.
"...I'm s-so... s-so..."
Her earnest heart couldn't handle that reality... of it all suddenly going away.
"There, There~... It's alright Arty, no one will hurt you..."
Thankfully enough however, fate still had a shred of mercy left for her. It had other plans that to just let the blonde girl's doubts turn into truth... because as if Arturia's darkest nightmare had just suddenly ceased into existence, with it only ever remaining in the land of untold dreams.
"I'm here for you, so just let it all out..."
Almost as if it was a parental instinct of sorts, Guinevere's immediate reaction to seeing her friend's sudden heartbreak... Was to lovingly caress her from the back of her head, with her slender hands leading the girl's vulnerable figure back into her gentle arms again. The fleur like lady was totally clueless, she had no tangible idea as to why and what could have led her friend into such a dismayed state. She truly had no hints as to why her friend was crying so erratically... Yet despite all of that, Guinevere did know one thing. It was the undoubted fact that she hated to see her Arturia like that. It broke her heart to bits when she saw her in such a miserable way, she never wanted to see her friend like that, or anyone of the matter. She would much rather have a smiling Arturia than a frowning one... And still, she might have no idea as to why her friend was acting like this, but she knew deep in her heart- that there was only ever one thing to do in a situation like this...
"Jeez... those earlier tremors must have really frightened you huh?"
An act that brought great comfort and relief to whoever was lucky enough to receive it. A kind gesture that spoke a thousand words without even muttering a single letter. A kind of affection that always cheered up practically anyone with it's bubbly reassurance... and in fact, Guinevere was so proud of this special skill of hers that she always did it to anyone who was feeling down!
"Mhmph! That's it! I'm gonna write a strongly worded letter to Master- No! I'm gonna scold everyone who partook in that silly little project! I knew that it was dangerous just from the get-go! "
Funnily enough though, that special act just turned out to be a simple hug from none other than yours truly. It worked though, because as if Arturia's blameless soul had finally found the solace that it desperately needed-
"...what does any of that even mean?"
A small glint of gleeful laughter couldn't help but escape from her lips, even if that chuckle tasted bitter from all the tears that she was sweetly drowning in. She didn't mind however, because for the very first time in a really, really, long while. Her unanswered soul had finally experienced the joy of laughing again, and leave it to her best friend for effortlessly cracking a tiny laugh out from her, despite the strange absurdity that she was currently living in. Of course this goes without saying, but Arturia still had no idea as to how any of this was even possible in the first place.
Between her waking up from her eternal slumber, and the unbelievable fact that she was softly laying on the shoulder of her long lost friend...
Arturia's head was still in a complete jumble of doubts and uncertainties, but for now, she chose to ignore them all and pay no attention to the throbbing feeling in her head. Even if it was just for a fleeting moment, her restless soul wanted to hear the peaceful lullaby that was wafting in the air. In the first place, Arturia still had no idea where she was and why she woke up in such a serene looking room... and strangely enough, the sight in of itself was the kind of magic that her youthful self would often wish for. Just a plain and ol' inn that could bring tranquility to any sort of troubles, but that in of itself was already the magic to it. It was the kind of blissful dream that was a far-cry from her lavish way of living as a king, yet a small part of her still yearned for a modest life like that.
Which just begged the question even more, as to how could she arrive in a place like this. Whose room did this belong to? It couldn't have been hers... or could it? Ain't that funny, after she promised herself that she wouldn't worry for now, a tinge of curiosity still somehow surfaced from her ever wishful mind.
"...H-Hey Guinevere... This might sound like a weird question, but..."
One question. That was all that Arturia would ever allow herself to indulge in, and in all fairness, even if it was unbeknownst to Guinevere...
"...Where am I?"
...At the very least, she deserved to know that much.
Guinevere blinked once, then twice, then thrice. Until, it got to the point where she was rapidly flapping her eyelids and Arturia was starting to take offense to it. How could she not when the fleur lady was looking at her in such a bewildered way, almost as if she thought that her blonde friend must lost her marbles. Well- she didn't blame her too much though, considering that even Arturia herself could admit how ridiculous it must have sounded from the latter's point of view... Still, it was kind of funny that Guinevere was staring at her with such a crooked look.
"Ah! That must be it! Did something hit your head while you were sleeping?! Jeez, even though you're a servant... how could you already be getting amnesia?"
It was now Arturia's turn to be wildly bewildered. She even separated from her friend's tight hold, just to do a double- No, triple take on what she just said. This... This girl... Was this woman right in front of her really the fabled Guinevere? The so called Scholar of the Arcane? The prodigy that beat her in her every way? The pride of the Leodegrance family?!
"My~ My~ Arty! You should really be thankful that I'm here!"
Cause' now that Arturia took a good look at her, she sure was sounding like a clueless child! Then again, she could never forget how awfully prideful the damsel was, to the point that even Pinocchio's nose would cower from how inflated that bosom of hers would puff whenever she got like this.
'Some things never really change, huh?
Yet, for all of Arturia's inner musings, she didn't even manage to get a single word in... because before she could have even thunked it, and finished her own thoughts-
"Fret not Arty! For I shall remind you then!"
Arturia's helpless figure was suddenly drawn to a nearby window, with her open hand being held by Guinevere's restless lead, and before the blonde girl could even express her muddling hesitations... Her mind had instantly gone speechless upon laying at her friend's excited frame. A kind of innocence that Arturia hasn't seen since her days as a youth, an exhilarating feeling that was more befitting of an enlivened kid. That smile of hers, it's been way too long since she saw those gentle features burn with that much excitement... So that only elicited pure wonder in the latter's uncertain heart, almost as if she could do nothing else but just stay silent upon seeing such a blazing glee.
"Just in case you did forget!"
Their short-lived rush through the air felt sharp as it was fleeting, and their feet's endless thumping eventually caved into a nervous halt. The King remained breathless and somewhat skeptical, still in complete wonder as to what kind of mischief her Queen was possibly up to. Guinevere however, only looked back at Arturia with such a heartwarming gaze that it almost felt as if she was searing her very being into any soul that looked unto her... And after a moment's time, as if fate itself had shown Arturia a whole new world to explore-
"You're in Chaldea~! ! !"
⸻A single beam of sunlight then broke through the room after Guinevere unveiled the shining curtains, almost as if a brilliant magic was eagerly greeting their fated arrival... And what lied beyond that bright skylight, was a kind of sight that Arturia could never possibly behold, not even if she had an eon of a lifetime to prepare her naïve heart.
"Chaldea..."
It was an unimaginable utopia that seemed to be built on miracles and dreams, with it's foundation being the very hope of what appeared to be both the past and the future. The fleeting wind felt almost innocent to her, in a sense that it was just aimlessly playing along with the ever stretching sky, almost as if they were soulmates. The infallible land looked breathtaking to Arturia, as if it all looked like a grand dream in her unbelieving eyes. Why? Why indeed, because wandering souls such as her, and unrequited people with their own lives and stories to tell- All of them, and that meant absolutely all of them, were scattered amongst her vivid vision like fragments of a wishful rainbow... And in all actuality, it was all still strange to Arturia, because here in this foreign land where her lost soul didn't quite belong, and in an estranged world where she knew nothing about-
"Doesn't it look really pretty from up here, Arty~?"
Everything truly looked as if it came straight out of a fairy-tale. . .
Fin.
Author's Footnote:
For any of you that's wondering, yes, this will be a collection of stories and one shots that spans across the ever extensive world of the "future" Chaldea. Updates will most likely happen quite frequently, about every other week hopefully. It just really depends on how long the chapter is and how intricate it would be. Anyways, thanks for reading! Till' the next chapter!