Chapter 1: Magus from a foreign world and the Academic City.
There's darkness… A whole lot of nothing, Ritsuka Fujimaru has died. In a freak accident no less, His life after Chaldea has been relatively normal and he even had a normal job as a Teacher. His experiences as a Master made him expect someone to grab his soul right after he left the mortal plane, but surprisingly nothing has happened yet. "I lived a pretty fulfilling life in my opinion, if I could relive it again I'd probably not change a single thing." Ritsuka thought to himself as he floated in an unending void.. He thought "Wait, do I even have a body in this state?"
He tries holding his own face but he can't feel anything, he can't even feel if he has a hand in the first place. After a while of trials and errors to feel his own body he gave up, and suddenly he feels himself being dragged to somewhere. "Ah something is finally happening, is it going to be one of the Valkyries? Or maybe it's Ereshkigal?" the Master thought as he has actual confirmation from his Servants that multiple After lifes can and does exist, he just doesn't have any idea where he'll end up after he actually bit the dust.
But it was neither the Valkyries nor was it the Goddess of the Underworld but rather an annoyingly familiar face that greeted him. "Ahaha looks like you finally died, Master!" It was Merlin the Mage of Flowers and the Royal Magician that served King Arthur. The scenery around him shifted from a cold and lifeless void to a bright and sunny garden filled with flowers. Merlin isn't alone, two other figures are standing behind him. My partner and most trusted friend, Artoria Caster and the Former Winter Queen of Fairy Britain, Her Majesty Morgan.
Caster is waving at me while Morgan is staring at my floating body calmly, as I feel my feet finally land in solid ground Merlin walked towards me with his staff at hand. "Welcome Master, to Avalon! Not too shabby right?!" he says energetically while patting me down. "Merlin.. I have been to Avalon before." I responded to him but he didn't seem to be phased and said "Ah but that's just the Lostbelt Version of it! This is the real deal!" he proclaimed while Caster just lightly smacked his head with her own staff.
"Merlin, stop your nonsense already! Ritsuka is probably still confused with what's happening!" she looks angrily at the White Haired Magician. "Indeed, your voice is extremely grating to my ears so just state our business before I lock you up in that tower again." Morgan says coldly while staring daggers at the Magician, I stifle a laugh while watching the sisters tell off Merlin. "I'm just trying to show how beautiful this place is to our Master! You sisters really are alike!" Merlin complained but the only response the two gave him are cold looks.
"Anyway! Master, you're probably wondering why I- ahem We, called you here." Merlin finally got to the point, "I mean I know afterlives exist but I didn't know you would've been the ones to snag my soul." I responded but Merlin just waved his hand "Oh that's because we're the fastest one to do it, Ereshkigal and the Valkyries have been eyeing on your soul but it's easy to resolve that with a little bit of 'Merlin Magic'." he calmly stated while laughing, I decided to ignore it and just continued the topic, "So why did you decide to call me to Avalon?"
The atmosphere suddenly got serious, Morgan spoke first "That's because we received a call for help from a world that's similar yet different from ours…..and it seems like it's addressed to you." I couldn't hide my shock from my expression. Countless questions run through my head as I think about the possibilities of exactly why people from a different world would ask specifically me for help. But before I get too deep on my thoughts Artoria starts to speak "The contents of the message are too weird… it's like the person who sent it knows who you are for a long time already." "Can… Can you show me the message?" I asked, Merlin looked at Morgan and she just sighed in response.
A water mirror was summoned in front of me and it showed a scene, a girl dressed in formal clothes but it's in tatters and covered in blood. Despite being wounded, the girl still has a weak smile on her face. She starts to speak "Sensei… I'm ashamed that I have to ask for help from you yet again but…. I have no other choice. Ritsuka Sensei, you are the only adult I can trust. Despite my plans I couldn't help them at all."
The scene suddenly changed and it displayed multiple images showing different girls. " A spoiled girl who became a witch, A princess who doesn't know any better, A girl who was never thanked for her efforts, A girl who never got the chance to change her life and a wolf who thinks she doesn't deserve happiness." The images suddenly stopped and the scene shifted once again to the girl inside the train. "I couldn't help them at all, Sensei…. I'm now painfully aware that I am just a student just like them…. So that's why, I'm asking you for help again. Please, you are the only one who can save us from this cruel fate."
After the message ended I looked over to Morgan and Artoria, Morgan already knew what I was about to say and interrupted. "My Husband, you don't have to do it. You can stay here in Avalon with us for the rest of eternity, those girls aren't your family or even acquaintances. You don't need to bear that burden." Artoria looked worried as Morgan tried to persuade me. "Morgan-" I tried to calm her down but she continued "Why would you risk hurting yourself for complete strangers?! You can live a perfect life with us!" Morgan exclaimed in a manner that doesn't fit her usual demeanour. I slowly walked towards Morgan and grabbed her hands.
I felt Ritsuka's hands over mine, He looked at me straight at my eyes. His face has a determined look as if saying "I have to do it". He gave my hands a tight squeeze and showed me a weak smile. I have to make him stay or else he will go to a faraway place again. But before I could say something he calmly said "No one else is willing to take responsibility for these suffering girls, Morgan, I have to do this." I can feel the heat rising up to my face, my emotions are about to burst. After Ritsuka stops holding my hands I quickly turned away from him and Artoria to hide my face, "... Fine, if you're so eager to get yourself killed again. Be my guest. I'm leaving, my business here is done." I walked away from Artoria and Ritsuka as quickly as I could.
As I watch Morgan suddenly leave, Artoria says "Don't mind her too much Ritsuka… She just needs some time to think." I wanted to chase after Morgan but Artoria is right, I turned towards Merlin. "Merlin, Can you send me to that world?" I asked him. He didn't seem surprised at my request but he made a pained expression, "I could… but the spell is much more complex and it might take a few days to finish." "That's fine, time isn't an issue in Avalon so take as long as you want." I replied to him.
As multiple days passed Merlin kept working on the spell to transport my soul to that world, Avalon really is the perfect paradise. I don't need to sleep or eat but it's still quite refreshing to take naps under the gentle sun. Morgan is still avoiding me but Artoria reassures me that she's not mad at me anymore and that they're preparing a parting gift for me.
On one particular day Artoria and I went to some of the flowery hills in order to catch up on each other's lives, Mostly mine since she didn't have much to do in Avalon. "Ritsuka, I heard you were a Teacher after you retired from Chaldea! Is that true?!" she asked me energetically. "Yeah I worked as a Teacher in a high school. The pay wasn't that good but money wasn't an issue, the kids are rowdy but it's still fun to teach them." I reminisced about my time as a Teacher with Artoria, telling her stories of the uneventful but fun days I had.
We continued to talk about my days as a Teacher and remembering our journey through Britain, until Artoria asked me another question. "I'm just curious Ritsuka…. What is the reason why you wanted to go to that world?" I looked over the horizon and thought about what the mysterious girl from the message said, "That girl from the message, she said that I was the only adult she could trust, and she also asked for help very sincerely. I might have no idea why she knows me or why she calls me 'Sensei' but I just couldn't let her trust in me go to waste." Artoria was silently listening to my words until she stood up and dusted herself off.
"I see.. So you saw them as your own students from your time as a teacher huh.." I simply nodded instead of responding. After a while of sitting in silence, Merlin's illusion appeared out of nowhere, "The spell is almost ready, you two get ready as well. Whatever unfinished business you have, you might as well finish now because I have no idea how long it would take to redo this spell." and before we can say anything he went as fast as he came.
"Since the spell is almost complete, I'll go fetch Morgan. We don't want you to leave empty handed after all, and it would also suck if you both keep avoiding each other to the end."
"I see…does your surprise have to do something with it?" I asked Artoria and she merely smiled at my question "You better look forward to it! It's going to be really special!" Artoria waved goodbye to me after that so I started walking towards the Tower of Avalon where Merlin most likely is.
As I reached the site where the spell is going to take place, I saw that Artoria and Morgan are already there waiting for me.
I made my way towards both of them, "Did you use the Water Mirror to get here before me?" I jokingly asked Artoria and Morgan "She insisted on using it as well because she thinks it looks cooler if she was here before you." Morgan replied coldly, Artoria pouts and says "That's because it is! I can't just walk here after I fetched you or else the atmosphere would've been all messed up!" I laughed at Artoria's response and that just made her even more annoyed.
"Anyway! Here you go, Ritsuka. A gift from the both of us!" Artoria hands me an intricate gift box, "Go ahead and open it. It was a sudden project, but the effects of it should be satisfactory." Morgan added so I decided to open the box and see that there's a Card with an image of a Knight holding a Sword inside it.
"It's…. a card..?" I asked Artoria and Morgan, "It's not just a normal Card, it's a Class Card." Class Card? I think I heard it before but before I asked, Morgan explained what it was. "It's a card that lets you use a Servant's power. We heard of this concept from one of the Einzbern girls from Chaldea and decided we should try our hand at making one ourselves."
A card that lets you use a Servant's power?! That's incredibly powerful! "We're supposed to engrave our own Saint Graphs on the Card but….." Artoria trails off and points at the image on the card "As we were deciding on which one of us gets to engrave ourselves, a certain 'Holy Knight' had other plans."
I examine the card once more, I see that the Knight's Sword is incredibly familiar. "Joyeuse…." I muttered, "Indeed, that's the merriest Holy Sword of them all. The one wielded by the King of the Paladins, Charlemagne." Morgan replied to me while sounding really annoyed just by talking about Charlemagne.
"I admit that his power would fit you the most but… It's still frustrating that he just swooped in and engraved his power onto the Card while we weren't looking!!" Artoria added, I laugh at her comment and stare at the card for a little bit. Remembering his words to me back in Chaldea, "I guess he wanted to fulfil his promise."
Suddenly Merlin materialises from a bunch of flowers, "As much as I hate to interrupt, I also have something to give to you Master." he hands out a golden credit card to me. "Why would you give me a Credit Card?" I asked Merlin, he gave me a smug look and said "That's an artefact from that world where you're going to. Your Class Card is powerful but it's real ability will only show if you're using it alongside this card." he explained but something didn't feel right. "How exactly did you manage to get this then?" I asked the White Haired Magician but he only smiles and says "That's a secret!" I sighed in resignation as he clearly didn't want to tell me anything.
"All jokes aside, this card is extremely powerful. So powerful in fact that it can overturn logic and create miracles…. But such power always comes with a hefty price." his words suddenly got colder. "Every time you use this card, your life, your destiny and your time would be consumed in return."
"That's fine, I'll try to use it sparingly but I can't promise I won't use it at all." I replied, Morgan looks incredibly frustrated at my words while Artoria looked worried.
As Merlin prepared the finishing touches to the spell, Artoria handed me a Suitcase that had more space inside than what it looked like from the outside. It's filled with various items, Mystic Codes and normal clothing.
After Merlin finished the spell, I put the cards inside the suitcase and carried it. Merlin has created a portal for me from what seems to be a Train Station to a place called Kivotos. Artoria walked towards me and gave me a big hug, "Stay safe Ritsuka, you better come back… Okay?" I squeezed her body back to respond to her, She slowly lets go of me and I started to walk towards the Portal.
"Wait." before a voice calls out to me from behind. I turned around and Morgan suddenly mashed her lips against mine. My mind immediately blanked out as she dragged the kiss out. As she slowly pulled back, I could only blush heavily at the sudden display of affection. "Wha-" but before I can articulate a response Artoria suddenly shouts.
"That's cheating! Surprise attacks on him are cheating! That's banned from now on, okay!!" Morgan merely scoffs at Artoria's complaints, "That's what you get for beating around the bush." she says as if taunting her sister. "Also let that kiss be a reminder…." the air suddenly got colder and Morgan's tone became harsher, "If you ever cheat on me, I'll go to that world and destroy it myself."
"Yes Ma'am…. I will keep that in mind." I replied nervously, "Hmmmm. Good, now you better get going before Artoria gets consumed by jealousy." Artoria was being held back by Merlin as she was shouting about 'He's not your husband!' or something similar so I waved at them goodbye before turning around and walking towards the portal, a bright white light enveloped my body as I feel my surroundings change before my consciousness fades.
Chapter 1 END