Base sequence: human genome confirmed

Alignment: Lawful-Good

Welcome to the data center for the future of humankind. This is the Security Organization for the Preservation of Humanity, Chaldea.

Fingerprint, voiceprint, and DNA authentication cleared. Magical Circuit assessment cleared.

—Warning:

Substance referred to as "Reiryoku" has been confirmed within subject body.
Physical makeup has been altered to coincide with subject origin of [Sealing].
Spiritual connection to anomalies of [Spirits] confirme—Error. Error. Error.

Recalibrating..
Recalibrating..
Recalibrating..

You are recognized as a member of the primates.

Nice to meet you.

You're our final visitor today.

Welcome to Chaldea, Shido Itsuka.

A strange wet sensation was felt on his face as he awoke from his sleep. Groaning, he opened his eyes to see a paw from some sort of animal with white fur.

"I'll get up..Don't worry.." He tiredly spoke, realizing he sat down on a wall of a corridor of the facility. He attempted to see what the paw that he saw came from. Only to see a strange creature that the paw originated from.

He started to question just how tired he was for him to sleep in a hallway of all places. There was a lot he went through recently and he was fairly busy, yet he could only sigh as he felt his health would decline just like Nia's will if he continued falling asleep in such places unsuited to sleeping. It made him shiver just thinking about his health becoming as bad as hers.

Putting those thoughts on the backburner, he saw the strange creature laying down on his lap as if it was a bed and started petting it.

Though he did wonder what type of animal it is. It wasn't one he had ever seen before at all nor heard anything about. Maybe it's some special one that was made using magic, some familiar or something similar to that extent?

"Are you the one that woke me up? Thanks for that."

"Ah! You're awake now, senpai?"

The girl that looked worried about him was one with short lilac hair, styled to cover one of her eyes, glasses on top of her face. Her clothing was currently a miniskirt, sweater, tights and, looking closer, it seems she's wearing a button-up shirt under the miniskirt that she's attached her red necktie to.

She was obviously a teenager, being around the same age, though he did recently turn 19 years old. It may feel weird if he told others, but it made him feel older and a bit more mature, but he technically is in more ways than one.

"Umm..Mind telling me why you're calling me your senpai?" He gave a wry smile at her, feeling the title didn't make much sense to call him by. If anything, he should've been the one calling her that.

"Oh! Well, it's just that I haven't experienced much of life yet, so I consider you my senpai in that matter."

It sounds like it's because he is older, but the way she phrased it made it sound a bit too weird to just mean that. But, he does know a bunch of weird people already, so he figures one more isn't going to change much.

"Well, thanks for that. But do you mind telling me your name? I'm Shido Itsuka, the new master candidate that just arrived recently."

"My name is Mash Kyrielight. Oh, and sorry, I'll take Fou-kun off of you now."

Mash went to grab the strange creature laying on his lap, but it wasn't deterred away from it at all. Her face was even showing clear signs of strain, yet the strange animal didn't get moved a single bit.

..How come I'm just noticing how heavy this animal feels on my lap? It feels so damn heavy all of a sudden! Did it increase its weight or something!? If so, please stop! My body can only handle so much pressure!

"..Fou..right? Can you please get off..my lap.."

Following his pained words, the strange animal's weight quickly reverted, causing Mash to fly back from how she was pulling on it and fell onto the ground as her body moved a bit further away from him.

That should've been all, but of course it wasn't. As when she fell over, her skirt flipped up and showed her panties in a scene that he knew Nia would no doubt call 'clichéd' before teasing and laughing at his expense. Even he was tempted to call it clichéd with how it all happened.

"..." Shido could only sigh at the sight, and following that Mash immediately got a red face and sat up, pulling her skirt down to cover it as she did so. No doubt embarrassed by what happened.

Although Shido was surprised, he didn't find the situation to be that shocking. After all, it's not the first time he had seen a girl's underwear. Especially with Origami being, well, who she was.

Even so, he had the decency to look embarrassed. He had gotten resistant against those types of things, yet it was still pretty embarrassing and awkward to him when it's a stranger who is also supposed to be his coworker from now on.

"Sorry about that."

"D-don't worry. It wasn't your fault." Mash gave a smile, putting her hand in his own as he pulled her up, feeling relief that she didn't hold that against him.

Though that does seem concerning in its own way.

He stifled a chuckle, seeing a sort of resemblance to her and Yoshino's personalities to easily let such matters go when it's probably best not to.

Well, now I am going to make sure to help this girl as long as I'm staying at this facility. After all, I would feel pretty bad if she was forced into doing anything she didn't like with a personality like hers...I feel like Kotori would start to sigh if she heard what I was thinking.

Then, all of a sudden, Fou starts to go running through the hall.

"Seems like Fou got bored of me pretty quick, huh?"

Mash quickly shakes her head, "That's not the case, senpai. It's just that Fou-kun likes to wander around. It doesn't mean he finds you boring or anything. In fact, I'm sure he likes you if he actively approached you!"

She gave a stunningly pure and happy smile as she finished her words, which unconsciously made him smile back at her.

It seems like Mash is a very cute girl. Well, that much was obvious enough.

"It's fine. I wasn't actually seriously hurt by it or anything. Just trying to joke around."

Then, there was the sound of some footsteps. Turning himself to look at who was approaching, there was an adult male with long brown hair wearing a green hat and coat that was on top of a button-up shirt with a purple tie.

"There you are, Mash. You know it's not good to walk around without permission.." He was speaking, but his words paused as he saw Shido with her.

..Those words seem kinda like she's a prisoner or something. If you guys are keeping a cute and innocent girl like her prisoner, then I'll make sure to rebel against you all. My agreement, the power of the organization nor anything else will stop me from saving an innocent girl.

"Hmm? You are.." He paused, his hand on his chin as if trying to search through his memories.

"My name is Shido Itsuka. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Shido gave a bow, using all the skills of etiquette that Kotori ingrained into him so that he wouldn't accidentally piss off any mage. A skill that was a requirement for survival in the cutthroat world of magecraft, where his own common sense seems to be drowned out by a twisted sense of morality that he could never really bring himself to accept. Not when he first heard about it, nor even now.

"Oh! I knew I saw you somewhere!" He snapped his finger and his eyes shone with recognition. "You have been a pretty hot topic nowadays! Though not all the opinions on you are good. Anyway, you really should have joined earlier. With all you've accomplished and done, I am willing to bet you would've overtaken Gut if you got some formal training."

He lets out a laugh and Mash gives a small chuckle.

"Oh yeah, if you meet Beryl, don't tell him what I just said. He might end up trying to kill you if you do."

With a nervous smile, Shido gives a half-hearted laugh that was devoid of any emotion and his face was blank at the joke he could only think of as tasteless.

"I'll make sure to take that advice to heart."

"That's good. Though, it was nice meeting you Shido-kun. My name is Lev Lainur, one of the technicians here. But we're running a bit behind, so let's hurry. The director is about to start your orientation."

Shido found Lev to be a nice guy, despite his tasteless jokes. In fact, he seemed like a person Shido could become friends with. Hell, he had a friend in Tonomachi, even with how eccentric he was (and his need to sometimes even flirt with Shido for the sake of the popularity from the fujoshis).

Yet, Shido couldn't shake a sense of unease. One stemming from a certain thought of his when he first saw Lev. A thought that less than appeared from logic, more so felt like it was his body and emotions telling him. And that thought was—

..He reminds me of Isaac.

Human extinction..

Such a topic is one that gets discussed numerous times, Shido has even seen many people going on and on about it in the news. However, the reality of such a thing was staring him in the face. The glowing giant globe meant to display humanity's future encapsulated Shido's entire attention.

The only thing Shido could imagine when hearing such a word, is the scene of Origami inversed, her form as [Devil]. The image of those dark beams that destroyed everything came to mind. Not only that either. He also thought of when Mukuro had decided to use her Angel on the planet, almost [Locking] the rotation of the planet and killing everyone on it. The time when he saw the battle between Isaac and Mio, the two [Spirits of Origin] fighting to the death. In the end, those world ending scenarios he encountered on his journey was the only thing flashing through his mind when he heard of the end of the world.

Yet, apparently it was an entirely different type of world ending event. Supposedly, it would simply disappear. Poof out of existence.

All due to a Singularity formed from a distortion in time.

Originally, Shido thought that it might have had something to do with him and Kurumi changing the world using Zafkiel to send him to the past. He certainly wouldn't have been surprised that changing history would have some unknown, unintended consequences. However when he heard it was in the year 2004 and in Fuyuki City, not Tengu City, a feeling of relief flooded him to find out that he didn't cause a world ending incident.

Shido was ruminating in his relief at the fact, yet also missing those close to him already. But, all his rumination was cut off by a slam to his face.

"Oww. What—"

"Don't act like you're innocent! I noticed you weren't paying attention to what I was saying! Are you looking down on me!?" Olga Marie yelled at Shido, glaring at him.

"I was paying att—"

"I don't want to hear you make petty excuses. Someone, get him out of here!"

After being thrown out of the orientation from going into a daze after hearing about the extinction of humanity, Shido is being escorted to his room by Mash. Though it seemed that she misunderstood and thought that he was still sleepy, as apparently the realizer near the entrance makes any amateur magus sleepy.

That, adding onto Shido's lack of sleep was most likely the very reason he fell asleep in that hallway to begin with.

"But, what role are you supposed to play Mash? I am a Master candidate, but what is your position?"

Shido had been curious about it for a while. She didn't seem to be wearing the Mystic Code that he was forced into wearing, yet she didn't really seem like a staff member either. There was also that comment of Lev's he could still recall that only adds onto the ambiguity of her position. He also kept in mind his earlier idea that Mash may be some prisoner or something, yet Shido felt that after seeing the director in person, she didn't seem like the type to condone that sort of thing. Despite his rather less than favorable first impression on her.

"You see..I am currently the only successful attempt at the demi-servant program. That is to say, I am one of the two servants summoned by Chaldea, at least on paper."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The thing is that the servant was supposed to possess my body and manifest permanently, but they had decided not to. Maybe due to a belief that it was inhumane to take over another's body? Even so, I'm pretty useless as a combatant but once the time comes, the servant will transform me from a human into a demi-servant ready for battle."

"Well, I know the current you is probably more powerful than a normal human like me with no experience as a magus. So don't beat yourself up about it. Instead, smile and show off your cute face."

Mash gives a smile at Shido's attempt to cheer her up. Well, it worked in the end, even if it was only through her sympathy.

Wait..I flirted with her by accident!?

Shido internally screamed at himself for flirting with who he already thought of as his kouhai. It truly seems like even if the threat of spirits are long gone, Shido's skills he gained to make them fall in love are still apart of him.

"Senpai, you seem pretty harmless, don't you?" Mash smiled innocently with a small blush of embarrassment at Shido's earlier words.

Shido could only feel like his self-esteem was stabbed after she told him those words, her ability to not understand how much of an insult it sounds like only making it hurt more. "..You really are something else, aren't you."

"Okay, I'm here—Wait? What? Who are you!? This is the emergency room where I slack off!" A male with orange hair wearing what looks like a lab coat over green medical scrubs spoke words Shido would not expect given the situation.

"What do you mean by 'emergency room'?"

Did I possibly get the wrong room? But it clearly stated that this is my bedroom, not some emergency room of all things. Plus Mash brought me here herself, and she is definitely more familiar with the layout of the place than me.

"Oh, I don't actually mean that. Just that I use this as a place to slack off in. Like right now while everyone else is busying themselves for the rayshift." This guy looked entirely shameless despite his words being something anyone else would feel ashamed by. Shido could only get the impression that this guy is someone entirely unreliable.

"Well, nice to meet you. I am Shido Itsuka, the 48th Master Candidate that is only here because he was kicked out." Giving a smile as he spoke, the orange haired guy dressed like some sort of medical staff laughed at his words.

"Hahaha! Well, my name is Romani Archaman, Chaldea's medical staff. Though the same happened with me. The director even told me that 'when you are here, everyone else slacks off!', and then kicked me out." Romani had imitated Olga's voice to a point where Shido wondered if he had some voice changing magecraft. Though he quickly shook off the thought from how silly it was.

"Anyway, this may have been a blessing in disguise. I had wanted to meet you anyway and this presents the perfect opportunity to deepen our bond."

Shido honestly thought it would be great. That such a thing would be amazing, to get to know some people more, make friends and create connections. Yet, he couldn't stop feeling uneasy. It was an unease he had felt since he first saw Lev.

It is not based on any logic. It is purely emotional and without any basis, yet he can't just ignore this anxiety in his heart. This anxiety that feels like he should be getting ready for some sort of battle, or catastrophe rather than what he's been doing this entire time. Like he can't be complacent. —He didn't know if it came from his experience facing Isaac as 'Shido Itsuka' or from dying against him as 'Shinji Takamiya'. It could have possibly even been a combination of both memories and experiences within him desperately trying to warn him.

Still, he knew only a horrible world he would regret for the rest of his life would await him if he didn't take any action.

"—Romani, can you bring me to where Lev is right away?"

Romani looked confused about it yet he could tell how serious Shido was judging by how he stood up and stopped eating his cake. "Okay, but why do you need to see him? Is there something going on between you two?"

"..Yeah. The two of us have some business."

..Shido can't bring himself to tell Romani about the unease he feels towards Lev and why. After all, he is someone that Romani has known for longer and Shido is only doing this because he won't feel any better unless he meets him and hopefully sees that he was wrong in his initial thought.

The two got prepared to leave, yet in the next moment, the sound of an explosion was heard and then the emergency alarms started blaring.

Romani and Shido looked at each other, nodding towards one another in silent understanding. The two both quickly ran to the Command room, him to where the staff was, and Shido went to where everyone was supposed to be preparing to rayshift.

Everything is burning. Fire is surrounding everything, corpses of people burning and their skin charred black. His own body is heating up, legs slowly losing strength as his feet stab into shards of the destroyed coffins and the heat hastening his own exhaustion.

His eyes scan the surrounding area as his feet carry him forward as fast as he can go, looking for any trace of the girl that helped him while he ingrain the sight of this tragedy into his mind. Searing it into his very soul.

Shido Itsuka cannot let this ever happen again. Even if he didn't directly cause this, even if he doesn't have any of the Angels anymore, even if he is just a normal human, even if he might die, he cannot let this scene ever be repeated.

With those sentiments, he drags his feet forward until he sees that familiar short lilac hair. Shido didn't even have to think before he had run towards her body, her face in clear pain due to the giant piece of fallen rubble on top of her.

He made it to her after having tripped a couple times, incurring more injuries and pain yet it was nothing to worry about in comparison to Mash's condition. Her body being crushed by that huge rubble was far worse than his condition.

"System switching to final phase—" some automated voice spoke, but Shido tuned it out so as to hear Mash's final words instead.

"Sen..pai.."

"Don't worry Mash. I'll make sure you get out of here alive." Trying his best to smile and reassure her, he kneels down to be closer to her.

Shido was fully aware that his words were empty promises. He had no way to save her, no Angels, no Zafkiel to reverse time, no capabilities as a mage to speak of, his Mystic Code was not capable to bridge the gap in his skill and save her, as her body is still going to get crushed even if he used his Mystic Code to heal her. The Mystic Code was amazing, allowing for someone like him who could barely even be called a magus to use magecraft, yet it wouldn't get rid of the huge rubble crushing her body. He had nothing he could do to save her. So, he offered her false words of comfort. It made his stomach churn and disgust towards himself swell up, yet he forced it all down in hopes to make her last moments ones that aren't entirely filled with despair.

..Maybe..I should've taken his offer..

Shido shook off those thoughts from his head. It was something that the person named Shido Itsuka can never be allowed to think, unless he decides to cruelly trample on all he has gone through and endured already. Plus, there was no way back anyway. Thinking of 'what ifs' was only going to hurt him.

"Please..hold..my hand.." Mash extended her hand towards Shido, her face brimming with tears that he also had dripping down his face. Shido, without a second to waste, took her hand in his and she gave a smile that he couldn't help but find all the more beautiful than right at this moment.

"—Rayshifting starting in 3, 2, 1." The automated voice resounded as golden particles filled the air, yet all he could do was continue holding Mash's hand and return her tearful smile. "All procedures are clear. First Order, commencing operation."

In this fic, the explanation of the CR-units is that while the territory where they can make their imagination reailty still exists, the territory itself was formed using a combination of technology and magecraft similar to Mystic Codes, but mass produced and being more combat oriented. Along with displacement magecraft being used in tandem with technology to allow for the teleporters in the DAL universe to exist. And after it was made, Elliot and Isaac were people who had become revered as geniuses' in the world of magecraft for creating such a thing (though they had made sure no organization or genuine mage could get a hold of it due to the danger that it becoming replicated presented to their goals). The Chaldea base also uses some of the Realizers in DAL in order to give them access to the spiritron particles of people in order to rayshift people (done with the help of Ratatoskr). Of course it doesn't really make sense when you get into all the mechanics of it all, but I'm taking liberties with this fic and trying to make everything fit in together in a way that would make sense yet not alter canon of either series too much.