"MASH! MASH!" The Director screamed on, but Ritsuka did not let go. He did not release her, just as he had seen children embrace their parents as loved ones were carried away. Her thrashing was quickly weakening. "Come back! MASH! MASH!"
"She's gone. It's okay, she's gone."
"No! She's gone because your Servant took her! She can be saved! She could be!"
"But she was. She's in heaven. There's literally nowhere higher for her to strive for. Coming back here would only be a selfish wish."
"She wanted to come back!"
"She wants to see us again. And we will. We will." She licked his lips, the ache in his throat becoming worse. "We'll see her again."
The idea of it alone gave him hope.
"How can you say that!" She broke from his grip and whirled on him. "She saved you and defended you, she literally started following that Servant just because you asked her to! She was devoted to you, calling you her superior despite knowing far more than you likely ever will! How can you just, just put on an empty grin and say that's it!?"
"Because what else am I supposed to do?" He asked, eyes looking towards the pool again. "I mean… Jesus Christ, literal Christ, welcomed her to heaven. I don't have to think about anything bad happening to her. It's guaranteed paradise. Why would I want to take her from that?"
"Because! Because… she didn't get what she needed."
"What?"
"I didn't… I didn't thank her properly, a-and neither did Romani, or Da Vinci or everyone else. Everyone at Chaldea loves her. But now she… she just died." She stared at her hands. "A-And I'm dead… I'm still dead. So what does that mean?"
"That Jesus will bring you back, and we'll have a chance to do what you wanted us to do." She stared at him. "I'm not trying to make light of it. I'm really not. But this is everything I've ever prayed for, and I got to witness the culmination of an ascension. Isn't that worth a smile?"
Olga looked away from him, towards the still glimmering pool. Eyes trailing up, she saw her still body, unmarred and waiting in a coffin. The image disturbed her now, enough to want out and never rest her head in one again.
"It's worth… it's worth a try is what it is. And it's worth doing for Mash. Even if your Servant stole her away. We still have to try. For Mash, for her, we have to try." The Director took several deep breaths, wiping her cheeks with the palms of her hand, combing her hair to match. "But for now, we have to return to Chaldea, and I'm assuming you have no idea on how to do that?"
"You don't?"
Her eyes turned to Mash's shield, staring at the remnants of the girl who had saved him, saved her, and then been saved by Christ.
"I have an idea. Give me a moment." He didn't say a word as she knelt by the shield, brushing it off with an unsteady hand. Crests appeared above her as she started to push energy into it, Prana, Ritsuka corrected.
He stared at it, realizing that through the miracle of its being, Jesus had walked through it to the Gates of Heaven, taking Mash with him. The light it had given off when they had descended into it was too bright for him to comprehend, so bright that it made his eyes tear and mind blink. And when he could see again, he saw a reflectionless pool of glassy gold, and no girl or Son of God.
For all the miracles he had witnessed so far, it was the only one truly burned into his mind.
"Director! Oh my God, it is you!" The voice got him to turn. "You're alright! And it looks like the course correction has already started with the Fuyuki grail!" The man, Romani, Rituska remembered, started to move through the holographic display. "Course corrections, redistribution of the variable events, Spiritrons aligning, good! Amazing! You did it! The first mission was a complete success!"
"Romani~. Do think before you speak. I know you may not be a genius like myself, but that's no excuse to be a fool~." Another woman, Da Vinci, spoke. "But looking at this, it does look as if a bit of the incineration of Humanity is being reduced. Not for livable standards, oh no~. But enough to show an effort, and a quill to a page is better than a blank manuscript."
"So he wasn't lying then. The SHEBA system isn't inaccurate."
"It… wait, how did you know about the SHEBA system? We just found after scrying through the bounding field."
"Lev told us. He bragged about it."
"Bragged? Why would he do that? Did he tell you after you fixed-"
"We didn't fix anything. Not yet." Ritsuka watched the woman rub her face with the back of her sleeve. He wouldn't call her a child, a girl at best, but right now, she looked so small. "All we did was find a nail, and it cost us every advantage my father has been collecting his entire life."
"Now now~. There's no need to sound so depressed, Director~. I'm sure we can solve this, we do have a my genius on our side." The woman laughed. "And I'd wager it was something done by the Servant on your end that corrected the Rayshift room, correct?"
"Yes. Jesus performed a miracle, talking about washing away sin." A bit passive, but Ritsuka kept his lips tight. "After he threw Lev into the corrupted Grail and exposed him as the fraud he was."
"FRAUD!?"
"He was the one who blew up Chaldea. He organized this." The holographic images stared at the Director's words. "Jesus saved us, and right now, his Master… Ritsuka and I are standing in the Grail Chamber, cleaned by the man. It likely was because of his deed that the errors of the Human Order are being corrected."
"Jesus… a-and Lev…" Romani fell back and out of frame.
"That is shocking. I would have thought a man such as him would be more dedicated towards the advancement of mankind. There is something else amiss, isn't there~."
"There was, but we can talk about it after we come back." Her amber eyes found his. "We need to return to Chaldea… and I want to leave here immediately." Ritsuka wasn't in quite such a rush, but he understood.
"Was there no one else there? Were you able to recover any other Masters?"
"No one now. They're gone." Another noise from beyond the screen. "Just get us home. Please."
"R-right, of course. We'll have a debrief when you get here. Just need to prepare Spiritron transfer. Olga Marie Animusphere, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash Ky-"
"Not her. There's nothing to transfer." The sound of hitting keys stopped, like a piano was dropped.
"W-Wha…" "What was that? I apologize Olga, but it sounds like you said Mash isn't coming home~. Why would you say that?"
"Because Jesus literally carried her to the afterlife." More sounds across the screen. "Just hurry up and get us home. I can't take it here anymore."
"Wait! Wait! I need-"
"You need to get me out of here! I won't say it again!" She shrieked. "I'm not going to explain the whole damn scenario a third time while sitting in… in some cursed pot of land!" How could she call this place cursed? It was literally blessed by Jesus Christ. "Get us out of here, now."
No other words came across the display, just the sound of rapid key typing as both Da Vinci and Romani dipped off screen. Ritsuka looked away, watching the glowing pool from the grail again. The idea occurred to him again to run and jump into it, to follow his God where he had taken Mash. Trailing the line between heaven and earth.
"Are you going to jump in?"
"No. I want to, but there's not enough time. Jesus didn't ask me to join him."
"You literally worship the ground he walks on, but you refuse to follow him?"
"More like, if I was worthy to being let in, order my job was done, he would have asked me to come. He did for Mash."
"But not you."
"Not me." He still smiled. "I can only take that to mean there's more for me to do."
"That much… I can say you're right about." The woman stepped next to him, shoulder to shoulder, and a bit shorter. Amber eyes stared out at the same pool as he did. "We just heard Lev and Saber brag about sacrificing masters, watched one of them jump into the corrupted mud after him, and apparently figured out there are a few more out there."
"Nine more."
"Seven more," she corrected. "Lev and Gudao had to be in that early number. With them gone, that reduces it to seven. You're the eighth, the forty eighth, and now the last one we can depend on. You are literally the last hope of Chaldea."
"I'm not that important."
"You're right, you're not. Not before, not when I thought there was something else we can depend on. Mash with the Demi-Servant abilities, another Master we found, Professor Lev himself… but all of those have either been lost, found dead, or gone literally to heaven. Out of order, but you understand what I'm saying."
"Honestly? No. Can you please explain it." Fatigued or otherwise, the woman sighed before she spoke.
"It mean time is disrupted, and everything dying is a part of that. Time could be corrupted at a single moment and cannot be corrected due to some magical interference, or it could be a dozen of the same scenarios, all altering enough moments in time to make the incineration of the Human Order the end result. Whichever it is, Chaldea was established to stop it, and yet… we have just lost every card we had to play. All but one."
"Me?"
"You."
Clap. She looked at him, so different from the first time he'd seen her. Face stern, not aghast, tired worn eyes, not alight with fury, and ruined makeup and tears across her features, far from the prime appearance of nobility she held high.
"I spoke ill of you, but I spoke correctly." Not what he thought she'd say. "You don't know anything of what's happening, nothing beyond Jesus who, I will also admit, did more than I thought he would. But even though we've accomplished… this, it came at a cost I'd rather take back."
"Mash has been blessed." He played with the cross under his shirt. It was warm.
"And we're left to pick up the pieces."
"How is that any different from any other death?" Her eyes were hard on him. He could feel them. "I'm not talking bad about it. I understand the pain. But… I've seen funerals, I've helped with setting up processions for the dead. Priests and fathers would ask for those to help bless the dead, and I help when I can. And every time I see it, there's always people struggling with what happened."
He looked at his hands, and the back of his palm. Red splotches scratching at his skin, no more of the crimson cross from before. His digits were slightly worn, a bit bloody, from scratching at stone.
"I don't think there's a way for someone to die and not leave those close to them hurt, no matter how good they were. But knowing that Mash is literally in heaven… that helps."
"It doesn't help us."
"It does, just not with… whatever's happening."
"The literal end of the world." He stared at her. "Yes, that extreme. I figured incineration was a term that alluded you."
"It doesn't, just… guess I didn't realize it was that extreme." He took a long breath, savoring the sweetness in the air. Light, chilled, like the break of air from the ocean's coast. "Did we solve anything with this then?"
"A piece of a puzzle, like Dr. Archaman said. It means there's more, be it one or a hundred." He had to laugh. "And what in the blazes of the Root do you find funny about that?"
"Nothing good. Just… this whole thing was amazing. But you're saying, there's more of it coming." Ritsuka shook his head. "It feels like staring up at the Pieta, realizing how small you are to the rest of history, to the world."
"At least you have the scale right. I'll call that some progress. But to tackle what else is to come, I'll have to assist you."
"Assist me?"
"Of course. I said you are the literal last hope we have. I am not about to leave the lone Master of Chaldea floundering without knowledge. What would that paint me as? No, I will not be a tyrant at the end of the world. I will be the Director who guided Humanity back to its Proper History. And you, at this moment, need to be fed." Fed? "Knowledge, understanding, history, common mystic codes, all of it. You need to learn, and thankfully, I am quite good at teaching."
"Then I hope you'll help me." He smiled at her. "May God be with us as we fight for his people."
"Yes, him. I hope he returns soon." She looked down. "Just as we are about to."
Ritsuka let out a sound of confusion as he looked down as well. He saw he was starting to glow, wisps of blue light wrapping around him like moving ice. It didn't chill, but it made him blink, feeling weightless. He felt it before, but among a pit of fire and wishing for God's help.
"Just hold your breath and relax. I'll see you soon, Ritsuka Fujimaru." The Director smiled.
He wished for the assistance of Jesus last he felt this. Now, he thanked him for leading him home.
He awoke to darkness, and rubbed the spots from his eyes. His arms were heavy, earning a grunt of effort to lift them, falling across his face in a poor attempt to keep them up. His neck was sore, mind sludge, and everything felt compressed. Ritsuka, with all his strength, pushed himself up. The palm of his hand rubbed the spots from his eyes, staring into the room.
A white room, barren of any fire or ruin, and with just his bed in it. No, his bed, and then a desk, a closet, a mirror, but that was it. Bare, nearly empty, but enough for him to know where he was. He licked his lips, feeling how dry they were.
It almost hurt to swing his legs over the side of the bed, not trusting his strength to stand yet, but feeling the idea of laying down still an inappropriate one. A long breath came and left him as he pushed himself up. A long groan of effort came with the motion.
WOOSH! "Oh! You're awake~!" The door opening and cheer of a woman nearly knocked him back down. "A bit later than we expected, even by my predictions, but certainly within a deviation or two. Considering what you been through, it does make sense you would still stray further from the average~." The woman walked up, lifting her metal arm. Ritsuka had to mentally scratch his mind to find her name.
"Da… Vinci?" She beamed.
"That's me! It makes sense you wouldn't forget a genius like myself. Now, do me a favor, and sit back down so I may look you over. Can't have you falling down and hurting yourself during an examination~." She said that, but already had a hand to his shoulder, guiding him back down. It felt like a vice was holding him while she did it. "You've been out for quite sometime, doubtlessly because you haven't used your Magical Circuits like the other Masters. It required a longer period of recovery to realign the Spiritrons."
Only some of the words made sense to him. His mind was still slow. This was Da Vinci, which meant they were back in Chaldea, and he was… in what room? He took a slow breath, ready to respond.
"Now now, I don't need you to take a deep breath yet. Just hold still for a moment." Something flashed over her as she looked him up and down, scanning him with tools he didn't recognize. Not until she pulled out a stethoscope. "Now you can take a breath." She put it against his chest.
The minutes passed like a doctor's exam, state required, and he was left trying to put together the pieces in his mind. He was back, and that meant Olga had to be back… and Da Vinci wasn't worried which meant… which meant what? Nothing even looked damaged so…
"Good and good~! I'm pleased to say you are within the acceptable region of health for a male your age. Could do with a bit higher oxygen saturation, certainly some more active Magical Circuits, but that can be solved in time. Can't rush these things, as a genius like me would know~." She grinned as she stood above him, pushing out her chest, and tapping her metal hand against the door. "But on the subject of rushed subjects, I suppose you are feeling a bit out of the loop, are you not?"
He was able to breath, but working his jaw wasn't quite there. He settled for a nod, trying to figure out what it was he was missing. Something about this… something about this…
"Well, as a genius, I have perfect recall of the events. I'll begin to inform that between your return and your recovery, five days have passed." He stared. "Quite some time, isn't it? But no reason to fear, Romani and I made sure you were in perfect health before we moved you to your room. Wonderfully kept as most rooms are, we really couldn't keep you in a medical center filled with the dead."
That was also bad, but still not what was bothering him.
"Oh! That was certainly more than you were expecting. You'll have to accept my apology, sometimes a genius like me can forget what others aren't aware of." She took a seat across from him, settling into it naturally. "After you were you declared of good health and moved here, Director Animusphere was placed in her room as well. She woke up nearly three days ago, a whole 68.33 hours faster than you. Then again, she isn't a Master, so don't think too much on that."
"I don't… mind." His hand flew to his mouth, coughing. His throat hurt and the word felt like they were peeling at his skin.
"It isn't good to push your body past the point of exertion. It actually increases recovery time and reduces any adaptation your body is undergoing." The oddly worded phrase came with her hand holding him a glass of water, beads of sweat around its edges. He nodded in thanks, taking it and swallowing. It felt wonderful. "Better? Good, then please listen to the rest. A proper genius cannot be forgiven for withholding critical information. I did mention that the medical center is being used at the moment for storing the other dead Masters, turning it into a sort of wake room. Thanks to my genius, I was able to design a system to preserve the bodies without a drastic reduction in ambient temperature, but even that was limited do to the damage of the facility."
"I…" he coughed again, swallowing. Da Vinci's eyes were stern on him. "H-How much damage?"
"Not as much as I may make it sound like. I only speak of it like I do because a genius must value all her tools, and we lost quite a lot due to the explosion. Not only the Masters, but very large portion of our staff, several wings dedicated towards record filing, material storage, dormitories. It is only due to the foresight of myself and the senior Animusphere, a pair of geniuses, that we were able to keep the Reactor and SHEBA system well-guarded. It's what giving us both power and empowering the Magical Circuits and Grail System."
Something about that felt important. Ritsuka stared at his hands, clenching and relaxing them. They weren't as heavy, but they were getting better. He could see the cross on his hand, the same deep crimson as blood, bright as fire.
"Curious about the Master Seals?" Da Vinci took notice. "Their proof that the Core is still working, as they're supplying you, the lone Master, with enough Prana to act as a conduit for other Servants." Servants that… that was something. "With those in place, I can say with great assurance that Chaldea is stable and the literal last Remnant of Humanity on Earth~."
That was it. "W-What? The I-Incineration."
"Your mind is working fast. That's also good~." Her words sounded cheery, but her perpetual smile shifted. "A pity you likely remember that we have confirmed that the Order of Humanity has been wiped away. I could explain in great detail the events that caused it, as a genius is capable of, but I can also tell you simply, and simply put." The woman coughed. "No fewer than seven critical moments in the development of humanity have been altered in time, corrupting the Order of Humanity, and leading to the incineration of Man. You and the Director, working in the incorrect Fuyuki Grail War, were able to recover our portion of Humanity, allowing Chaldea to resist the entire incineration."
"A-All of it?"
"Most of it. The Bounded Field helps, and the SHEBA system. Its honestly on par with my genius to understand all the fine details. You can be comforted to know that we are safe here, even if a proper synonym would be trapped." She folded her human and fake arm, staring at him. "Though thankfully far from without a means to act~. We do have the SHEBA system, Dr. Archaman, you, and the Director. With my genius, that will be enough to begin to piece back the burned portions of the Human Order. Quite a task, isn't it~?"
She grinned, and he didn't fully understand why. Ritsuka forced himself to stand.
"I know you are no genius, but are you a fool? I thought Olga was merely being harsh with her criticism of your abilities."
"I-I'm okay," he said with a small sway. "I just need to-"
"Sit down. The desire to move is a grand one, but overactivity during recovery can increase your time. I know I've said this already." Her hand was on his shoulder again, pushing him down. "I already told the Director you were awake, so she should be here soon."
"Olga?"
"Yes, Director Olga Marie Animusphere."
SWOOSH! Her name was spoken, and she appeared.
"Good, you are awake." He looked up to see her walking through the door, face as stern as he remembered in the burning city, but with clothes cleaned, pressed, and face free of blemish. "After half a dozen false alarms, I thought this was going to be another."
"Those were your mistakes, Director~. I never reported falsely."
"R-Regardless, it's good that you are awake." Her Amber eyes focused on him. "I take it that Da Vinci has informed you of what's happening."
"Some… enough? I-I think." His head was trying to recall it all. "I don't know how much… I'm supposed to understand and what's still beyond me."
"Given your background, that's acceptable. I'll have to trust Da Vinci's work."
"Can you afford not to~?"
"No, but I can ask you to work on the Rayshifting chambers again." The Director pointed towards the door. "We have seven Masters to find, and you are the most experienced at working the system."
"No falsehood there~. I suppose this is farewell for now, Ritsuka Fujimaru. I look forward to working with you." The Servant stood, brushing off her skirt. "I do hope we can have a true meeting in the future, one that isn't overshadowed by an impending doom or your better health. It's difficult to obtain all the information you need from an unnatural system. I should know, for-"
"You genius doesn't change time, so get back to the Rayshift Controls!" The woman laughed at the Director's order, leaving the room. It left her alone, the pair of them, with him still trying to force strength into his legs. "And you still aren't fully recovered."
"Did Da Vinci tell you?"
"I have eyes." He only nodded at her comment. "Though I am happy to see you are awake. I spent a fair amount of time over the past few days watching you. I was concerned that the Rayshift taxed your system. A trial did force you to pass out on the floor." A trial.
Yeah, when he first came here. Passed out on the ground. Waking up and being helped. He felt his jaw drop.
"Mash." The name mad the woman bristle. "Mash is gone, isn't she?"
"I suppose I should be thankful I don't have to recall that to you. The horror that Dr. Archaman has been experiencing has been worrisome enough."
"Dr. Archaman?"
"Romani, the medical director. You met him, because he was the one who directed you to the chamber." He recalled the man, orange hair and panicking. "I'm not sure if Mash told you, but he was the most critical member of the team with her development. He watched over her, taught her, cared for her."
"He raised her. And she's gone." The realization hurt. "How… How is he?"
"How is anyone when they've lost something important to them?" She shook her head. "No, apologies… he's not well. Normally he would be watching over you, but I wasn't about to order a man to look over you while he was desperate to attend to her."
"Right." He nodded his head, slowly catching his breath. "I'm… I'm sorry."
"What for now?"
"Not waking up sooner. Leaving you alone to explain." He looked at his hands. "I know how hard that is, explaining something like that, without anyone next to you."
"… You really do, don't you?" She took Da Vinci's seat. "It occurred to me, while I was watching over you, that I truly know little about you."
"You didn't want to."
"I didn't have to. But that's changed." She leaned forward. "Now, you are the only Master left in Chaldea, and your history, your abilities, you, are incredibly important towards our mission. I would not be performing my duty to my utmost abilities if I forsook learning, at least some, about you."
"I can tell you. But… is now the time?" He felt a pain in his neck, forcing him to bend the opposite way. "A lot happened." His cross was moving under his shirt. He adjusted it with a swipe of his hand, savoring the metallic feeling, rooting him.
"A lot did happen. Any good Magus knows this is the most critical time for observation, just after a momentous event." She pointed at him. "You are at the center of this, because of your role was Master and the Servant you summoned. So now, I need to know about you, so we can make plans going forward."
"Plans?"
"Plans. Da Vinci explained the Incineration to you?"
"Yes, a-and the disruption to time."
"Good, but she likely missed an important detail." She leaned back. "The incineration is the extension of man… and Lev was doubtlessly behind it, but we've identified several points in time that relate to it."
"That's good news, right?"
"Better than you might think. We identified them because she was able to track the location of the Spiritrons of the seven other Masters." Ritsuka didn't understand, and Olga could tell. "It means that, unlike us who were all relegated to the Fuyuki Grail War, these seven Masters were sent to alternative points in time. It isn't difficult to think that other Masters joined them, but have since been struck down, leaving only these seven."
"Oh… that means." The bodies in the room, mention of the dead… "H-How many…"
"Masters?"
"No… how many dead?" She didn't answer. Her face scrunched for a moment. He thought it was annoyance. He thought it was, but he realized it couldn't be. There was no scowl. Her lips were upturned, in sorrow. "S-Sorry. Shouldn't have asked."
"You shouldn't have. That's not for you to worry about. I'd dare to say only one of the dead your familiar with, and you had an opportunity to say goodbye to her." He dropped his head. "Reflect on that. I must care for the dead, and the damage to the facility, but that's all."
"Can't we… Oh! We can correct this!" The idea popped into his mind. "I-I can go back and tell you what's going to happen! We can stop lev and-"
"That won't work. Believe me, I already thought of that, but both Da Vinci and every other magus shot me down."
"Why?"
"It's not possible. It's not, because you were already here to begin with." He didn't understand. "You're suggesting going back in time a week maybe, a couple of days at minimum, to pass on a message to me, or perhaps Mash. If we were to do that, we would have overlap." She folded her palms. "Like how you can't put one hand in the other, just on top of it. You can't occupy the same moment in time with your Spiritron signature, so you can't simply try over and over. Why else do you think we had so many Masters?"
"So that… if one fails… the others know how to correct?" Her smile was genuine.
"At least you have common sense. I can work with that. We're going to need everything we have to fix this. One chance to go into each area, no idea who the servants are, and no magical crests to help you when things are about to go wrong." She bit her thumb. "And what's worse, it's Team A that has been isolated."
"Team A?"
"I'll explain later. Just know they were the top choice Maguses for Chaldea. They are trapped throughout time and likely with whatever allies Lev has. Or perhaps Lev himself." Ritsuka watched her shudder. "It's nothing to worry about now. At least not right now."
"Why not?"
"Because there's more to worry about. The facility has to be repaired, the surviving members of Chaldea have to recover both mentally and physically, and you need to be trained in both Prana usage, Crest operation, and most importantly, summoning and maintaining Servants. That's my biggest concern."
"Why? It worked out well. Jesus was on our side." He smiled at the memory, looking at the crests on his hand. "He's with us, always."
"He's not here now though." He looked up. "Last we saw, he vanished into that pool with Mash. So if I take you at your word and she went to heaven, he went back with her."
"That… would make sense. That's not a bad thing though."
"I've since thought though and realized that for Mash, you're right." Her head fell again, hiding her face behind alabaster locks. "Given what she endured while she was here, what her life was like, what she wished for… I've given in that going to heaven is the best for her. But it still isn't good for us, especially if Jesus isn't here. Do you know what that means?"
"We have to have faith."
"I'll take that as a half answer, only because I thought the true answer was obvious." The Director shrugged. "You have to call him back."
"I'm sorry. I'm so… so sorry." The words continued to fall, like rain from mist, covering an already saturated ground. "You didn't deserve this. A-And I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry."
The girl, laid up on the table with a curtain protecting her modesty, didn't respond. Her face was still, placid, and cleaned like a porcelain doll. Despite the damage her body had suffered, enough to take her life, a miracle from a Servant had returned her body to normal.
And at the stated cost of her eternal soul.
"I'm so sorry Mash. I'm… I-I can never beg for your apologies enough." The hum of the lights was his answer. "I let down s-so many people, today, before, my first life, this life… they all depended on me and I failed them. I swore I wouldn't let you down… b-but I did. I… I couldn't save you, even when you needed me."
His hands clenched and trembled, not bothering to wipe away the trails of tears down his face. Gaunt cheeks let them pool beneath his sockets, and the marks from the days before had yet to be washed away. He continued to stare, in unkempt clothes and frazzled hair, he watched her, one body among the hundreds of others. She was the only one he could afford to look at.
Hers was the only body to cause him pain.
"Dr. Archaman?" A voice called. He saw one of the technicians stepping into the room, holding a board to her chest and bowing politely. "I'm sorry, am I disturbing you?"
"Yes." The words made her stiffen. "I'll be out soon. But please, leave me alone."
"Doctor… I was instructed to find you by Da Vinci. Director Olga and the recovered Master are going to use the Summoning Chamber. Do you want to be present?"
"No."
"Are you sure? The Master is-"
"He survived hell. He'll survive whatever he summons. Mash couldn't… and she still needs me." He pet her lavender hair. It was still unblemished, days after. He loathed the moment it would begin to decay. "They'll be fine."
"Of course Doctor. I'll inform Da Vinci."
He didn't respond to the retreating technician. They didn't matter. The only thing left in this world he swore to protect was gone.
Romani didn't know what mattered anymore.
"I'm sorry I failed you Mash. I'm sorry… and I'll be sorry for the rest of my days."
"I just… pull a lever?"
"Yes~." The endowed woman jumped. "Pull the lever to begin the Saint Quartz will be dispersed in order to establish a dedicated bridge with the Throne of Heroes~. It'll allow us to summon the Saint Graph appropriately and use the Chaldea system to empower the spirit." Olga shook her head. "Of course, it helps if we have a catalyst for summoning, but that only helps to reduce the variability of the servant summoned, and out of the hundreds of thousands of possibilities, a little clarity helps~."
"But how does… how does that summon Jesus? I didn't do this last time. I just asked him to come."
"Oh? Then if that is all you need, ask for him~." She poked his nose. "I'm more than willing to save on raw materials, so I'd greatly appreciate him coming back."
"I-I can call him, but it's not like he answers to me."
"But you are the Master, correct?"
"Yes, but-"
"Then there's no issue~. A lot of the stronger servants are kings, and you managed to acquire the king of Hosts!"
"Lord."
"Exactly~."
"But how do you know that this will call him?"
"You've called him before~. And as a genius, I can tell you that someone as all-consuming as Jesus Christ will return. There's simply no better time than now, is there?"
Her hands were cold, his heart matched. The only thing he wanted was to wash her grow old, and to have a full life. An empty sigh left him, the hundredth so far, as the idea came to him.
"I know your life wouldn't have been full. I know that… because it's what happens to all Homunculi. But still… before you had a ch-chance to shine. I'm sorry."
There was no answer from the girl. Romani knew there never would be.
"Just three? Don't we need more?"
"Nope~. That's all we need to establish a connection to the throne. I understand your confusion, but take it from a genius, more Crystallized Saint Graphs does not increase the size or strength of the hero summoned~. This has been well tested."
"As long as we summon Jesus Christ again, then we'll be all set. And don't look at me like that!" Olga pointed at Ritsuka. "I only doubted the credibility to him helping us in a fight, but I began by showing his worth as a Servant."
"And now, we have a devout follower~." Da Vinci took him by the shoulder, and once more the Master was reminded of the strength in her arm. "Now pull the lever so we can welcome that man here again."
He looked at the room, looking over a large chamber with grooves matching the shield Mash had in Fuyuki. It was glass, enclosed, and with technicians standing around them, eyes either down on screens he couldn't see, or staring at him. He moved uneasily, fingers on the lever and looking over the platform. The switch shook with his hand.
"Camera shy~?"
"There are cameras?" Da Vinci laughed, and Olga made a sound of aggravation. Maybe fatigue.
He used that time to take a breath, stare at the platform before him, and say another prayer.
He pulled the lever, and the room lit up with rainbow hues.
The thrum of the lights above as constant, as was the pit in his stomach. He looked to Mash, wishing each moment he blinked that she would open her eyes with him. Each time he was met with disappointment.
"Am I disturbing your?" A voice asked. Romani didn't turn around.
"Yes. Please leave."
"I offer my apologies, and condolences. It was not my intent to intrude upon your wake."
"Then please leave. I just… I don't want to leave here."
"It is against the intention of a wake to lull yourself to comfort. This is meant to be a farewell, uniting a promise of a reunion." Romani bristled. "Adoration for this child is a noble thing, but do not latch to her." His hand did just that, gripping Mash's still hand.
"Don't talk like you understand. A lot of people died. She… she's someone who doesn't have anyone else to mourn."
"Does her worth so depend upon the sorrow you bear?" Romani shut his eyes. "Be not it burden you, her passing. Let her light that was her life be a guide for your own."
"And now that she's gone? The light's gone with her."
"Her soul is not extinguished. She is not a candle blown out amongst a storm. More like a feather, lifted to the skies upon a breeze, carried peacefully to paradise."
Romani turned, brow furrowed. "And how would-" He chocked just after.
"How do I know?" Jesus answered him, a smile glowing like his robes, face hidden under his drawn hood. "For the word has made it so, and I walked her through the gates of my father's kingdom."
Romani slowly stood up, moving away for the first time in hours, focusing on something than her for the first time in days. He looked at the man standing in the doorway of the room, hands folded before him and emanating light. Kind blue eyes looked to him, and he felt adoration he had not felt since he had talked to the Lord… in his first life. It unburdened him of truth. Jesus walked to his side, eyes drifting from the doctor to the still body on the table.
"She was hesitant to take my hand, spirit burdened by the weight of those she would leave behind. Fear clung to her, asking of me to return here rather than to walk into my father's kingdom. She has a loving soul, a peaceful one."
"She… She does. She was always like that. Always asking… what she could do to help."
"Charitable, measured best in what one is most willing to give to the least needful." Blue eyes returned to him. "And this young child was willing to forsake eternity of peace to offer you her remaining years for comfort." The idea weighed heavily on Romani. "Mash Kyrielight is a charitable soul, and I was glad to have met her."
"How do I know… you're telling the truth?" The Son of God tilted his head. "We are enduring the destruction of mankind outside the bounded field. We just learned Lev was a traitor. How do I know you're not an enemy? How do I know you're not lying?"
"Do you truly question my truth, Solomon?"
The man hit the table, catching himself on the edge, suddenly fearful for both himself and disturbing the girl who lay there.
"H-HOW!?"
"You were gifted rings from my father, dinning upon you wisdom unfound in all of men that sought before. You were blessed with those gifts to lead a great kingdom, and walls upon this earth you made." Jesus took a step forward, and Romani took one back. "Why do you step away from me?"
"O-Only two people knew… Knew I was Solomon. O-One's dead! A-And the other… she'd brag about how she wouldn't tell."
"What exchange do you believe I had before I came to you? Do you think I conversed with others about your worth? Used mysticism to find your true nature?" He laughed, and the doctor had to admit it sounded heavenly. "No, Wise King. I know of you for the word speaks of you, as you were able to grasp the word as well."
He reached out his hand, and Dr. Archaman let the man grasp it. His hand was strong, uncalloused, and yet he couldn't imagine a sword even scratching at the flesh. Jesus held it up, putting a thumb to his ring. His tenth ring.
"Upon a new life on this world, you wished to relinquish what my father sought for you to hold. Of cowardice for what such power would bring." Romani did not pull back his hand. "But the ways of the Lord of Hosts are winding, and no man can see where my father leads them. Not until they stand before his gates and are asked to profess his name."
"Why are you… are you telling me this? Is the Director outside?" He looked over the man's shoulder, almost blinded by the light as he tried to do so. "I-Its obvious Ritsuka summoned you. I was told that they were summoning you now."
"They are, but they did not."
"What?"
The lights faded, and Ritsuka stared at the platform. Smoke, from where he didn't know, began to dissipate. Nothing emerged from it.
"What was that?" Olga inquired for him. "Da Vinci, did you use the wrong port for the Saint Quarts?"
"Director! You know a genius such as myself would never make that kind of mistake~." The Servant huffed, even as she looked over the panels, easily pulling the technicians away. "And no, it looks as if we have used the reserve energy, and we were able to build a connection to the Throne of Heroes. The Data here is clear as cloudless night in the desert~." Ritsuka didn't get it.
"Well something is clearly wrong." Olga stepped up, walking into the chamber and looking around. "Unless Thumbelina came in place of Jesus, we didn't summon any servant, let alone the Son of God."
"There are no historical figures so small they would be unnoticeable. Buuuut~, let me have a moment." Da Vinci worked off of a panel as Olga vented. Ritsuka could only stare forward, looking at the empty chamber, before letting his eyes fall back to his hand. The crests were still there, a burning red and almost thrumming against him. They truthfully weren't, but it felt as if they could be.
The feeling alone, and that was what he always had.
"I have some good news~!" Da Vinci cried out. "There is something that was able to manifest from the production of the Saint Quartz!"
"Where did it manifest, and how do you know?!"
"It is rude to ask a genius questions out of order~. I know that something appeared, for there is a draw on the core for more Prana, and our dear Master here is doing his duty as the bridge to supply them, or it, power." All eyes turned to him for a moment, but he didn't know what to say or do. "As for the where… well it certainly has to be in Chaldea somewhere."
"Are you implying there's a rogue servant just walking around Chaldea right now?! Can you even be sure it's Jesus Christ?"
"I cannot, because I didn't get a reading on his core when he was summoned in Fuyuki. Too little power and he was not present during either contact~." The Servant hummed. "However… if he is here now, then we'll certainly know~."
"Oh of course! Once you see him you know!" It was almost comforting; hearing Olga make a sound that wasn't directed at him. "Well then? What are you waiting for?" That was though.
"What?"
"There's a Servant in Chaldea! We have to find them!" She walked by him, taking his hand and pulling him. "It had better be Jesus, or else we'll be in trouble."
"I certainly hope it's him, too."
"Of course you do." She sighed, even as technicians moved aside. "Just be sure to… to actually tell him to help us this time. Not just doing everything he asks, but actually making requests of him." The emphasized words were all she let him speak.
Ritsuka already knew what he was going to tell.
"My Lord, command of me what you will."
"B-But then how are you here? You can't… you can't just-"
"When the world is reduced to smoke and the men are heedless of my word, I will come again. For I shall not let the light of my father be taken from those who seek the purity of his kingdom, or the peace that it allots." He continued to smile towards him. "This home of mystics is all that holds together the fruits of humanity, and the blessings my father bestowed upon them."
"It is, but-"
"And by the same craft with which my father ensured the union of Mary, my mother, and Joseph, my father, so too did he bring together a devout servant of mine, but also a child seeking to ensure the prosperity of the world, in a home that would endure the rapture of time's end."
His mouth was dry. Romani realized that as he tried to swallow. His hand was shaking, even as Jesus held it. It wasn't right. He should at least have an idea what was going to happen, but he gave that up. He sacrificed the wisdom of God for the prosperity of a man's life on earth.
"Is this… punishment, or a second chance?"
"For whom to do you ask?"
"Myself."
"Then do you ask so you may continue your journey, or abandon your task?" Jesus drew up his other hand. Romani stared at it. He chocked when he saw what was laying in the Lord's palm.
Rings. Four rings.
"M-M-My-"
"Gifts from my father, to be returned to you. A ring sent to the future so that you may be called." His thumber marked the ring adorned to Romani's finger. "And so that you may guide a follower of the Word forward, as he ventures against the currents conspiring against him. Shepard that I am, you were one before me."
Jesus twisted his hand, beckoning Romani to do the same. He held out his free hand, accepting the rings deposited to his palm. Each one felt like the weight of a soul in his hand, familiar and heavy. His hand almost dropped them, rattling as he shook.
"Do you fear this power?"
"No… N-No. I don't, a-and I didn't."
"Then what begs you to shiver?"
"Knowing what's coming next." His hand grasped the rings. They scratched at one another. "Or… not knowing. Asking me to take these rings again, after I've given them up." Her took a slow breath. "I gave them up for a reason."
"Did you?"
"I did. I gave my life for those rings, and to help my father's kingdom grow. I did make it grow. I did everything God asked of me. I gave everything… including my will." His hand was deciding where to perch itself. On his chest on Mash's head.
"As many have done before you, and many have done after. One of whom is acting now."
"That boy… he chose you."
"You chose my father."
"He chose me."
"He did, but only made himself known when you made call to him. You did not ask for what he took, and I will let none twist the truth to best fit the Word." Jesus took a step forward. He felt as if eternity was approaching. "But do you regret what my father gave you, or what it cost?"
"I don't… I don't regret it." He wanted to, but he couldn't. "But I want what I've had, for the past years here."
"Even knowing that it will lead to the sorrow weighing on your soul."
Before the Son of God, Romani snarled.
"Don't talk like you know!"
"I speak for I do know. You mourn for the child you helped raise. I cried to my father for a cousin taken from me." The anger in the doctor evaporated. "Taken for him doing what he knew just, what God asked, and still leaving being so swiftly a punishment for those left to mourn."
"John… was killed for God."
"And Mash as well. But both now stand in my father's kingdom. Neither would wish for you or I to scorn him."
The words made the Doctor grip empty air, finding nothing to perch himself on. How was he doing this? How was this man speaking and… and throwing away the life Romani had no regret asking to be put aside. He was human now. He was! So how was Jesus doing this?
"You forsook power, for you believed you could not live while you held them." The Lord of Hosts laid a hand upon his shoulder. "I know well of what you speak. I know for I have the same power."
"You do. The wedding feast at Cana." He wouldn't be caught twice.
"Where my mother told of how my journey began, and so I sought to found the Church, in my father's name." Jesus leaned back, folding his hands. "My journey ended with my death as well, only to rise on the third day, so others may know me, and come to know me. Do you know why then I return these rings to you?"
Romani held them up, watching the rings move about as he unlatched his fingers. Each one, as if by design, falling to the appropriate digit of his palm. Wisdom, power, command, all of it… and he needed none of them to know the answer.
"Because it is my turn now… to finish what God designed for me."
Jesus smiled back. And for the third time, Romani saw the gates of heaven.
"May you honor my father's name, Solomon. Heed well my will, and do well with your Master." Jesus turned away. "I shall see you again. And you… you shall be honored." The Lord stepped forward through the doorway again, and the light blinded Romani.
He blinked, and saw nothing but an empty metal hall. He jumped forward, looking out the archway and head swinging left to right, but there was nothing. Just him… and the bodies of those he had failed behind him. Almost slumping he walked back in, holding his hand up to his face.
The proof of who had come to him in his palm, and the weight of the future in his grasp. His breath was shallow as he contemplated it.
"Is this a test… or is this an order?" He asked no one. "It can't be a reward." He looked up, staring at Mash again. Her still body did not answer. "Not a reward. A duty. To earn my reward." To see Mash.
Mash, guided to heaven by Jesus, who offered him the rings to guide others once more. Guide them to heaven… where his dreams were.
For the first time in days, the doctor smiled.
"The Wisdom of Solomon. It means nothing compared to God."
"We still haven't found him."
"And we're not for as long as you continue to let me drag you!"
"I'm walking now."
"You know what I mean!" The director nearly stomped his foot. "Just… just help me look and look for any Servant."
"But how am I going to know what they look like? I don't want to admit it… but I didn't even recognize my Lord when I first saw him. I needed him to tell me."
"That's how Servants work. I know I told you that a Servant's true name is important, because once you know their legend, you know how to kill them. It's why so few of them appear as you'd expect. The only thing you can trust is that they'll let you know that they are a servant, and that's by not dressing like any average technician around here."
"So like… Da Vinci?"
"Yes, dressed like her." The Director sighed again. "Although I pray less flamboyant or insufferable." He laughed at her comment. "What?"
"Nothing, I promise. I just agree." She continued to stare at him. "I like Da Vinci, i-in that she's kind to me and helped out. But… she calls herself a genius… a lot."
"And you've only met her twice. Do you know how hard it is for those of us who live with her?" The Director grinned, amber eyes almost glowing. "Then again, that does mean that you are living here now as well."
"I guess I am. Me, and… are we sure there is another Servant?"
"Da Vinci is sure, and I trust her. And yes, whoever the Servant is, they will be new here." She turned a corner, and he followed. "I do hope that it is Jesus."
"So do I."
"Hmm~. I was so sure we would be grasping at the hem of the alb by now." Da Vinci murmured as she looked over the charts and data. "Everything was in order, the boy acting as a well-enough catalyst, and given his lack of connection to other servants, it greatly increased the odds. But no Servant? This just isn't right."
The Renaissance Artisan leaned back, wrapping her metal digits about her staff, staring at the chamber in thought. A thousand and ten ideas floated through her mind, striking up and down their worth, like cogs in a machine.
"A servant that recalled himself, perhaps? It is certainly possible, as the Servant inside Mash would have likely done the same. Her continued existence is proof that a Demi-Servant is both vassal and shield from retreating from the Grail War. Though that does add the curiosity of if the Servant appeared in someone else~. How odd would it be for a Servant to choose to be summoned within a human."
"Is it odd, Ma'am?" The Servant looked at the technician.
"Of course~. Us Servants are far more malleable, with our Saint Graphs. But as soon as we write our appearance to a human host, if we chose to do so, we would be limited in ourselves, like saying you can only use the hexadecimal keys on your board." Her finger traced the monitor. "You need special characters to operate complex code, and us Servants need more than a mortal body to operate to our best. That brings me back to the first question. Where is the Servant?"
"Can we… track them?"
"If we had Chaldea at full capacity, perhaps~. But for now, our dear Director and precious last Master may have the right idea, playing hide and seek."
"They wouldn't need to look far, would they?" Da Vinci grinned with the words.
"Not at all, Romani. There is precious little room left in Chaldea at the moment, so I suspect it won't take the pair of them long to find him."
"Him?"
"Oh yes, as I am confident it is Jesus who has returned~." He laughed with her. "Oh, finally finding the genius of my humor?"
"It took a little getting used to." The man surprisingly admitted. "I suppose… I just needed to remember a bit of wisdom to see the intelligence behind your jokes." And that was odd as well. Da Vinci turned with a quirked brow.
Said brow vanished under the bangs of her hair, seeing Romani for the first time.
"Ro… Dr. Archaman."
"Neither, actually. And both, as I haven't thrown away all that I've learned." Chair squeaked as the other technicians turned around. Gasps and looks of surprise filled the room, with hushed and hurried questions just following. "Then again, I am becoming who I was before, aren't I?"
"You… you were the resummon? But no, that… that would imply an overlapping mental state, and it would conflict with your wish. It couldn't have been you that came back."
"It wasn't," he answered smiling, even as everyone else about him had looks of rushed panic. "But he did give me what I needed to come back, or at least all that was needed." The man held up a tanned hand, holding it over his bleached hair. His fingers flexed, showing the five rings dancing on his right hand. "Wisdom given to me from God, and his son returned what I threw away. Doesn't that show the charity of the Lord of Hosts."
"Yes… I suppose it would qualify." Da Vinci listed the agreement, running through observations and documenting. All the changes in the man. Each one of them making her grin a bit higher. "This is going to be fun~."
"What is? The journey?"
"A part of it, but I'm referring to something else~." The female servant strode towards the former doctor, standing with a robe of died crimson, laced with gold, and grinning like a king. "I cannot wait to see what our dear Director will have to say about this~."
"Da Vinci!" The Director yelled, making her way back to the summoning chamber. "You were wrong you insufferable genius!"
"I-Is it really okay to talk to her like that?" Ritsuka picked up the pace next to Olga.
"I'm the Director, she's a Servant, and she sent us on the equivalent of a wild goose chase with her genius being the only solid proof she had!"
"I thought she had that measurement thing, about the amount of energy being taken up."
"HA!" Olga barked. "That's used for everything! Someone could be analyzing beyond the bounded field to ensure the SHEBA system is correctly monitoring the distortions in space, and that would have picked it up!"
"Are they doing that?"
"They had better be! We're trying to collect the necessary power to correct history, so we need to know where to go!" She stomped outside the door to the summoning chamber. "And by my father's name, I'm going to kick that Servant in the chin hard enough to have her on the ground if she so much as chuckles about her mistake!"
"Then what if she doesn't admit it was a mistake?" She stared at him. "I've met… a lot of people who were sure of themselves, outside churches, trying to lecture me."
"If that's the case, then we can both kick her." Her hand slapped the screen.
Access Granted, Director Olga Marie Animusphere
"Trust me, if she does laugh, you'll want to kick her. If not now, then later when she starts to lord over you how little you know."
"Oh Director~! I've never told you how little you know. I've always complimented your intelligence!" The Servant stood proudly near the glass chamber. "But that doesn't mean speaking lowly of myself, does it~?"
"Only when you're wrong." The alabaster haired woman strode into the room, showing her ownership of it. "And after looking over Chaldea, I can easily say that short of summoning a low-class assassin, no servant was summoned!"
"Then I suppose I have to speak of my genius once again, for I can assure you that I am most correct!"
"Ritsuka, prepare to kick." The words made Da Vinci laugh. "Have a good cheer, but you know you deserve it."
"If I was wrong, perhaps, but I think it would be more beneficial if you instead questioned what else has changed, rather than what has been added." Ritsuka didn't understand. "Oh my apologies, my genius got away from me~."
"I think… I do want to kick her."
"Glad you do!"
"I concur!" Da Vinci, oddly, agreed. "It means I will deserve apologies from the both of you!" She held out her arms, presenting her rather prodigious figure to them. "For neither of you have noticed what has changed!"
"Stop trying to have fun and just tell us what you're talking about!"
"She's referring to me." Ritsuka turned with the voice, and froze at the sight.
He didn't recognize the man, not at first. His was tanner than anyone else he'd met so far here. He had hair that was long as Olga's, and bleached a purer white. His robes were so red he couldn't have been missed easily, and laced with gold around the edges made him look regal, beyond that even. Like he wasn't just noble, but also wealthy, and wise, and inviting, and all these things…
He had to be the Servant, and they just missed him. Maybe his fault.
"Romani!" Romani? "What do- whoa!" Ritsuka heard Da Vinci snort on air at the explosion of the Director. "What in the Root's name did you do! What are you wearing!?"
"This?" The man, Dr. Archaman, maybe, asked. "A gift from the Queen of Sheba, delivered with bags of gold to court me and my wisdom. It was cleaned by a handmaiden, and I cherished it, as it was proof that the walls of Isreal produced as much as it prevented."
"That is not what I meant, and you know it!"
"I do, I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." He smiled beautifully to show his good nature. "But I greeted your father the same way when we met. He only nodded and said it was acceptable."
"Oh good God." Ritsuka winced. "You wore that when you first met my father? You must have charmed him to earn a position in Chaldea after that!"
"I met him far before then, actually. Before he even had the idea of the organization." The man held up his hand, moving his fingers and showing off the glow of his rings. "He found one of my rings, and used it to call me to his side."
"You had an engraving for Spiritron connection?" Ritsuka didn't know what that meant either. "I suppose with how frequently you slack off in your work, that would be necessary." He laughed with her, and Da Vinci joined in. The lone Master looked about confused.
"Actually, I didn't send it to him. I sent it into the future." What? "Thousands of years ago, when my reign of king was done, and the Lord instructed me to protect what was to come." What?
"What?" Olga repeated Ritsuka's thoughts. "What are you… no, no way. That is not possible. I-It is not possible." She stomped her feet. "I'll accept a demotion from my post if the Servant we just summoned possessed you as a Demi-Servant!"
"It did?"
"Oh dear, such a pity~." Da Vinci spoke, face full of grins. "It appears I'll have to express my genius physically from now on. There is a good number of studies showing that concussive energy can increase mental acuity~."
"What Da Vinci means, Director, is that I was not summoned recently. I was summoned some time ago. I was the Servant your father called forth for the Grail War." He was what? "I won the war with him, and he used the Grail's power to wish for wealth, because I wished for a new life." He did what? "I was given a new life, and I followed your father as he used the wealth of the grail to establish Chaldea."
"I… I knew he got his wealth from the war, but I thought that was the only wish."
"Then you underestimated the power of the grail~." Da Vinci noted. "With only partial power, enough currency can be generated to make the Pope of my time blush and question his faith. You understand, don't you Ritsuka~?"
"Sixtus the fourth," he noted easily. "One of the sisters taught me about him, during the history of the Church during the Renaissance. He… tried to kill people… a lot. Even the Medici."
"So?"
"He was jealous of bankers, Olga~. The man was poor at birth and wanted to rule with money, so he tried to bring everything back under one banner to do so."
"That wasn't bad."
"No, unity is not a poor sentiment," Da Vinci consented. "But unity for profit is. No different than a genius refusing to think without coin." She scoffed. "Intelligence aside, it is the current history that is more important, not some event or people hundreds of years passed."
"Right, right, YOU!" Olga recovered, pointing at Romani. "I'll… I'll accept that my father hid your true self for a reason a-and that you are a servant, but who are you." The man smiled, and Ritsuka had a guess.
"Solomon. King Solomon."
"WHAT!?" He didn't know what she screamed.
"Very good Ritsuka~." The other Servant cheered like a child. "You may need some improvements to your circuits, but we would be liars if we said you lacked in knowledge of your faith."
"It's just… what he said about rings, and Israel, and SHEBA. I know of them because St. Joseph was a descendant of David, and I was curious who else came from him." He swallowed. "Your famous for it."
"I suppose I was. Even in my time, called so many things to earn the ire and love of other kings and queens." The man began to walk, and Ritsuka realized how kingly he was. Far beneath Jesus Christ, but trying to closely resemble him.
Clothes not hitting the ground, keeping them free from stain, hardly making a noise, aside from the tap of his shoes, and letting off a glow, subtle, almost like an aura, that brought his attention. It was hard to look away, and he realized that almost all the technicians were doing the same thing. Just staring, and comparing. He felt guilty for doing so. He'd need confession.
"I was called the Messiah, or one who would welcome him." Ritsuka shook his head. "How humorous it is to think of it now, having met the man who truly carried that immaculate title." What?
"What do you mean?"
"Jesus came before me, and he returned to me my rings."
He almost couldn't believe it.
"You saw him?" Ritsuka was on him in a moment. His cross swayed beneath his shirt.
"I did. And he was as glorious as the Lord told me he would be." The Doctor, Solomon, smiled. "His only son, born to free the world, showing what I could not accomplish even with all his blessings." He marveled at the rings on his hand again. "Truly the messiah."
"Yes… yes he is." Ritsuka couldn't stop smiling. "And he's here?"
"No, he left. He returned to me my rings, half of them, and directed me to follow you." His eyes shifted between him and Olga.
"What do you mean he gave you the rings."
"I mean as I say. He came to me as I spoke to Mash, and he gave me the rings, telling me that much was to come, and I would be needed." He smiled on. "I once wished upon the grail to have a human body, to live a human life, but now the Lord of Hosts has come to me a second time to tell me of a grand task. It would be an insult to him to not accept."
"He gave you the rings. He was here," Olga listed. "That means, he was Jesus we same in Fuyuki, the place you died."
"A version of time you corrected."
"Yes, thankfully. But that's not what I'm focusing on. What's critical is… Is that he knew." Amber eyes stared at him. "He knew who you were back then. He, somehow, collected your rings, and waited until we freed the land and then returned them to you."
"It is far more than that, Director~. He waited until we were looking to summon him before he presented himself to Solomon here. He spoke short to bring his point and his gifts, and left before you could search for him. He was aware of it all. True omniscience." The woman leaned back, a long grin on her face. "What a blessing it must be. To know it all and know how to save, working with our desires to make his plan unfold~. A divine genius." She was humming.
"A genius that hid himself. He just… oh geez, this is too much." Ritsuka watched Olga wave at a technician, who got up from his seat. She took it without ceremony, putting her head in her hands. "Just when I thought I finally figured out a bit about the Servant, this happens. And I get ten new things to worry about."
"Ten?"
"How long was Romani going to hide he was a Servant? Why did my father hide that his literal servant was still working with us? Why didn't Jesus help us instead of asking Solomon to?" Each statement had the tanned man screwing his lips. "When did Jesus show up in Fuyuki? Was he waiting for us in the first place? Why didn't he show himself here after we called for him again?" Her eyes fell on him. "But of course, how much of this is he aware of? Is he going to help us going forward? And if he is, why isn't he here. If he isn't, why?"
"That's only nine questions, Director~."
"I'm not speaking the tenth until I calm down. Otherwise it may turn into an order, Da Vinci."
"Giusta~." What? "Though maybe I can answer some of those inquiries."
"I can. It is the lowest thing I can provide as compensation." Dr. Archaman, no, Solomon, spoke on. "Your father did not speak of me by my wish."
"And what wish is that?"
"I wanted to live as a normal man." He held up his hand, staring at his own rings. "Not one burdened by the weight of God's wisdom, or carrying the proof of his power, but a man who plowed the fields and helped others, with the strength of his own spirit."
"That… I don't understand," Ritsuka pointed at him. "You think it was a good idea to do that?"
"Good? No. It was a selfish wish." Turning away a literal gift from God, wisdom so great it led a kingdom to flourish amidst a famine, and earn the love of even foreign nations.
"Yeah, it does sound like it."
"Regardless, what else can you tell me, Solomon?"
"That I never intended to show myself. Not until Jesus came forth and made a request of me, after proof of Mash's soul beyond the gates." Both Master and Servant smiled. "Though I failed to protect her body, I can tell, through the wisdom passed to me, Jesus gave credence to Mash's purity to me. I did not guard her body well enough, but her soul was righteous and pure. It was what allowed her to enter the gates of paradise, gates that I could never fashion even at the height of my power."
"Until you are like the innocence of children, you cannot see unto the Land of God," Ritsuka paraphrased. "Jesus said that to his followers, before entering Galilee."
"Wonderful, how great!" Olga shouted. "Least we know it took an act of the literal Son of God to get you to reveal yourself. The Root only knows what else would have been needed otherwise."
"Perhaps it would be best not to wonder."
"But we have to!" She shouted back. "Because Jesus gave you the rings, and you died in Fuyuki. The one we visited at least." Oh yeah, Archer and Saber both said that happened. "That means he was there before us, or was able to acquire your Regalia! How did he manage that without telling us!? Why didn't Jesus tell us!?"
"Oh my dear Olga, I think you may be thinking of the question wrong~."
"How now?"
"Rather than asking when or why he came, perhaps the more appropriate avenue for deduction is how~." Da Vinci wrapped her metal arm on her staff. "How did the Servant Jesus appear before Ritsuka asked of him? And how did he appear here, if it was not due to the Summoning Chamber? For all the miracles the Son of God professes, I don't believe Agility like lightning is among them~."
"He appeared because… not me…" Ritsuka thought aloud. "I asked for his help before the Rayshift started, and then I was asking for help when I found Mash. But he was there before…" his mind spun.
"Yes~?"
"He… wasn't a Servant."
"Oh yes he was!" Olga jumped up. "You were close, but I get what you're talking about Da Vinci. He Independently Manifested, by the will of the Root. Am I right?"
"Maybe~." The answer earned ire. "I don't know, I just know that it wasn't by any summoning done by Ritsuka, intentional or otherwise. Independent Manifestation makes the most sense, but until we have all possibilities, we cannot make a definite conclusion."
"What other possibility is there?"
"Even as a genius, I don't know. What can the Son of God not do?~"
Author's Note: Solomon is depowered and the massive power he has will not be the be-all-end-all for all the problems Chaldea will face.
The, I began with that to make it clear I'm not going to have him look like worthless Servant or turn all the issues into nothing. The Epilogue will show you just how out of the depth from norm the Singularities will be, but more than, there is a genuine lynchpin to using Solomon as a Servant that will be addressed. Not next chapter… but next arc.
Well, I have an epilogue to write… then a decision to make. Enjoy and rage against my imagination!