"—and that's the gist of it," Ritsuka finished his retelling of everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. He was pretty sure he got all the details correctly but maybe he forgot something. In any case, the three Servants he managed to resummon should be caught up to speed.

"Damn, talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire. How the hell did you manage to find yourselves in an even worse situation than before, Master?!"

"No complaints. Who else. Can handle this? Besides us?"

"Tch! I never said we couldn't handle this!"

"If you. Say so."

"Why you-!"

"Can we not do this here and now? I truly don't think squabbling among ourselves will fix the situation our world is in. Especially when we know so little about our new foes and their schemes…"

Ritsuka chuckled a bit at this, "That's surprisingly forward-thinking of you."

"What can I say, Master? Getting the chance to take out new enemies brings out the cold-blooded and meticulous Assassin in me!"

Okada Izo crackled at his own joke as he leaned back on the wall of the cafeteria. Sitting on the table nearest to him were his fellow Servants: the Saber and Knight of Treachery, Mordred - who had a plate piled up with food of all sorts - and the Lancer and Marshal of the Central Altar, Nezha, who herself had a simple cup of tea.

Across from them were Ritsuka and Mash, both of whom have decided to take the newly summoned Servants aside and into the cafeteria to get them all up to speed on what was going on since their and the other Servants' 'decommission' by the order of the magus of the Clock Tower.

"Not going to lie, it feels empty here," Izo remarked while glancing around the large silent room. "Never thought I'd miss the day when this place is all quiet."

"When can we. Bring back. The others?"

"As soon as we can get the energy generator and reservoirs stabilized," Ritsuka answered Nezha empathically. "Till then, we could only summon a few of you guys." The most they could do on top of the fully-summoned three was some Shadow Servants but that'll also mainly come down to Ritsuka.

But until then, the cafeteria would be quiet and empty as Izo all too somberly pointed out.

Mordred swallowed a huge piece of meat before making her thoughts known once more, "Still, the fact that Master has chosen to summon the three of us first out of everyone else says a lot about how much faith you have in us, eh? Of course, me being called here was never in doubt, but that just goes to show you how much of a good head you have on your shoulders." She puffed up with all of the pride in the world.

Ritsuka didn't have the heart to tell any of them he actually left things up to chance. He let out a small cough to get their attention, "In any case, we now have to wait for Da Vinci— I mean, the Da Vincis to plot our next course of action."

The brunette Lancer took another sip from her tea and let out a pleased hum, "Where is. Our next destination?"

Mash then chose to speak up right there and then, "From what they have gathered so far, it seems we will be taking the Shadow Border somewhere in Russia. Our data indicates that whatever is occurring in the world, that place's time anomalies seem to be the least developed and shall be the easiest to access."

"So we'll be freezing like icicles right off the back, eh?" Izo sighed, almost sounding nostalgic, "Things will never be easy for us, will it?"

"Bah! If things were going to be a walk in the park, then Master wouldn't have chosen us right off the bat to get the job done!" Mordred exclaimed as she stabbed her fork into a piece of fish, shoving it into her mouth in its entirety, before going on with her mouth full, "No need to worry about whoever dared to bring down this place! With us here, whoever the hell is doing all of this shall be struck down! This includes you too Mash!" The blonde-haired knight dramatically pointed her fork at the purple-haired Demi-Servant.

"Don't worry! I'll be doing my best to pull my own weight! I am sure if we put our strength together, then we'll be able to handle whatever may come our way!" Mash declared just as confidently, much to Mordred's approval.

"Spoken like a true warrior! That's what I like to hear!"

"One question."

Once again, Risuka chuckled fondly at the exchange, the sheer optimism and determination on display by his comrades and friends filled him with faith that things will turn out okay in the end.

After all, they saved the world once before, didn't they?

"Master. One question."

The black-haired mage blinked in surprise and turned to Nezha, who had finished her tea a while ago and was staring at the empty cup with a strange look in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"This tea. Is too good. Who made it?

"Well, it's definitely been a while since I've been here…though I am more used to being on the other side of this desk."

Such was Olga's sheepish attempt to break the ice between her and Goredolf, who was uncomfortably sitting across from the desk she used to own. And if one were to look a bit closer, a single line of sweat can be seen trailing down his face…

'I guess I better do something before the poor man's heart gives out.'

"All jokes aside, I am really glad we were able to find the time to talk things over more privately Mr. Musik." Olga began once again, making sure her voice was kept even, choosing her words carefully so as to not further his anxiety. A part of her mind notes the fact that she has gotten very good at that, "I wish to clear things up between you and me since my…resurrection might have made things a bit muddled. Specifically, in regards to the position of Chaldea's director."

"...I expected as much." Goredolf sighed, his shoulders slumping in total defeat.

Olga couldn't help but blink at this.

"You…expected this talk?"

Goredolf gave a slow nod, "Yes. From the moment I saw you alive and well, I knew my short and disastrous time in the position had ended. Perhaps it is for the best, all things considered. I shall go through the necessary-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Olga interrupted with a polite hand raise, "You aren't saying that you want to abdicate the position back to me, do you? Surely, you don't think your time on the job was going that badly, do you?"

"Of course I do! Who wouldn't at this point?!"

"...That's a fair enough point. But, enough to be willing to give it back to me so easily? Is that really the best choice for us all, especially with how things are right now?"

"How can it not be the best choice right now?" The blonde-haired man replied, his voice just above a whisper, before coughing into his fist and resuming with his usual way of talking, "Regardless, I do believe that given current circumstances, it would be best if you take the reins over Chaldea's new directive. The position was originally yours to inherit and given that reports of your death have proven to be outdated now, it only makes sense that you take back what was yours."

"...And what if that wasn't the best choice for us all, Mr. Goredolf?"

"Pardon me?" Olga sighed to herself before steeling herself, knowing this next part was going to be personally hard to get through.

"In case you forgot, my tenure as director did not end well either," Olga let out a small sigh as she recalled that operation. "I failed to notice Chaldea has been infiltrated, all but one of the Masters were blown up, and I ended up being killed for all intents and purposes. The only good thing I ever did as Director was sending Fujimaru away when the explosion happened."

It was only thanks to him and the others stepping up to the plate that either of them could be standing here at this moment. Had she still been around calling the shots instead of Romani, she was not sure they'd have stopped Goetia…

"Both of us tried filling in shoes we were not ready to fill and it blew up in our face, even if we were both manipulated into it by someone we trusted." Olga was not going to sugarcoat it. Not now, not when there was so much at stake. "The correct expression is "the weak should stick together," right? On our own, I don't think either of us could lead Chaldea, at least not to the heights Doctor Roman did. What I think is best is if both of us try to lead Chaldea; having two heads is better than one, isn't it? We'll split the duties according to our skill set and figure things out from there."

"...And what do you have in mind?"

Olga smiled at this, adjusting her sitting position as she went forward with her pitch.

"We become Co-Directors of Chaldea until further notice; I shall be known as the Field Director, where I will be personally leading all on field operations and everything relating to that. Meanwhile, you will become the Home Director, where all of the internal and behind-the-scenes operations will be spearheaded by you. Is that okay with you?"

"And do you truly believe I will be able to pull my weight, regardless of my failures?"

In response, Olga got up from her seat and extended a welcoming hand.

"Alone? No. Together? There is nothing we can't do."

For a moment, Goredolf simply stared at her hand.

Then, he got up from his own seat and tightly grasped it into his gloved hand.

Olga hoped that this was the beginning of a beautiful and long-lasting friendship.

At the same time, within the hanger bay of the Shadow Border, the loud squabbling of the two Da Vincis filled the room as they were doing maintenance.

"I was the one who made all this and you! I know better." Shouted the Caster Servant down from on top of the big black vehicle, stopping her work on its outer shell and pointing an advanced-looking tool downwards toward the floor akin to a teacher with a ruler stick.

"And I'm the engine on top of having all your memories! I think I'm the one who knows better!" Shot back her younger, Rider version, her youthful head poking out from right beneath the Shadow Border's undercarriage to glare daggers at her older counterpart.

"If I may interject," The voice of Holmes, who was inside the cockpit, used the intercoms to cut into their argument. "Can the two of you resume your quarreling later? Need I remind you, we have bigger matters to focus on at the moment."

Neither Da Vinci wanted to stop but an angry Holmes was not something they wanted to see. Both let out identical, frustrated sighs but resumed their tasks without any more words. Soon enough, they finished the work needed on the Border's exterior and took a small break before moving and resuming on the inside.

After finishing that task, the two Da Vincis sat down next to each other outside the entrance to catch their breaths.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Hey."

"Yes?"

"Do you hate me?" The younger Da Vinci asked in a small voice, slightly catching the older one off-guard.

"Why are you asking that for? Of course not!" The Caster Servant scoffed at the thought.

"I'm supposed to activate should you die; that was what you programmed. Yet here I am, walking around when you are still alive. I know myself and I know what this would make you—make me think."

"…I won't deny that," Caster Da Vinci conceded. "As with any of my failsafe, I wish the day they're needed will never come but would accept it if it does. You, however, should never be needed when I'm around. By all rights, we should never have the chance to speak to another—and I was alright with that. I never needed to accept you because I was not supposed to be around while you were."

"But seeing me activated, even if it was not intentional, is making you realize just how… mortal you are," Rider Da Vinci stated with a sad look. "You're only now facing the idea of a day you were no longer around to help Chaldea. The thought has gone through your mind before, yes, but now it's slapping you in the face."

"Yes… every time I look at you, I'm not reminded that you're not supposed to be here with me, I'm reminded that I'm not supposed to be here with you," the older Da Vinci admitted. "To be honest, I expected to be brave when dying knowing that someone will take my place. Now, I can't help but fear you being around because I know I could die and my role was already filled.

"Oh come on, it's not like I'm already replacing you," the younger one tried to comfort her creator. "We're simply splitting things between us. We may be geniuses but we were always limited by having one pair of hands and eyes, even back when we were still alive! Well… back when you were still alive," she corrected herself. She was technically not Leonardo Da Vinci; she was simply a replica made by the actual Da Vinci.

"...And you yourself do not resent me for your current situation?" The older of the two asked lowly, but loud enough for her creation to hear her.

"Hmm? What's bringing this on?"

"I know what you're thinking; I am the actual Leonardo Da Vinci and your creator. You simply have all my memories and that's why you call yourself Da Vinci." It wasn't a question but a statement of facts. "I gave you all my memories because they'd be needed when you take my place. When I did that, I believed you'd come to dislike or even hate me because everything you are and know came from things you never experienced for yourself."

'Ah…' The Caster realized what she was talking about—her individuality. "I admit you have a point. I've not even been awake for a full 24 hours yet I feel like I've lived way longer than that thanks to your memories. I call Fujimaru, Kyrielight and everyone my friends yet they don't really know me at all. And that's all thanks to you… but I can't really hate you for that."

"Why not?"

"Well… maybe because I'm just naive but… I suppose it's because of what Fujimaru had said that time."

Da Vinci recalled a conversation she once had with Ritsuka following the incident in Salem—when Sanson returned without his memories of what happened in the Pseudo-Singularity.

Flashback

"You know… seeing him like that makes me think." Ritsuka suddenly said one day when they were alone in Da Vinci's workshop.

"About what?"

"Not just him, but the other Servants I've met and lost during my journey. All of them are never the same each time we meet, right? Because they all have different memories. If everything we are are just memories and experiences, we're never the same person for too long, are we?"

"My, I never expected such deep philosophical thinking from you, Fujimaru," Da Vinci teased but does understand where he's coming from. "No, it's as you said. If you subscribe to that idea, then we're not the same person for too long. Things happen, and you change. Take yourself for example. Are you the same person from before you arrived in Chaldea?"

"Nope, not at all." Ritsuka's answer was quick. "But Sanson and the others, even you, Da Vinci… you're not the same people you were in life, are you?"

"Oh?"

"All Servants are meant to just be copies of the actual people whose history and legends are etched into the Throne of Heroes, right? That's why we can have a Gawain here and another one fighting us in a Singularity. But they'd still be different people from each other and their living selves since they experience new things different from each other. Like the Artorias too, there are so many different versions of them because they all experienced different things."

"I see you've given this topic a lot of thought, Fujimaru."

"I have but… I wonder, how would it be if someone with the exact experience and memories came around?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say someone kidnaps me and steals my memories and all that to upload in a copy, wouldn't he still be me?" Ritsuka pondered. "If this copy of me has all my memories, wouldn't he still just be me? At least until he experiences something I hadn't and even then, he would still be Fujimaru Ritsuka since he remembers and is shaped by what I experienced."

"I understand what you're thinking, Fujimaru." Da Vinci was, after all, in the process of creating her own duplicate in case of emergency. "You're thinking about how easy it is for who you are to just… change. All it really takes is one event to completely reshape who you are as a person. If something were to happen, you might no longer be able to call yourself Fujimaru Ritsuka."

"That's…"

End Flashback

"And then he said: No, not really. What I'm scared about is someone taking my place and no one noticing." The small smile Ritsuka had at the time was still vivid in Da Vinci's memories. "He didn't admit it, but he was thinking about one's whole identity was completely fluid. He was scared about no longer being himself."

"But the two of us are still ourselves, aren't we?" Rider Da Vinci asked with a cheery smile. "The second I opened my eyes, I was already someone different than you. Both of us are still Leonardo Da Vinci, we just went through different things if only slightly. I am me, and you are you."

"We think and therefore we are." Caster Da Vinci commented out loud, matching the smile her younger self had on, "The fact that we each have our thoughts independent of each other despite originating from the same place is itself proof of our individuality, copies or no copies at all."

"You know what? That is something I can live with. Can we say the same for you?"

"Of course. Great minds think alike after all."

Ritsuka stared at himself in the mirror in his room, turning around to see his back and such. "Hmm… What do you think, Izo?" He asked the Assassin standing guard nearby - although he was acting completely lax. "Do I pull off the black well?"

In preparation for new operations, Da Vinci had gifted him with a new Mystic Code she thought would work. If Olga's vision was correct, there were several winter wastelands in these new Singularities and in case the one they were heading to first was one of them, the Arctic Region Uniform would help. Personally, Ritsuka would have preferred using the white uniform he had been wearing up till now but times were changing, he supposed.

"You look great in that, Master!" Izo finally answered. "Black suits you better in my opinion. Personal preferences notwithstanding."

"Really…? If you say so…" In any case, he should probably stop staring at his reflection and rejoin the others in the Shadow Border's hanger. The mission was about to begin. "Come on, Izo."

His Servant followed his black-haired Master down the halls to where the Shadow Border was being prepared, Ritsuka steeling his nerves for the upcoming mission like he has always done.

"Looking a bit tense there Master." Izo commented, glancing at the shorter young man, "Nerves getting to you?"

"Maybe? Kinda? It's a bit complicated." Ritsuka replied honestly, "I always get like this before an important mission like this. Haven't you noticed after all of this time?"

The Assassin Servant hummed in thought, "Maybe the others have, but I'm not that kind of guy. I just thought you might be letting things get to you, even if just a little bit."

Ritsuka blinked at that, "Mind explaining what you mean?"

"Well…you how things have been going a bit off the rails in the worst way possible, right?"

"That's putting things lightly, but go on."

"I was just thinking you might've been getting depressed. You know, starting to develop a whole 'Everything I've done has been pointless' kind of mindset. I am wrong?"

"Eh…I can why you'd think that. Pretty it'd be normal for anyone to feel like that at this point, given what's been happening." Ritsuka stated, slowing his walk slightly as he contemplated the question, "Still, I can't afford that kind of attitude right now. Too many people need me to be at my very best possible or else they'll be losing everything they know. Knowing that makes what I do all that more important no what may come or what anyone else might say."

Izo was silent for a moment right up until they reached the door to the Shadow Border, "For what it's worth Master, if you were just anybody else, I don't think we'd be here talking like this."

"So does that mean I'm not normal? I don't know how to feel about that…"

His Servant let out a hearty laugh as they entered the room.

"Master! Back so soon and with nice assemble to boot!" Greeted Mordred as she went up to Ritsuka and Izo with Nezha by her side.

"Agreed. Very stylish. Black fits you."

"Glad to know everyone approves." Ritsuka chuckled while scratching the back of his head. He looks around to see multiple Chaldea employees surrounding the Shadow Border, guessing that the rest were in the control room, "Is everything ready to go?"

"Looks like it. Though the one who will be managing that massive contraption is still getting some pointers to make sure she doesn't crash us into some pit." The blonde knight jabbed a thumb toward the group near the Shadow Border's wheels.

"And here is the instruction manual if you missed anything."

"Oof! So many pages! When did you find the time to write all of this?"

"Is it so surprising, given our legend, Director Animusphere?"

"I suppose not…"

Olga adjusted the Shadow Border's comically big manual book handed to her by Caster Da Vinci.

"You did insist to be the one driving the Shadow Border, Director," Chimed in Mash from her side, causing the taller woman to sigh, "Don't you think it'd be a bit late to back out now?"

"No need to remind me, Mash. Also, didn't I say to only call me Director when we're on the field and Olga when we're at home?" She lightly chided the light purple-haired girl, who gave an apologetic look.

"You did. But I do wish I could come along and help but…" Mash trailed off. Whatever power she could muster from Galahad had already been used up in the invasion. Da Vinci had told her that she was working on fixing that issue and returning Mash to the front lines, but she'd need some more time. For now, she had no choice but to stay back and help rebuild the base while Ritsuka and the others go out on the field.

"No one blames you for your situation Mash." Assured Olga, who put a comforting hand on Mash's shoulder, "Rider and Caster Da Vinci both said that you'll able to go back on he field with us once your powers have returned, right?"

"Indeed!" Supported Rider Da Vinci, "I can assure you that it is nothing permanent and we're working on a solution as we speak."

"I understand. I will wait as long as I need to."

"Good to hear. Oh, Ritsuka! Your back!"

Olga politely moved around the Da Vincis and walked toward Ritsuka's spot, followed close behind by Mash.

"I told you it wouldn't take too long Dir- er, Olga." He quickly corrected himself, sighing internally with relief as his once-dead boss rescinded her disapproving look, "So far, everyone seems to like it."

"I'm not surprised. You look really sharp in your new outfit." Olga complimented before addressing the group as a whole, "The Shadow Border is ready and secure. Is everyone ready to go?"

"As can be." Stated Nezha, with Mordred and Izo nodding in agreement.

"Let's get to it!"

"What they said."

"Alright then, let's get on board!"

Ritsuka and his Servants followed her instructions and began to head towards the Shadow Border, with Olga following behind, only to be stopped by a light tug on her coat.

"Mash..."

Olga stared at the clearly frustrated Demi-Servant, who had her eyes lowered with an uncertain look in them.

"Director…no, Olga," She began, causing the white-haired woman to pay closer to attention what was being told to her, "You know me and Senpai have been through a lot since you died right?"

"Much more than anyone could have ever expected."

"Yes, much, much more. We've been through so much…but during all of that, me and him have been fighting together, doing our best to watch out for each other to the point that it's become practically second nature for me to shield Senpai from danger. So, you can probably guess how hard it is for me to force myself to stay here, knowing I would only get in the way of your mission."

"Mash…"

Slowly, Mash lifted her head up, finding the strength to look Olga straight in the eye.

"So please hear my request: keep him safe in my stead."

"...I'll do my best."

With that, Olga turned back around as Mash let go of her jacket, letting out a sad sigh.

However, Olga suddenly stopped, much to Mash's confusion.

"Mash?"

"Y-Yes?"

Olga turned her head and shows the young girl a supportive and encouraging smile.

"I look forward to the day you and me get to fight by each other's side."

"Olga…"

With that, Olga turned back around and makes her way to the Shadow Border, leaving behind a stunned yet touched Mash.

Elsewhere…

"You have a strange look on your face." The sudden remark snapped the Crypter out of his thoughts.

"I was just thinking," he told his Servant. "We've barely even set everything up and Wodime is already putting all of us on high alert. He said before that we should have more time before Chaldea would retaliate and now things changed. All because of whoever it is that appeared."

The masked individual that sent the Crypters' plans off its rails; whoever they are, they were a big threat. Wodime had warned them specifically that Chaldea would likely appear in his Lostbelt first since they might track the troops that invaded. The Crypter was worried, but at the same time, confident.

'You're coming here, aren't you, Fujimaru Ritsuka?' He thought of the Master who succeeded where he and the others failed. 'I'll show you who's better, I swear it…'

"Your face is still weird."

"Hey!"

In the sky above the endlessly snowing land, a strange-looking portal opened up, and out from it, a giant black vehicle comes falling down at a high-speed rate as if it was a meteorite.

And from a spot on top of a tall mountain, a figure in light blue and white robes holding a watch-like device.

"So you've finally arrived…Zi-O."

They activated the device, a monstrous voice echoing from it as a result.

"Woz!"

And so we finally enter the Lostbelts!

So, thoughts on the first three Servants of the story? This is a shout-out to the story my co-author is writing, where Kamen Rider Decade aka Tsukasa Kadoya is summoned to Chaldea as a Grand Rider Servant and the first Servants he fights are Mordred, Okada Izo, and Nezha. Because of course he does.

FB: I advise you not to read it, it's terrible~ Jokings aside, I finally wrote down stuff that I've been too slow and lazy to get to in my stories. The flashback scene is something that's been taking up some of my brain capacity for a long while now and that part of my already empty brain is blank again.

Liked this chapter? Disliked it? Do tell!

Until next time!