Author Note

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Avalon Bond.

Not much to discuss before the chapter, so please enjoy!


Avalon Bond

Part II – Fate Grand Order

Chapter 32 – Londinium Part II

Beta: Axel Emiya


After the indescribable bomb news shared by the very King of Knights, the entire Chaldea staff, both inside Chaldea and inside the singularity, had to wait until the Knight of Treachery, known as Mordred Pendragon, managed to utter any word that had more than one syllable.

"Ehha…ahhh…" Arturia had to sigh, as her homunculi son kept on mumbling that repeatedly while pointing both at her and Shirou.

Ritsuka, Mash, and Boudica just watched on in humor as they observed the interaction.

Romani, Da Vinci, Olga, Archer and Jeanne D'Arc, and the rest of the technicians from Chaldea as well.

Shirou, for his part, found himself wondering what will happen once Mordred stops stuttering. Meeting his fiancee's son/daughter had brought mixed feelings to him. To this day, every and all memory he had of the stories Arturia told him, described a deranged and barely psychotic version of Arturia herself when she was his servant with looser hair, a big mouth, and quite the temper. That aside, meeting Mordred face to face could bring him closer to better knowing his future wife, though he also wondered just how Arturia will fare in this singularity, now that Mordred is involved.

"Ehhh…ahahh…" The redhead servant certainly chuckled once he heard Arturia sighing once more.

"Seriously, Mordred, just how many times are you going to say those words…we have a singularity to fix, here." The Knight of Treachery then shook her head, forcing herself out of her funk, enough to turn on the question machine gun.

"Just what the hell is going on, here? How is that even possible…you are dead! I killed you myself. And what is this about consort, damn it?" Arturia only narrowed her eyes at that.

"I actually had forgotten about that foul language of yours…" That only served to anger Mordred as she closed her fists and demanded her answers even more.

"Quit patronizing me, father, and answer it!" Mordred was now looking at her more closely and got even more scandalized with a pointed finger. "And why are you looking like that?" Both Arturia and Shirou were surprised at the question until it dawned on them that they would have to explain even this. Still, with as much patience as Arturia was known for, despite several interruptions from Mordred, at least the full story was provided. However, that alone didn't alleviate Mordred's pounding headache…not one bit.

"Swell…so everything is all fine and dandy, huh father…" Shirou then noticed his stepdaughter glaring at him, earning a sweat drop at the level of scrutiny.

"Ah…why are you staring at me like that?" Mordred then showed her Clarent.

"Huh, I'm yet to see just why Father would decide to pick you of all people…" A slight eyebrow tick lifted at the derogatory comment, making an amused Rin inside Zelretch's dimension hold her stomach laughing and Archer inside Chaldea smile in vindication. "Just how did you replicate my Clarent…?" Shirou just answered with the skill in question, making Mordred take a step back. Shirou, then, threw his projected version of Clarent for his stepdaughter to catch. The silvery knight turned to inspect the projected sword and even went through the known movements of her style, before even focusing her red prana through it, only to gasp in surprise at feeling it respond to her energy, just like the original.

"I have the ability to project any sword I set my eyes on, Mordred, just like I did with your Arturia's Caliburn."

Mordred just hummed, too proud to admit herself impressed, before throwing the projected sword back to Shirou, with as much force as she was capable of, but Shirou caught it effortlessly, before releasing his creation. Satisfied, for now, Mordred then turned to the others from Chaldea, namely Boudica, Mash, and Ritsuka, but before she could take two steps closer, she was suddenly assaulted by Boudica's motherly hug.

"Oh, you're so cute, little Miss Mordred! Like a little Miss Arturia!"

Mordred's blush at being hugged by the mother Boudica only served to make Arturia's son pout and try to break herself free, but to no avail.

"Hey lady…let me go this instant…damn it, who are you?" It was quite humorous to see Mordred attempt not to blush, while at the same time appear as threatening as she wanted to be.

"Mordred, please do not ill-treat our predecessor…meet Queen Boudica, once married to King Prasutagus. She is a fellow Britannia just like us."

Arturia, though, acknowledged that Mordred was never much a fan of formalities, so her reaction was expected.

"I don't give a horse's ass about whether this saggy breasts lady is our predecessor or whatever…just release me…" The comment made a vein pop at Boudica's forehead, despite her continued smile and Shirou remembered seeing this same expression from Tohsaka when she was pissed at his comment of her getting fat at the start of their Holy Grail War. Boudica, for her part, despite the obvious insult, just kept hugging Mordred and messing up with her hair and Mash had to sweatdrop at seeing another go through the same treatment from Boudica's firm grip.

"Oh, little Miss Mordred has such foul language, indeed." Eventually, Mordred managed to escape from the kind but firm grip of Queen Boudica.

With Mash and Ritsuka, Mordred behaved normally around Mash, but her eyes were still focused on the shield, and Shirou and Arturia vowed to at least set her aside and explain it to her, before Mordred ruins Mash's growth by blabbering. With Ritsuka, Mordred just openly disregarded his very existence, to which Arturia chided her, considering Chaldea's mission to save mankind and Ritsuka being the only master alive, to whom the servants are bonded to fix the seven singularities.

Still, Mordred couldn't care much and simply ushered them to follow her to the place she's staying with others who were also summoned for this singularity.

Along the way, though, Shirou and Arturia approached the Knight of Treachery, while Arturia whispered close to her son's ear.

"Mordred, I know you recognized Mash's shield relic." The knight in question looked at the regal king walking next to her and then her eyes glanced back at Mash and the shield. The shielder servant noticed the glance.

"Of course I did, what about it?" Arturia was at least thankful that she didn't openly blabber about it, since Chaldea could hear their conversation.

"Shirou…would you please?" Mordred then turned to the redhead who was walking next to her and took a step back, as he placed his hand on her forehead, before uttering a chant of some kind. Mordred was no stranger to magus, though she had a particularly bad history with one that ended up ruining her life for good. After Shirou was done with the chant he learned from Rin, he removed his hand from Mordred's forehead as they kept walking in silence. For a while, Mordred wondered what was going on, before she was spooked out of her mind.

'It's best that we talk about it like this, Mordred…' The son was peeved when her father's voice echoed inside her mind.

'What the hell…how are you inside my head?' Shirou's laughter echoed inside as well.

'Shirou extended to you the link we have with one another…so that we talk about let's say sensitive subjects without prying ears.' Mordred looked at the tall redhead next to her and frowned when he looked at her with a disarming smile.

'Huh, I guess he's not all talk, then…so, speak father…what that pompous ass Galahad has to do with the lilac girl.'

'Please don't bad mouth any of my knights, Mordred, Sir Galahad was a noble and righteous member of the round table, just like you for that matter.' For some reason, Arturia could hear Mordred rolling her eyes. 'Anyhow, Sir Galahad was one of Chaldea's first heroic spirits summoned to the cause and he came to Mash's aid. Since then, she has been slowly assimilating Galahad's strength, but she needs to find out Galahad's name by herself…only then, will she realize her full potential.' Mordred hummed at that, remembering Lancelot's son.

'Huh, that righteous prick…I don't know who was worse…between him and Sir Bedivere…he was your favorite, right father?' Arturia briefly nodded, reminiscing.

'Both were quite honorable indeed, just like the rest of my knights.'

The mental conversation went to a halt after that, as Mordred turned to scrutinize her father more acutely. The way she carried herself was practically the same as back then…regal with the same air of superiority that practically drove Mordred to madness. Nothing affected her, neither good nor bad. However, looking closer, her father now lacked that coldness and distance that she inadvertently exuded with her actions in the past. Also, Mordred thought she was seeing things when she heard Arturia laugh a few minutes ago…father never laughed…father never cried…father never showed emotion. Then, Mordred's eyes drifted towards the man named Shirou.

'Is he the reason for such a change?'

Despite her open dismissal, Mordred could tell that this person was serious…the way he carries himself, Mordred could tell that he was skilled in the art of fighting. She can tell that, despite exuding an air of tranquility, his posture allowed him to move at any second. It's weird to see such ability. Most of the knights were stiff in their movements, but this man moved with such grace in his steps, that Mordred couldn't even hear his feet touching the ground. Not to mention the way he handled the sword in his hands…clearly, that was more to this guy than meets the eye and Mordred was beginning to see what her father saw in him.

Soon, the group entered a small apartment building as Mordred guided them through the stairs until they entered the second floor and what seemed to be an apartment close to the building stairs.


===Jekyll's House===

Once they got inside the apartment, Mordred quickly introduced them all to another servant by the name of Henry Jeckyll. The name came as a surprise, considering Shirou, Mash and Ritsuka, and the people from Chaldea, who remembered reading the novel of Jekyll and Hide. Though, in their right mind, Henry Jeckyll was a fictional character, not someone from the past. Gentle figure with short blond hair, blue eyes, glasses, Jekyll used fancy clothes. Mordred soon gave her friend the scope of what happened and everyone saw Jekyll sighing in dismay.

"Huh, Saber…you always reveal your true name to strangers. We talked about this, remember. When you introduce yourselves, say your class instead. Otherwise, your skills and abilities will be known…now, you gave out my name as well."

Despite his gentle voice, Jekyll was firm in his criticism, but Mordred just waved him off, as she threw herself on one of the couches and rested her legs on the table in front.

"Oh relax….it's not like this is the same Grail War you mentioned with seven heroic spirits, nor the one with fourteen…Anyway, do you have any ciders? I am quite thirsty." Jekyll then went into the kitchen and provided the drink requested, while Mordred turned to the others, who were busy staring at her.

"What are you all staring at me for? Take a seat already."

Mash and Ritsuka looked uncomfortable and looked at the grownups Arturia and Shirou, who had chosen the adjacent couch to sit on. Mash and Ritsuka chose to sit on the floor by the fire since none of them felt sure seating next to the Knight of Treachery, which suited her just fine. Jeckyll, being the host, then asked their guests for their choice of beverages, before preparing them all some Earl Grey Tea with biscuits. Arturia permitted herself some reminiscing about the times with Sakura, Rin, and Shirou during their time in London, while savoring the aroma and gentle taste of the famous British tea.

The team from Chaldea plus Mordred and Jekyll then engaged in a conversation regarding the demonic fog outside, as Jekyll better introduced himself and focused on the situation at hand.

"Well, as Mordred here introduced me, my name is Henry Jekyll and I work in London as a scholar, a scientist if you will. Though not officially a mage, I am familiar with elixirs." The people from Chaldea saw Jekyll's disposition sour as he turned to explain what happened. "One day, all of a sudden, London was blanketed by this fog. It became a nightmare. I was able to figure out that the fog contained magical energy but was at a loss about what to do. As a scientist, I even had the opportunity to perform autopsies on some of the victims, but I couldn't find any leads, other than the fact that the fog left humans severely weak to survive, afterward."

Shirou, at this point, got into a thinking pose and pondered out loud.

"Mr. Jekyll, I happen to be adept at healing magecraft…would it be possible to use it to protect the citizens from the fog?" Mordred looked at her father's partner, before seeing Jekyll's answer. The redhead seemed quite bothered by the situation. She had also noticed her father's hand rubbing Shirou's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"I'm afraid not...some members of the Clock tower did attempt it, but none of the test subjects had enough strength to fight the fog, even with healing mage craft. At most, it would give them a fighting chance, but nothing substantial."

"I see…that's too bad." Jekyll nodded solemnly, before turning to Mash. When they first met, Mash was talking about the singularities and the Holy Grail.

"Ah Mash isn't it…you were saying before about the singularities and the Holy Grail. So you are here for that reason." The shielder servant nodded and quickly explained their mission.

"Yes, we do believe that like the first three singularities, the Holy Grail is responsible for what's happening here in London. Do you happen to know anything about this?" Jekyll negated, though and Mordred joined in the conversation.

"So far, the only threat we have seen is this accursed fog and also other threats that you had already faced since coming here. Jekyll here calls them automata made of mage craft…plus, there's a killer out there…right?"

Mordred then turned to Jekyll to explain further.

"Yes, the newspaper calls them Jack the Ripper…the newspaper was printing until the fog started. Understandably, it seems neither Scotland Yard nor the government has a handle on the situation. Though, with the fog happening outside, it's clear that no governmental body will have the tools needed to deal with this situation. The fog does not affect people inside their homes, but once food and water run out, London will perish." The overall situation looked somber indeed, even more than the dark fog outside.

"Time is of the issue, then. We can't afford to waste so much time cooking here." Everyone turned to Arturia. Jekyll concurred.

"I concur Miss Arturia, but before you head outside once more, please allow me to at least fix you something to eat beforehand…I know Mordred here quite enjoys my cooking." Shirou quickly got up as well and offered his assistance.

That alone made Ritsuka, Mash, and Arturia quite pleased to hear, despite the heavy situation they were in right now.

Mordred for her part was thrilled about the offer but wondered about the strange look on her father's face at the mention of Shirou helping with the cooking.

Half an hour later, and after an entire banquet was served, Mordred was literally in heaven, after tasting the end result of Shirou's cooking.

"Well, it seems Shirou has another admirer, huh." Mordred got out of her daydream and looked to Ritsuka after his comment to an also quite pleased Mash. She was so engrossed in eating it all, that she had simply lost track of everything else. Arturia, for her part, did understand where her son was coming from as she had gotten that same reaction when she first received the blessing that is Shirou's cooking. Shirou, at this point, was taking the plates off the table and looked quite pleased with the blushing Mordred.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the food, Mordred. I venture that you also share Arturia's never-ending appetite." The Knight of Treachery was still forcing the blush out of her face and turned to the smiling Arturia.

"We…well, it was okay…a lot better than Sir Gawain's mashed potatoes, I'll tell you that much," Mordred said, collecting herself, while Arturia nodded, remembering about it. Every one of the knights teased the Knight of the Sun for it, back then.

"I appreciate the hospitality, Mr. Jekyll, but I think it's best we get a move on…" Jekyll turned to Ritsuka and accepted the need for urgency.

"Indeed, though if I may ask for a small favor, there's something I'd like for you to do for me." At this point, everyone got off the table and looked ready to go back outside.

"Sure, what is it?" Jekyll then turned to Mash.

"There's a scientist colleague of mine, named Victor Frankenstein. I'm worried about him. We talk through the radio every morning to discuss our findings, but so far he has been unreachable. Mordred knows the way to his house."

Mordred sighed at that while scratching her head.

"Huh, we just came back and now we have to go outside again…good grief." Jekyll looked at least apologetic, but Arturia did glare at her son for her lack of tact, concerning the situation.

"My apologies, Mordred, but please indulge me." The knight of treachery waved him off and turned towards the door.

"Yeah yeah, no problem. Besides, after that meal, I'm quite ready for some action, right father." Arturia found the need to smack Mordred's head some but opted to control her urges, while Shirou and Boudica both smiled at the scene.


===Soho===

The group plus Mordred left Jekyll's apartment and ventured again throughout the empty streets of London, towards Victor Frankenstein's house located in Soho. In Arturia and Shirou's time, Soho is an exuberant neighborhood with plenty of shops, restaurants, and pubs with plenty of fun activities. The place they were in right now, though, was the complete opposite of what they remembered. Complete desolate and devoid of life entirely, though right now, practically the entire city is like this, because of the fog.

"Get ready everyone, huh, it's the same every time I get into this area…Jekyll's house is pitchy, compared to here." That was the queue for everyone to get ready as Romani voiced his discovery that several incoming targets were closing in.

Surely, the noise of the automata was clear enough for everyone as Arturia fell in line with Boudica and Mash to better protect Ritsuka, while Shirou stood close to Mordred. The Knight of Treachery frowned at the pair up since she was seriously wanting to show off to her father about her skills with Clarent. However, she was surprised when she looked at Shirou and saw a bow and arrow materializing out of Ether, just like the man did with the copy of her own sword. Her observational skills pointed him as a close-ranged fighter.

"Something wrong, Mordred?" The Knight still looked at the bow and arrow in his hand.

"Since when do you fancy the bow and arrow? Everything about you speaks close-range…" Shirou smiled at the question.

"Actually before Arturia taught me the ways of the sword, I always favored the bow and arrow. Now, from what I understood from Arturia, you tend to do things by yourself, right?" Mordred blushed slightly but responded with a 'tsk,' to which Shirou merely chuckled. "So, you can go free and I shall cover you from long range, sounds good?"

"Huh, you do whatever you want, I don't need your help." From within their mental link, Arturia chided her way of thinking and Mordred complained heavily, before Shirou saw her in action. "Alright! Here I come, you bunch of scrap metal!"

Shirou had projected three arrows in his bow the moment Mordred's helmet appeared and she vanished towards the first machines that threatened to box them in the middle. Mordred slashed the first two robots' legs and vanished before they all exploded into nothing. Shirou's eyes followed through her movement like she was in slow motion, though, comparing her style to Arturia's. While Arturia's were more refined, indeed, Mordred's brash and aggressive movements suited her just fine, with the exception of a few blind spots that the enemy could certainly take advantage of.

His arrows sequence was released from the bow as soon as Mordred dealt with a couple of homunculi that were together with the automata.

Her line of sight was obscured by the fog, hence why she didn't see the last automata, about to pounder her into the ground.

Shirou's arrows smashed through the robot's head, while Mordred merely watched it unfold. It all happened in less than a second before she looked back and saw Shirou's pose with the bow and arrow. For the life of her, she would not appreciate the save, and based on Shirou's smirk, he wasn't expecting any. She just saw the redhead then summon a long and rather thin-looking sword with a black handle, before he took care of another batch of killer homunculi that was threatening to gather on Boudica and Mash, while Arturia was dealing with her fair share of automatas.

Mordred dealt with another wave of automatas and once more frowned as the wave of arrows crossed through the fog and cleared the path for her.

Her last batch cleared, she then looked to her left as Shirou last dashed, while the others gathered around, dealing with their wave of enemies.

"You know, Arturia did make justice of how skilled you are, Mordred." The Knight of Treachery was taken aback by that…father never complimented her, never. "At first view, your aggression and brashness lead to some points for the enemy to explore, but you then counter that with speed and sword positioning. Very unusual style, but no less effective, I must say." Waking up from the fact that her father had praised her in some fashion, Mordred was looking at the redhead man with even more scrutiny than before.

"What…you're an expert now!?" Shirou smiled at that, picking up on Muramasa's sword reading skill.

"Well, I guess you can say that, though the credit goes for the one living inside me." Mordred's only response was to widen her eyes.

"Huh, what the hell does that mean?"

"Enough Mordred, it seems we have arrived, right?" The Knight of Treachery was beyond confused at what Shirou had said when Arturia once more chided her son for her temper. At this point, they had crossed the gates to a big mansion.


===Victor's mansion===

"Yeah, we're here. This big building is Victor's mansion. Unlike Jekyll who's half-assed, he is a genuine mage, so be careful." The group nodded in understanding. Getting inside a mage's workshop is always dangerous. God knows how many bounded fields, cursed sigils, hidden traps and the likes to impede outside invasion. Back in Shirou and Arturia's work for the Association, they had to dismantle plenty of these situations together with Bazett. Still, this time, they weren't entering into an enemy's lair, but a supposed ally, and Mordred has been here before, however…

"Traps like barriers and such are set up all over, so even Servants ger hurt if they touch things without knowing. I know that from experience."

The group then walked towards the front door and Mordred was already dreading the shock that would come from opening the handle. However, they soon stopped in their tracks as a different silhouette was seen amidst the heavy fog. Immediately, Boudica, Shirou, Mash, Arturia, and Mordred appeared in front of Ritsuka, as they sensed the servant in front of them. A tall silhouette…a man from the looks of things, dressed more like a clown than anything. Skin quite pale, eyes are purple with pinkish pupils, and the hair s of a light purple, flowing downwards and curling into tubes, separated into multiple bangs. Purple tear-shaped drawings of makeup were visible underneath his eyes. The outfit was every bit as peculiar as the man's makeup, composed of light purple tight dressing with an open red vest and dark purple fur on his back.

"That wouldn't be him by any chance, right Mordred?" The Knight of Treachery snarled back at Ritsuka's comment.

"Of course not…hey you scarecrow! Or are you a living statue…whatever…you stink of blood, guts, and fire!?" Mordred sniffed the air some more and then found more evidence of what happened. "I also smell the catalyst for the old man's favorite elemental spell. You killed him, didn't you?" The man in question turned to the group behind him and laughed wholeheartedly, just like a clown would. Everyone could see similar-looking apparatus around him, as well, but none one had any idea what to make of this servant or its identity.

"Oh, yes I did…well, not quite…you see…let me think for a second…" His voice was quite perturbing…strangely cheerful and at the same time, ghastly. "Well, yes, that elderly man will not open his mouth, brush his teeth, eat food, or breathe ever again." The man's hollow clown-like laughter sent up chills up the Chaldea group's spine, just like the previous servant did. "Well, I'm quite certain he's dead, though I have yet to determine if I killed him or if he killed himself…after all, he blew himself up…which was quite a shame, though." Now, the clown servant frowned in sadness. "He refused to join our case, right till the very end, so yeah, killing him would be the dire consequence of refusing to join our cause. Hehehehe!"

Mash couldn't help but feel her skin crawl and even take a step back, while placing her shield in front of her, unconsciously. That only served to make the clown frown.

"Oh no! Did I scare you, beautiful lady? Please don't be scared…well, do…I don't know. As you can see, I am quite the demon, even if some may consider me a heroic spirit. Yep, just like you, little lady, I am a servant, Caster Class."

Arturia, Shirou, and Boudica were quite busy observing everything they could gather from this foe. Caster servants were particularly nasty to deal with, as they couldn't muscle their way out of this. Mordred, for her part, though, was quite fed up with the chit-chat.

"Oi! That's quite enough clown, just shut up! Wipe that grin off your face right now and tell me why have you killed old man Victor?"

The foe, though, merely chuckled in the same ghastly manner as before.

"Oh, wasn't I clear, little knight? He said no to me…so he's dead. Simple as that. Though, it was quite exuberating to see the look of despair on his face seconds after he was dead!" Mordred felt insulted at this weirdos' proclamation and Arturia very well knew that Mordred just couldn't help being goaded by the enemy.

"Well, now, I shall kill you right here and then, so prepare yourself, Caster," Mordred said before her Clarent was in her hands and her body exploded into red lightning.

"Dear…you seem quite hot-headed indeed…let us see if you can, though…my noble phantasm has already been set up, so please be careful. Wouldn't want for you to suffer for it…or maybe I do…I don't know." The clown then smirked as he finished talking. "By my true name, Mephistopheles! I shall relish striking you all down into despair!" Mordred then vanished towards meeting up with this foe, before Arturia and Shirou could warn her against falling for the man's trap. Clarent then met resistance in what appeared to be a purple weapon shaped like a giant scissor. The two fought in close range and Mordred attempted to use strength and agility against the foe Mephistopheles, but for some reason, she just couldn't gain an advantage.

"Wow, so much anger! Please, show me more, little knight!"

Mordred snarled at the man for goading her. However, little to her knowledge, Mephistopheles was using his cursed ability to slow her movement and diminish her strength.

Still, even with the downside, Mordred was stronger and faster than a caster servant, being able to draw some blood from Mephistopheles. However, instead of feeling pain or even showing weakness, the clown servant set her on edge.

"Oh, you injured me! And you ruined my outfit…how dreadful indeed." Mordred realized her mistake when she took some steps back, allowing Mephistopheles to use another curse on her, this time taking a chunk of energy from her. The knight of treachery kneeled instantly and felt a brief moment of weakness. However, before Mephistopheles could slice her head off with his scissor-like weapon, Mordred's body exploded into red lightning as she screamed in anger at this foe for toying with her.

"That's it! I don't care anymore for this town, I shall use my noble phantasm even if it's the last thing I shall do!"

Everyone saw as Clarent exploded into red energy and the handle even opened. Her helmet opened to reveal her angered face with blood marks over her eyes. Still, Mephistopheles merely chuckled as he took some steps back.

"Well, as exquisite as I believe your noble phantasm to be, I'm afraid you're too late, little knight. Hehehehe!" Mordred then flinched as she saw the sequence of apparatus circle her body before the Knight of Treachery exploded. Arturia, Boudica, and Mash instantly ran towards Mordred's location and Arturia felt anger at seeing her son being dealt with, by this buffoon. As such, she, Boudica, and Mash settled for facing the servant, while Shirou turned to observe the explosion results. He gasped at seeing Mordred down on the ground, fully dressed in her armor. He immediately went to check on Arturia's son and saw big chunks of armor missing as a result of the explosion. However and much to his relief, it looked like Mordred's core was protected by her armor.

'Arturia, she's fine. I shall heal her.'

The King of Knights looked back and saw her fiancée checking on the downed Mordred. She managed to breathe a little easier, knowing that.

'Please do, Shirou…after this, I shall have a serious talk to Mordred.'

'Okay, please be careful…this man's noble phantasm is quite sneaky.'

Shirou then used Avalon's energy and his prana to make it surge through Mordred's body, hoping that he wasn't too late.

The Knight of Treachery's eyes were closed and her body ached all over. Surprisingly so, she felt an alien energy crawl inside her core…giving her strength…giving her peace…when her eyes opened, she could see the golden energy emitting from Shirou's body, traveling towards her. Above all else, she could see in his face, the happiness, the peace within that disarming smile and intense brown eyes. Shirou was smiling in relief as Mordred felt her core being replenished to full capacity. Her armor was once more full as the Knight of Treachery blinked slowly, wondering if she was dreaming or not. She focused on Shirou's sigh in relief.

"Huh, glad I got to you in time, Mordred." Normally, she would brush it off, behave in a tsundere manner, or even openly disregard any form of assistance, but not right now. This time, she truly looked at the man her father had chosen as a partner and understood. "Can you get up?" Mordred could only weakly nod as Shirou offered his hand to get her up, to which she accepted, much to her own surprise. As they both stood up, Mordred then witnessed Arturia and Boudica following through with a combined assault after Mash blocked Mephistopheles's attack attempt. Mordred saw Arturia's Excalibur pierce through the foe's chest and saw him flinch in deep pain, this time for good. Huh, let's see you survive that, you bastard!"

"Well, this is quite…regretful! This materialization was one I couldn't enjoy much of…" Mephistopheles held his bleeding chest as everyone observed him. "I guess servants do need a master after all. Such a pity, indeed."

He then turned his eyes towards Mash and Ritsuka, but more focused on Mash.

"That being said, I quite envy you, Shield servant!" Mash looked surprised at that…she had met some creepy figures in history so far, but never someone who sprung this level of fear and dread inside. She wanted to understand humanity more, understand what it meant to be human, but this feeling was one, she didn't enjoy learning…irrational fear…as if she was helpless to do anything about it, but tremble. Despite it all, this servant said he envied her, but for what reason. All Mash wanted was to crawl inside some dark corner. Ritsuka appeared behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her relax. The scene only enticed Mephistopheles further as he observed the deep bond between master and servant.

"Yes, that's why I envy you. Such bond you have between you and your master…you shall have countless chances to betray him and throw him into despair! Oh, how jealous am I of you!"

"That's enough out of you!" Arturia said before she decapitated him, taking him back to the Throne of Heroes.

Boudica was by Mash and Ritsuka's side the same instant, comforting the still shaking servant, while Arturia went back to Shirou and Mordred.

"I'm glad you're alright Mordred." The Knight of Treachery looked at her father and then at Shirou, before nodding in appreciation.

"Well, I guess I have to appreciate Mother for helping me…for sure I would be a goner by now."

After her words sunk in, both Arturia and Shirou looked at her for a long period of time, neither finding much the words to express their surprise. Everyone else heard the same thing and even Mash stopped shaking and started giggling. Mordred, for her part, looked at everyone, strangely. "What! He cooks…he heals…he fights…short-range… long-range…he's definitely a lot better than my own mother and I just can't call him father, now can I?"

That was the last straw as Rin had enough and truly fell to the ground laughing.

Zelretch was as well, but he was rather focusing on both Arturia and Shirou's stunned expressions.

For sure, the True Ancestor was truly glad that he had counted on these two for his entertainment. However, as humorous as the situation presented, Zelretch saw the dreadful signs playing before his experienced eyes, while observing the now awakened Shirou urging Mordred not to call him like that and the Knight of Treachery wondering why not, since Arturia is her father and Shirou is Arturia's consort.

"Hey, it's not like I can have two fathers, you know!"


Author Note

Ok, that's enough for now.

I thought about continuing, but ending with Mordred calling Shirou her mother was a true masterpiece and I enjoyed writing it so much.

Please tell me your thoughts.

Next update: Cursed Eyes