*/*/*
"We've been in the Arena for a while. You cold?" Lancer looked over, only to see Hakuno giving him that flat deadpan stare she only gave when she found something particularly foolish. Yeah, he supposed that wasn't the smartest question. "That school uniform cannot retain heat well". It was a wonder Hakuno was only just now starting to turn blue in all honesty. Lancer didn't have anything to offer his shivering Master. They were deep enough in the Arena it was smarter to find the exit portal than to trek all the way back to the entrance. Their gazes met, and as the look in Hakuno's eyes, Lancer simply nodded and got back to work defeating the programs.
TRIGGER OBTAINED - TRIGGER CODE ZETA came the reward for their persistence. Followed by locating the exit shortly afterwards. The school's atmosphere was a relief from the cold, though it came as no surprise that Hakuno cocooned herself into a blanket caterpillar the moment they were back in the classroom.
"I've been thinking, wouldn't a Reality Marble of that size take a lot of magical energy?" Hakuno's voice was muffled slightly from her caterpillar state, but Lancer could understand her easy enough. And she had a good point now that he considered it.
"Not only the size but the fact they maintained it for hours". Lancer briefly wished he could tap into his Caster self's understanding of magic. But the thought of losing his spear sent shivers down his spine. Even in Lancer's current state however, the sheer energy cost of something like twin girls had managed seemed absurd to him, even for the most stellar mage.
"Even if we took a Servant from the Age of the Gods, their magical energy comes originally from the Master. And a Master NPC or Human has a point where the magical energy reserve will reach zero and continuing cannibalizes the body." Despite her caterpillar state, Lancer could imagine Hakuno's eyes narrowing as she thought.
"So, you need something or someone that either isn't an NPC, a Human, or where they don't need to worry about destroying a body." Not that Lancer had ideas as to what fit the description, but he could be a damn good sounding board for his book loving Master.
"Argh! I feel like I read or heard something that might work, but it's just not coming to me!" The blanket caterpillar wiggled in frustration.
"It's late Master. Get some rest. Maybe you'll remember in the morning." Caterpillar Master sulked in his direction, but ultimately listened to Lancer's advice. Now he needed to heed his own words. The Moon Cell would wait for no one.
*/*/*
Everywhere ached. Bone deep exhaustion from a hard day's training pulsed through every nerve. "I suppose I can let you have a break" a feminine voice came from off to Hakuno's left and her field of vision title slightly towards the speaker. A woman with dark purple hair, a blood red spear held in hand stared down at her.
"Thank you Shishou." The answering voice was not Hakuno's own, but that of a young man's. He sounded worn out, and if the sensations Hakuno felt in this dream were what he was feeling now, she couldn't help but wonder what sort of hell he was going through. The purple haired 'Shishou' smiled. There was a mischievous glint to the grinning that would have had Hakuno on alert. However, her dream view did not change from this collapsed flop. Master sat on the ground near Hakuno's viewpoint.
"How about a story then? To help pass the time while you recover. Let me tell you a story of the Slúagh". The far too gleeful Shishou began weaving a tale of something that sounded like shapeshifting zombies to Hakuno's ears. Her viewpoint quickly scrambled up and away from the tale of horror.
"I'll get back to training!"
"Good" Shishou had gotten her way it seemed. She had a quite pleased expression as she stood again. She seemed to consider a moment before speaking again. "You should remember, when facing ghosts, they will not tire as you do. A soul does not exhaust itself like you're doing with that sloppy stance."
Hakuno felt the boy stiffen and quickly correct himself as the dream faded away.
*/*/*
It was disorienting at first, seeing the room again after that. Hakuno's eyes blinked at the ceiling as her alarm beeped instantly. She'd heard about this phenomenon. Servants and Masters sharing dreams and memories. What she'd seen hadn't seemed an important memory. More of a 'normal day' sort of scene. But it had gotten Hakuno thinking again. Perhaps the memory had been an answer her Servant had forgotten he'd known. With that motivation, she got up for the day.
"Welcome back, lass. No longer a caterpillar I see" Lancer grinned at her.
"This is going to sound strange, but did you dream last night?" Hakuno would feel bad 'spying' even on this more mundane memory.
Lancer's surprised blink was answer enough. He paused a moment before nodding "I feel like I dreamed about my training with Shishou."
"I saw her telling you a ghost story" Hakuno prodded.
"Ghost story…" he considered for a moment then shuddered. "Dammit, I thought I suppressed her sadistic ghost stories." Hakuno for her part was convinced and motioned for Lancer to follow.
"It gave me an idea."
"That just makes me more concerned." Lancer's remark went ignored yet he followed his Master out to the Library all the same.
*/*/*
"Here. Cyber ghosts. The data of a deceased person existing within the system of the Moon Cell" Hakuno pulled up the entry sliding it over to where Lancer's astral self sat. "But it contradicts records that say that the data of a dead Master would be erased."
Maybe you're thinking about it the wrong way lass? Of course the Moon Cell wouldn't keep the data of a Master that died after hacking into it. But we Servants are proof it keeps data of people that died from before they interacted with it. Lancer wasn't overly convinced himself, but that sounded like logical reasoning.
"Someone… someone that was dead to begin with. Lancer you're a genius" Hakuno's excitement at solving the riddle of Alice was quickly followed by the quenching ice cold of reality. Alice was dead. Had always been dead. A soul scooped up and forced to fight in a war beyond her death.
A bitter victory, lass Lancer's words were quiet, even in Hakuno's mind.
"With no circuits or brain to burn, there goes the limitations. She'd be able to produce magic until she shattered her owl soul" Hakuno closed the books, fingers trailing on the covers of the digital recreations of literature. She wanted to be done here after this revelation, but there was still information she needed to find. The mystery remained as to why Master and Servant resembled each other. "Servants are created and reflect the legend of a person in the prime of their life." Hakuno spoke aloud to force her mind to shift gears, even as she put away her previous books. "And as the Moon Cell has no catalysts, all Servants would be drawn in by compatibility and the wishes of the Master."
Just like you and I are two stubborn fools that don't know how to give up Lancer's commentary managed to chase some of the gloom away.
"So, then what did Alice wish for?" Hakuno placed the last book on its shelf.
"Alice wished for a friend!" The voice caused Hakuno to spin. There stood Blue Alice smiling brightly. "Someone to tell stories with and about!" More realization erased what little help Lancer's joke had given her. Who did little kids tend to put into stories?
"Reflection. A Mirror" Hakuno's mind raced as her thoughts became audible.
"I am Alice through the Looking Glass" Dark Alice appeared. "A dream made manifest."
Both the girls grinned widely. "We'll see you soon big sis!" and they vanished.
MATRIX LEVEL 3 UNLOCKED beeped the terminal. Numb, Hakuno looked at it out of reflex. 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Mirror' appeared as Key Words. But not the True Name of the Servant.
They've got one last secret then the dry remark came from the invisible presence beside her. Lancer hadn't left her to deal with the two girls alone.
"I think I have an idea on that. But I want to go fight things in the Arena until I can't think anymore" Hakuno knew full well that running wasn't going to solve this. Still a small move of cowardice would grant her at least a momentary reprieve.
… Alright lass. Lancer did not scold her for this rather unhealthy coping mechanism. Not when he'd done the exact same thing himself in his past. They made their way out to the Arena, stopping only briefly by Taiga first to exchange the ice for an incense burner. They would look at the new room addition later, Hakuno intent on drilling to exhaustion in the Arena. Once there Lancer kept an eye on his Master as her magic aggressively sought out enemies. It was only when she started to look pale that he forced Hakuno back to their room. He got her to sit on her bed and put a glass of water in her hands, before sitting to focus his attention on Hakuno and wait for her to start talking.
"It's just so cruel" Hakuno spoke at last. "Who puts a child in a death match?"
"The same kind of powers that force child soldiers on the field of battle because they've hobbled the real warriors I imagine". Lancer was no stranger to cruel fates set about due to petty gods or computers. "The truth remains lass that either we will die, or they will. Are you willing to make that sacrifice?"
Hakuno drew a shuddering breath. "… saying no makes me selfish, doesn't it?"
"Life is a selfish thing, Master. To want to live doesn't make you Evil, it just means you're alive." Killing the blacksmith's dog so very long ago had been taking an innocent life. The hound had thought Lancer was a thief or assassin in the night. It had been the dog or him. Lancer had chosen himself even if he regretted the creature's death afterward.
"I can't stop. I can't just let them kill us. I… I'm not that kind of person. Too stubborn, too selfish, however you want to put it" Hakuno shook her head. The guilt would eat at her, even if Lancer's words soothed the jagged edges of it.
"Then what will we do lass?"
"We keep moving forward Lancer."
Lancer gave a solemn nod. "Together, Master".