"A group of magus from the future fighting to save the world... Brother, should we really believe them? They sound really shady, even more than Merlin's whole existence."
Ritsuka couldn't help but laugh nervously as she was being glared down by Artoria who sat very close to Kay, as if protecting him from her.
She had been acting that way ever since they first met, but her suspicions of her intensified after Kay gave her a quick rundown about herself and the reason she was with them. And if it weren't for the impassive look she was giving him, she would have sworn she would be baring her teeth and growling like a rabid dog at her.
'Even though she looks exactly like her future self, she doesn't seem to carry herself with as much dignity as one would expect from a king. If anything, she acts a bit like Mordred, openly wearing her heart on her sleeve with...'
"Now, now, there is no need to be so hostile, Artoria." Kay said as he patted Artoria's head and Ritsuka was delighted to see her expression soften a bit at his touch.
"It's true that they seem quite dodgy, but sometimes, it's better to listen to their story and then decide on your next course of action after hearing all the explanations, provided they are true. If you believe that they are trustworthy, then there is nothing holding you back from making an alliance with them or even befriending them. Of course, if they aren't, then you can just beat them up right this instant."
'Is that really something you should say in front of me? I'm starting to fear for my safety...' She thought as she looked at Kay lecturing Artoria who crossed her arms before she nodded her head, her eyes closed.
"I see. So, this is what you meant by "keeping your friends close and your enemies closer" then."
"Good that you understand, now, do you mind if we ask you people of Chaldea a few questions? There are a few points I would like to be clarified on." Kay asked her to which she nodded, as well as Da Vinci as a projection of her appeared by her side.
[Of course, we don't. I believe it would be beneficial for both of us to share information we have on hand. So, what do you want to know first?]
"You said that our time became a singularity because of the inclusion of a Holy Grail, but what is that?"
[To put it in simple terms, the Holy Grail is a mass of pure Magical Energy in the form of a golden cup, which can grant the wishes of the one who holds it. It is also based on the Christian holy relic that received the blood of Jesus, hence the name.]
"So that must mean someone got their hands on it and made their wishes come true. Is there anything else we should know about the grail and what it can do?"
[Sometimes, the power of the Grail allows for the summoning of Servants and their continued existence in the world, even without a Master. They often play a key role in bringing about the disruption to history, so it is quite probable that they are roaming, doing all kinds of things across the country.]
"Speaking of Servants, how come Ritsuka was alone when we found her? Shouldn't she have some Servants with her since she's a Master?"
[The thing is that we had planned for Artoria and some of her knights to join her, believing it would be ideal in order to gain your cooperation if she were to meet you all in person, but problems happened and Ritsuka ended up all alone.]
"Oh yeah, do you have an idea why that happened, Da Vinci?" Ritsuka quickly asked the genius, wishing to know the reason why her Servants didn't appear by her side when she arrived.
[To answer your question, I quickly found out that it was nearly impossible for contracted Heroic Spirits to rayshift from the present era thanks to history's corrective restrictions. Micro Singularities are an exception since they're less restrictive on that matter and it's the same for subspecies Singularities. However, this Singularity is a bit different since even Mash got rejected despite being only a Demi-Servant. I think there's something else at play, which I'm still trying to figure out.]
"I see..."
[Excuse me but can I ask you something, especially to you, Merlin? There's something that's been bothering me since I first saw you.]
"Is that me? No, my future self?" Artoria muttered in surprise as she looked at the King of Knights' face, her hologram having replaced Da Vinci's. And a moment after, she looked down, a gloomy expression on her face.
"So, it's really true that I won't mature at all in the future..."
"It's not necessarily the case."
When she felt a warm hand on her head, Artoria looked up to see Kay give her a reassuring smile.
"Artoria, let me teach you something. The future is never set in stone, in fact, history never follows a straight path, so just because your future self doesn't hasn't grown up that you won't. Also, did you forget that I taught you the means to break Merlin's spell on your body? If you use it, you'll be able to grow and mature as much as you like."
"Then, why does she look the way she is?"
"Perhaps she decided to never use the spell. In any case, there is nothing that stops you from making a different choice than she did, regardless of the fact that she's your future self."
"Brother... yes, I understand! I'll keep that in mind."
While the foster siblings were talking to each other, Ritsuka couldn't help but to smile at their interaction as she watched over them.
She always saw Artoria behave with dignity, especially in the presence of her knights, so it was a change of pace for her to see the king behave in such a childish manner. She then glanced at the Artoria she personally knew only to see her frown at the pair, much to her confusion.
'Is she displeased by them or something?'
"So, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Merlin asked, trying to get Artoria's attention to her which she earned quickly. "The secret of my beauty? Then, it would be a lot of love and sex."
[I see that you like to joke as much as I remember... But in all seriousness, Merlin, why are you taking this form and not your usual one? Did you find yourself a new hobby in cross-dressing?]
"What are you talking about? I'm not crossdressing at all. In fact, I haven't changed my appearance for decades by now."
[Eh?]
"Also, why are you talking about crossdressing? Did you forget that I'm a woman?"
Upon hearing Merlin's statement, Ritsuka saw Artoria's hologram flinch back, as if shocked by the revelation as she continued to open her mouth but no words came out. She then looked at Merlin who blinked, seeing her reaction, before she started to chuckle.
'Was she lying for fun?' She wondered, quickly understanding from previous talks with Kay that Merlin was the type to prank people for her own amusement. But before she could say anything, Kay decided to speak up.
"I suppose this is a good time for asking. I always wanted to ask you this since I heard you came from the future, but do you guys really come from our future and not an alternate one?"
Ritsuka could only blink stupidly as she tried to process Kay's words, then she flinched in her seat when she suddenly heard Da Vinci yell out in frustration.
[Of course, why didn't I think of it earlier?! No wonder that things didn't mesh up with the others' memories! And we even met two people coming from a different timeline from ours not that long ago and one of them is even right here at this moment!]
[I really apologize for not realizing this sooner...]
When she heard Bedivere's whimper, Ritsuka widened her eyes in shock as if she had a revelation.
She knew that Bedivere wasn't the one from their world, but instead from one where he didn't return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake in his life, causing his version of Artoria to become what would become their greatest foe in the last singularity, the Goddess Rhongomyniad.
Even though she knew that parallel worlds existed, it didn't occur to her that she was now in one of those worlds after she rayshift.
"Brother, what do you mean by alternate future?"
"As I told you earlier, time isn't something that follows a straight path, but rather a numerous number of them. In fact, the world in which we live right now is but one of an infinite path history could have taken." Kay said as he got up from his seat. "Let's go outside, I believe it will be easier for you to understand if I were to show you something."
Saying that, he walked towards the front door, Artoria following right behind him. Ritsuka glanced at Merlin only to see that she wasn't in her seat, causing her to look around to see her already standing outside the house, behind the door.
'Since when...'
She shook her head before deciding to follow the group as they headed towards a tree.
"You wanted to show me a tree?"
"Yes, I think it's easier to explain parallel worlds by showing you this. You see, first of all, you can think of the roots as the moment the planet was created and the trunk as the history which follows the beginning." Kay said as he pointed to the different parts of the tree with his finger with Artoria following it with her eyes, nodding her head off as she listened to his words.
"But the thing is, as we live, people would make all kinds of decisions or actions that would affect our lives and so the future. It could even be the difference of lifestyle or circumstances too, like if Merlin or you were born with the opposite gender, or if I was born without my powers or acted differently. All of these little differences would then create potential paths that the world could have taken and continued on its own. Using this tree as an example, you could say that each intersection represents a major divergence in history, with each branch being a unique world unto itself." He said as he pointed to the many branches on the tree to which Artoria nodded, her face showing a disconcerting expression when told she could have been a man.
"Then, are you suggesting that those people from Chaldea aren't from the same branch as us, but another one?"
"It seems so, since it seems their Merlin is a man unlike ours, isn't it?" Kay asked the hologram who nodded, to which Artoria started to shiver.
"Somehow, I can't imagine Merlin as a man... No, I don't want to imagine it. I feel like I will be having a nightmare if I do."
"Then you should be happy that I'm a beautiful woman just like your brother, right?" Merlin said as she hugged Artoria before she sent a teasing smile at Kay who snorted, his eyes closed.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm really happy that you're a crazy succubus who's a major pain in the ass."
"And you love me for it."
"In any case..."
'He didn't deny it.' Ritsuka couldn't help but think as she saw Kay look in her direction, ignoring Merlin who sported a fond smile on her face.
"I firmly believe that you all don't belong to our timeline. However, while I don't know the circumstances, it's a fact that something is happening in the country because of that magus, Solomon I believe, decided to drop a Grail in our era. Honestly, I would live better without the hassle."
"Sorry about that."
"It's fine, it's not like you had a role in it. If anything, I'm quite grateful that you came here. With the explanations you guys gave me, I think I'm starting to understand now the reason why skirmishes across the lands started to intensify recently, as well as that huge bounded field." Kay said as he looked at the sky, causing Ritsuka to do the same and the only thing she saw was the dark clouds.
'This... is a bounded field? Then it must be covering the entire country. Although it must be thanks to the Grail, just what kind of person could have erected such a thing and what kinds of effects does it have... '
"So, Kay, what are you going to do from now on?" Merlin asked Kay who just shrugged his shoulders with an annoyed expression.
"It's troublesome, but I think I'll have to search for that Grail and beat whoever got his hands on it. As far as I know, if we let things continue like this, I'm pretty sure a disaster is going to happen to the whole country soon."
"But do you have some kind of hint of its location, Brother?"
"Well, for that..." Kay started to say before his head suddenly turned in a certain direction, his eyes frowning all the way.
"Brother?"
"So, you noticed it too." Merlin said as she looked at the distance in the same direction as Kay, looking through a peep hole she made with her hand. "Something interesting is coming in our direction."
[Hey, be careful! We noticed the presence of a Servant and an army coming in your direction! There is a huge possibility that they are hostile so be on your guard!]
And as they heard Da Vinci's warning, Ritsuka saw Kay's face slowly change as a smirk slowly appeared on his face.
"Merlin, take care of Artoria and Ritsuka, I'll take care of this. Now, I wonder how strong a Servant really is..."
For some reason, Ritsuka thought whoever came would be in big trouble.