Prologue | Familiar Fields / Hollow Home

The first thing I felt was the blades of grass brushing against my fingers. The first thing I heard was the wind blowing through the trees nearby. The first thing I smelled was the fresh grass I laid upon. The first thing I saw was blue skies, wisps of clouds floating by. The first thing I taste—my first breath—was fresh air, untainted by the odour of blood and iron.

Gradually, my sense of self returned to me. Memories of who I was, what I was, came rushing back like a torrent of water. Being summoned for the first time, it felt like I was emerging from a very deep pool. Floating in total darkness, with only myself and the memories of my failures and last moments to keep me company. Until I saw it. A faint light in the distance, and a warm voice beckoning me to follow.

The light enveloped me as I got close to it, and the next thing I knew I was lying down on the grass. I moved my fingers to test if I could move them okay, then my arms, and slowly I managed to sit up. This wasn't my real body, that much was obvious. My body turned to ashes after I was killed. No, this was merely a construct created by… something. I wasn't entirely sure what it was that manifested me, but I knew what I am now.

A "Heroic Spirit" summoned by my "Master" to be their "Servant" under a specific "Class".

"…Lancer… Lancer… hmm… So that's what I am…?"

Unfamiliar terms, phrases, concepts flooded my mind. The words were alien on my tongue, but somehow they made complete sense to me. I knew that I was summoned to serve my new Master, in service to their goals and desires. And yet, something was wrong.

I looked around, only to see that I was the only living being around—no sign of whoever summoned me. I sighed and stood up.

"Typical. I can't even be summoned correctly…"

I wiped off any traces of dirt on my dress before looking around. It was a very familiar place to me. A place I couldn't forget even if I wanted to. The field where the last battle of my rebellion took place. I chuckled, shaking my head at the absurdity.

"Of all the places to end up, I end up here… How long has it been? I can't remember…"

It looked so different without the sea of dead humans, weapons strewn about the ground, and the sounds of battle filling the air. I shook my head. Dwelling on past memories wouldn't do me any good. Not when I was in a rather unusual situation. I'm a Servant, and I've clearly been summoned, but where was my Master?

I felt something unusual pulse in my core. It was tugging at me, saying "this way, this way" incessantly. I did feel a faint connection with the one that summoned me, so perhaps that pulse was them trying to reach out to me.

"…I should definitely go check it out."

As I took my first step, a thought crossed my mind.

Should I…?

After a moment of contemplation, I smiled. I could, and I would get to my destination quicker, but I wanted to feel the ground beneath my feet for a little while. To experience what it was like walking through my homeland without worrying about what awaited me beyond the horizon. Off in the distance, I heard the calming waves of the sea. It was quite a distance away, but I heard it all the same. A forlorn expression crossed my features for a moment before I snapped out of it.

Committing to following this pulse wherever it took me, I set off across those familiar fields. The act of walking itself was pleasant, after spending so long floating in that endless void. As I see a forest on my way, a bright smile broke out on my face and I began running towards it. I had such fond memories of the forest near my "home", that being able to relive any part of my childhood would have been enough to make me take a detour. As it was on the road to where I was going anyway, it wouldn't hurt to indulge in a little revelry.

Passing through the forests was like child's play for me, having grown up so close to them. Being in such a familiar environment, I felt a little playful—running around trees, jumping over fallen logs, kicking up piles of leaves that had gathered together. Memories of my childhood flickered in and out, driving me to do things I haven't done in such a long time. I swung on branches, climbing up a particularly large tree and resting on a large branch near the top. I resisted the urge to grab some fruit to eat—even when my stomach began to growl. I rested a hand on my stomach when the sound reached my ears, my bright expression dimming a little. I would have thought that being in a corporeal body would have completely eradicated my need for food, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

Even in this new body, the hunger… I'll deal with it later. First, I have to find my Master.

I fell backwards off the branch, falling for a moment before I let my wings handle the rest of the descent. I softly landed back on solid ground, and continued my trek through the forest.

I eventually found my way out, seeing a somewhat large hill in the distance… that, and smoke filling the sky. My eyes narrowed, and I wondered why I was being led here. And, more importantly, what exactly was creating that smoke? It felt… familiar. Quickly, I ran over to the hill, running up it without difficulty. When I reached the top, I froze in place.

What I saw was beyond belief. I've never been to this particular city myself, but any self-respecting resident of this land would be able to recognise this place on sight. It was a significant landmark; a piece of history that could never be repeated.

"This is… Camelot…"

My whisper was swallowed by the sound of demonic screeches, heavy clanging, and the smoke billowing out from the large columns that dotted some of the buildings. This once shining beacon, the symbol of Britain's hope for a peaceful future, was now desecrated. A hollow shell of what it once was; a demented parody of what that man—that King—once ruled over.

The white walls were scarred black, the buildings twisted, the ground corrupted and rotten. And the castle… Once I saw what the castle had become, a lot of things started to make sense.

"So it was you who brought me here… Mother…" I spat, bile and hatred filling my voice. "What the hell have you done…?"

I didn't know what King Arthur's castle looked like before, but I recognised what it had become. The place I once lived in—a demonic mansion, its exterior malleable but maintaining a certain logic and reasoning to its structure; its interior chaotic, ever changing and shifting, no two rooms ever looking the same even if you walk back and forth between them.

Memories of my time there came to me now. Those dark days were ones I would rather forget, but how could I when the symbol of those times was standing tall in front of me?

A terrifying thought came to me. If my Master was trapped by my "mother", then I needed to go and save them. Even if what awaited me within that twisted mansion was nothing but nightmares and digging up unpleasant memories. Before I could commit to that decision, I felt something tap my shoulder twice.

Without even stopping to consider what I was doing, I spun around, summoning my lance to my hand and pointing it in the direction of the one who managed to sneak up on me.

It was a woman. A strange woman. White hair and red eyes, wearing a white dress with black tights. She carried a staff with her, marking her as a mage of some kind. I mean, I'm not one to usually call someone "strange" in terms of appearance, given what I look like, but something about this woman was unsettling to me. If any human being looked upon her, I imagine they would have been transfixed by her beauty. And she is beautiful, make no mistake, but I could see right through her. And I would personally think twice before getting too involved with this woman, even if she is drop-dead gorgeous.

"My, my," she said, honey coating her voice, "I certainly hope that isn't how you greet every beautiful woman who speaks to you."

"…Given the present circumstances, you'll have to forgive me for being more than a little cautious." I let my spear vanish in a flash of gold, my arm dropping to my side. "And who are you?"

"Me? Well… telling you my name might get me into trouble so, for the moment, you can call me… 'Lady Avalon'. Yes, that name suits me perfectly."

I shot the woman an expressionless stare. She was going to be difficult to deal with, I can already tell, but she's probably the only friendly face I would see around these parts. I had to get whatever information I could out of her. I turned to look back at the demented city.

"Well, Lady Avalon, do you know what happened here?"

I felt her move to stand beside me. From the corner of my eye, I could see her gentle, almost cat-like, expression and smile.

"You would know the answer better than anyone," she said. "But I know that's not what you're asking. You're wondering how exactly this is possible, given what happened to you and your 'family' in history proper, correct?"

I nodded. Given the events that led to my death, I would have imagined that the Court fell apart. Unless I was hallucinating, what I was seeing in front of my eyes say otherwise.

"The simple answer is that an immovable point in history has been altered, and now said history is beginning to unravel. Normally, this particular moment in time should have been impossible to manipulate. The events that led to Arthur Pendragon becoming King and the events that led to his kingdom's destruction are Quantum Time-Locked, but…"

"'But'…?"

"…A short while ago, a different world had been born here, in these British Isles. Thousands of years of an alternate history unfolded. Kingdoms rose and fell, many lost their way and became monsters, and the tragic tale of the Avalon le Fay came to a heart-wrenching conclusion with the defeat of the Deceiver. It's quite the journey, make sure to learn about it when you get the chance."

She spoke of a tragic tale, and yet didn't show that much emotion about it. She probably wasn't there, and was speaking from an objective point of view, but her demeanour was… unusual. I brushed that thought off to the side. It wasn't important.

"The world has become a blank canvas, on which seven people fought to legitimise their false histories—Lostbelts—turning fantasy into reality… Well, only one remains now. This is the battle you've been summoned to: to reverse the Felling Theoretical Phenomenon, and restore Proper Human History to its rightful place. Quite the first battle to be summoned to: the 'Grand Order'… Ah, I'm almost jealous."

It felt like my head was spinning trying to understand everything this Lady Avalon just told me. There was so much there I didn't understand. I pushed through the confusion and tried to get to the core of the matter.

"So you're saying that these 'Lostbelts' have something to do with what's going on here?"

"Indirectly, yes. The British Lostbelt had proven to be… rather complicated. The 'Lostbelt' had become a 'Lost World' which almost engulfed everything in the wake of its destruction. The history of Britain, as a result, became… fluid. Uncertain. Your mother has taken advantage of this, creating a Singularity that shouldn't be able to exist."

I looked upon this corrupted Camelot, understanding what Lady Avalon meant when she said "shouldn't be able to exist." It felt… wrong, looking upon this blackened city. Even I, who fought to dismantle King Arthur's legacy, couldn't help but be disgusted with what had been done. I felt no need to ask about my "mother" and what she's been up to. Lady Avalon was right to say that I knew the answer to that better than anyone.

"…You say that I was summoned to fight in a 'Grand Order'," I said, curiosity filling my tone. "Sounds a little too large for a single Servant to handle, even for someone like me."

"Indeed. Needless to say, you weren't supposed to end up here. Your mother has interfered with your summoning, dragging you to this Singularity. Where you were supposed to end up… hehe, it's quite the special place."

I tilted my head, silently urging her to continue. Lady Avalon's perpetual smile seemed brighter as she spoke these next few words.

"Chaldea—The Organisation for the Preservation of Human Order. That is where you were meant to go. Where you belong now. I can help you get there, but I have to warn you: it won't be a smooth journey."

"I've had to deal with harsh landings before. I can handle it."

Lady Avalon shook her head.

"When I say it won't be a smooth journey, I wasn't talking about getting you to Chaldea." She pointed her staff off to the side. Towards the city. "I was talking about that."

I turned my head, and what I saw made my heart drop. The gates were opening. Sounds of revelry and demonic cheering filled the air as a horde of demons spilled out into the fields surrounding the blackened walls. It didn't take a genius to know the reason why they were coming out in force. They knew that I was there. My mother knew that I was there. And she was coming after me.

I knew the reason why she would be keen on having me by her side, and knew that I couldn't let that happen. Without support, however, things might get rough if I tried to fight that horde of demons directly. I didn't have the mana to spare fighting a protracted battle without a solid connection to my Master. I had no choice but to run.

Flower petals flitted past me, making me turn back to Lady Avalon. She had vanished, disappearing into thin air. Her presence didn't entirely disappear, however, her voice filling my head a moment later.

"I'll meet you on the other side of the forest. It should give me enough time to prepare."

I turned back to look at the demonic horde coming towards me and bolted in the direction of the forest, sliding down the hill. Lady Avalon told me that it wouldn't be a smooth journey. I had to deal with many difficult situations since I took on my name and hoisted the flag of rebellion in the name of my father. Needless to say, that news was old.

"Nothing is ever fucking smooth when it comes to me!"

⸻ ✦ ⸻

- Author's Note -

Well, hello there. And welcome to what is likely to be a rather large tale. While not the first fan fiction I've ever written, it is the first I've written for Fate/Grand Order, the Fate series, and TYPE-MOON in general. I've been a fan for such a long time and I wondered why it has taken me so long to do this.

It's been a while since I played in someone else's playground, especially one this large and winding, so I ask that you forgive any wrinkles you may find as I work to get rid of the rust. That being said, I hope you've enjoyed, would love to see your thoughts on it, and I'll see you next chapter.