After watching the fireworks with his parents, and then leaving immediately Vali and Asia so as not to be anywhere in the vicinity of his parents and their "celebrations". Ame-chan was with them.
Issei asked Ddraig to mentally keep an eye of them, so he doesn't have to. He can still teleport to their side if need be, but that doesn't mean he wants to know what they do in their private time.
"So, what did the water god want?" Vali bluntly asked.
"Water god?" Asia asked. She was sitting with her legs under her in seiza, but more relaxed than stiff.
Ironically, the three of them were sitting in the same place, Issei chatted with Suijin. At the contest's cove cliff.
Issei could tell Asia wanted to sleep, but forced herself to come, wanting to spend time with him.
He wondered if he was neglecting her? He did spend a lot of time with her because it was fun, and to keep her happy. Well, it's not like it will be the last time he'll see her when he leaves, since he's going to come back. Can't have his parents and Asia meet Ritsuka without doing so.
"So he was just the busybody of nosey gods?" Vali scoffed as Issei told him what Suijin wanted to talk about.
"Basically." Issei replied. "I mean, at least we got a place for our match tomorrow away from everybody. So that issue shouldn't come up anymore."
"Yeah, I guess that's good." Vali nodded, before giving Issei a more focused look. He was sitting with one leg dangling down the cliff, and the other crouched back to rest his arm atop it. "So, are you finally gonna tell me that story?"
"Well," Issei crossed his legs under himself while leaning back on his arm, and looked at the night sky. "Me and Asia do need to head to bed soon. So I'll tell you as much as a I can."
One Year Ago, Issei (POV)
The summoning room lit up as the FATE system activated. Glowing orbs of light materialized over the shield fixed to the floor. The glowing spheres began rotating, and three circles of light shined out with the signal of a Heroic Spirit answering the call as an ether body formed for them.
The summoning a success as a Servant materialized, arriving into Chaldea.
I smiled, feeling myself acclimate to my body of magic particles, as well as feeling the real world now around me.
I was wearing the same prince-like costume I had during the land of Titsania. It felt off now that I remembered who I was. I wasn't a prince, so it really did feel like a costume and not a uniform.
The red arm glove on my left hand felt... incomplete. I still had my sword though. A rapier. Looks more fancy now, so that's something. It's a real weapon too, so I won't be hitting enemies with a prop-sword. Thank god.
Welp, time to meet Ritsuka. Properly this time.
The light receeded and I could see the summoning room, and Ritsuka, my Master, as is her title now.
Seriously, how do mages here used words like "Master" and "Servant" as titles and don't think of the implication?
Anyways, I see Rituska with another girl. The other girl had glases and purple? No, too light. Violet, or is it lilac? Let's go with "lilac". Sounds fancy.
"Good evening O' wayward summoner." Welp, I'm dressed as a prince, might as well act like it. "I ask of you, art thou my master?" I said as Ritsuka gave an amused deadpan.
"Really?" Ritsuka has a lop-sided smile as she crossed her arms.
"Heh, I suppose introductions aren't needed, yet I feel I must do so anyways." I said back. " I am, of course, Prince Hydro, your noble Saber Class Servant, Master." Then I immediately notice something's off. Like my mind immediately realizing a discrepancy. "...Eh? I'm a Rider." I blink a few times at the realization. "Ah, I see. Err, I'm actually a bit surprise. I genuinely thought I'd be in the Saber Class, why a Rider?" I mean, I have a sword and everything. What the heck is my mount? I don't have one! Seriously, how does the magic system of this world work. "Regardless, let it not be said that Prince Hydro can't handle unexpected situation."
Right, play it cool and carry on.
"Tone it down, 'your highness'." Ritsuka said amusingly as he gestured with her hand.
"...Eh, I'm over doing it? Hehe, sorry, Ritsuka." I sheepishly smile and rub the back of my head, before I notice the intense look the other girl—No. I could tell now, the ability coming to my senses.
I notice the intense look the Servant is giving me.
Actually, did she always have that nice armor on? She has a fantasy shield with her. Huh, I guess you can have magic knights of all kinds. Although...
"Hmm? Say, who is that Servant with the armored Oppai behind you. She's been staring intently at me for a while now. Why is she holding that shield that way?"
Ah. Shit, I already let it slip and said 'oppai'. Good bye my princely image, you lived long enough.
Also, seriously, why is she holding that shield like she was about to swing it at me?
"Ah, this is my kouhai, Servant and number one helper! Although she's more knowledge than me about a lot of stuff." Ritsuka swung her arms around the Shielder's shoulders and hugged her, dispelling her quiet hostility and making her blush. "Anyways, Mashuuuuu Kyrielight!"
"A-Ah, I'm the one being helped a lot by Senpai." Mash quickly said. Ritsuka let her go, and Mash seemed disappointed for an instant, before looking back at me all professional smiles again. "Anyways, it's good to meet you, Rider. Senpai had said much about you since we documented the Land of Titsania incident. Thank you for answering the call to humanity's aid. So please don't be afraid to ask any questions."
I looked to Ritsuka in a panic, while keeping my smile.
"Yeah, as humanity's last Master, my health and everything is documented at all times. So when Da Vinci discovered a lot of cerebral activity while sleeping after the Halloween Event, she used her genius tech to find out what happen, and I gave a report on it when I woke up."
"Ah hahaha, I see." I laughed and looked away, because apparently they had mindreading tech here!
Okay, calm down. Hopefully the sweat isn't giving away that you're panicking!
"Only Romani and Da Vinci had access to the info on that Event, so don't worry." Ritsuka's words filled me with relief.
If it's only her and three other people—her bosses it seems, and Mash here—that saw my breakdown, then I guess it's fine.
"Yes, we were even able to get data on three new Servants including yourself. It was really a fortuitous situation." Mash commented.
"Ah, well," I smiled bashfully. "I guess, I'm glad that was help...ful?" I glanced at Ritsuka and she nodded. Alright. Good. Everything worked out in the end. "Then I look forward to working with you and learning from you Mash-senpai! And please just call me Hydro. Being called by Class name just feels off." I gave a big cheerful smile.
"...Mash?" Ritsuka's voice had me looking at Mash who seemed disturbed.
"Prince Hydro." Mash was smiling. But she was giving me that smile that spelled danger. Even Ritsuka looked surprised (yet more entertained?!) by it. "I look forward to working with you as well, but please don't call me 'Senpai'. It feels wrong when you do it."
Silence hit the room. I felt myself taking a step back. Why was this cute innocent looking girl suddenly seem so menacing? Did I step on her toes or something?
"Wow, Mash. First time I heard you be snappy against someone, other than the Doctor." Ritsuka commented, barely stopping herself from laughing. "Is the position of 'kouhai' that important that you need to cemented against all newcomers?"
"Wait, she just turned evil against me because of that!?" I cried out.
"Can you get to the interesting parts already?" Vali complained.
"I'm building up to it!" Issei said back.
[You still haven't told them about the Prince Hydro part.] Ddraig added. Issei could swear Ddraig was smirking.
"Will you stop mentioning that!? It's not important." A red faced Issei cried out.
"Sounds important." Vali commented.
"Arrrgh! Look." Issei growled, the continued. "When I was fatally injured by the Fallen Angel, my soul left my body and due to a connection to someone in the other world—we'll get to who later—my soul ended up drawn toward the other world and on the way, I got into contact with something called a Holy Grail. Not the Longinus..." Issei paused in thought. "Or maybe it is, I don't know how the Holy Grail Longinus works.
"It's called the Sephiroth Graal, but go on." Vali corrected.
"Right. So anyways, the Holy Grail there is basically a magic device of unfathomable power that can grant wishes. And there isn't just one." Issei said.
"How can there be multiple?" Vali looked on with confused, yet disturbed fascination.
"Probably because the method of creation is known to some people in that world, just that it is a difficult thing to manage through time and resources." Issei explained.
"You don't know?" Vali asked.
"I never really cared about the logistics that much." The Red Dragon Emperor shrugged. "So anyways, I got in contact with a Holy Grail, I end up creating this imaginary world. It drew in the Master of Chaldea due to that shitty wizard." Upon seeing the look on Vali's face, Issei snapped his finger. "Right! So a quick explanations of some term. 'Master' and 'Servant'. In the context I'm about to use, they aren't about literally masters and servant, but rather titles about the roles a mage and the summoned familiar occupy."
"Hmm." Vali nodded.
"Let's explain 'Servants' first. We have Spirit Inheritors here, right? But over there when someone who had left their mark on history, in almost anyway, dies, their soul is removed from the Cycle of Reincarnation and is elevated into a higher status knowns as a Heroic Spirit. You can think of them as human spirits on the level of gods." Vali actually looked shocked enough to not be able to contain his stoic expression, as his mouth was left agape. "The place they end up in, is called the Throne of Heroes.
"Or the Throne for short. When a Heroic Spirit is summoned into the world, they don't descend in the totality of their being. Rather their essence is placed into a container, a magical body, that only allows them to express a limited part of their strength, that is relatively cheaper energy-wise to summon and maintain them. That is a Servant."
"How strong are they?" Vali asked with an excited look.
"I'd say, given my experience, an average Servant would be equal to you in strength if not stronger." Issei said back after some thought.
"Really?" Vali asked skeptical.
"The thing is, Servants are never that simple to just straight up fight. Those who are that straight forward tend to be extremely strong. Like beat me in a contest of strength strong." Vali blinked a few times at that. "Rather what makes Servants deadly beyond their skills and combat experience from their life, is something called a 'Noble Phantasm'."
"And that is?"
"A crystalized legend of a hero's achievement in life. Think of it like something that symbolizes a hero. The most obvious example is something like Excalibur for King Arthur. A holy sword so strong that it can release a beam attack that can destroy anything in its path. Also, I'm insanely simplifying this." Issei stopped Vali from interrupting. "A different example would be Heracles killing the hundred headed hydra. The Noble Phantasm of that is the ability, or rather fighting style, to literally hit anything a hundred times in one instance. A hundred arrows in one second. A hundred sword slashes in one second, etc."
"Ah." Vali held his chin in thought. "So any story about something they managed to achieve becomes a superpower in a sense." He looked back to Issei. "Does that mean what people think someone managed to do, becomes something the hero can do, or it gets added to their skills an abilities."
"Yeah," Issei sighed. "And that isn't always a good thing, because some good people got messed up when they became Servants due to how history remembered them."
Vali frowned. "Doesn't sound like much of a reward to become a Heroic Spirit then."
"Eh, it tends to be a reward more often than not. The Heroic Spirit's power would be expressed through the Servant container through a Class they are assigned as a Servant." Issei said. "From what I understand Servants originally had seven Classes, but more were... created? discovered? I'm not really sure. But the thing is some Servant Classes allows a Heroic Spirit to be presented more closely to their original self, than what history remember them as. So they aren't just doomed to whatever the public perception is."
"I see." Vali nodded. "And those Servant Classes are?"
"Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker. Those are the normal seven. Then there is the Extra Classes, Shielder, Ruler, Avenger and Alter Ego. And quick note, Ruler isn't for kings, it's from what I understand Saints, or those who don't have a wish for the Holy Grail when summoned by it.
"Avengers is for those defined by their anger and grudges, while Berserker is for those drowning in madness or don't think like normal people. Yes, there's a difference. Alter Ego is a Class for one personality characteristic of the Servant, it tends to be very rare."
"This is starting to sound like a very convoluted tabletop game." Vali messaged his temples. "Let's just move on. So there are Heroic Spirits filtered into Servants and they have Classes. Okay, and Masters summon them?" He looked at Issei.
"Yep," Issei nodded, glad Vali catches on to that. "Master are mages, usually that summon and contract a Servant, acting as their anchor in the world and provide them magical energy so they can fight and stuff."
"Right. And what's the connection between Servants and the Holy Grail."
"Oh boy. Gonna have to explain the Holy Grail War."
"I'm seriously just starting to regret asking about this."
One Year Ago, Issei (POV)
"So I'm going for a check up?" I asked as we left the summoning room, heading to Chaldea's R&D laboratory section.
"Yep." Ritsuka nodded. "When Da Vinci found out about your situation with having Ddraig in your soul, she was very interested—Woah!"
As we turned a corner we almost ran into a blonde woman—Servant! my mind went—in a long blue dress with a white front part.
Ritsuka and I spoke at the same time.
"Artoria!"
"Mordred!"
"Master, I was—Excuse me?" Whatever the blonde, Artoria, was about to stay, she just stopped and turned to give me a piercing stare.
"Ah, sorry. You just look so much big sis Mordred." I explained.
"...Well, I admit being mistaken for them is a first. And how do you know Sir Mordred?" Artoria looked... I dunno bewildered looking at me.
"Ah, well, it's complicated. We were in a singularity together, and she help me out from a tough spot. So I kinda owe her one." I said with a bashful smile at remember that cool knight girl.
"I see." Artoria had an odd expression. Like she wanted to smile proudly but also look annoyed, so she settled on just keeping a stoic expression.
"Um, since you do look a lot like her, are you two related by chance? Like a sister—" I began to say.
"I'm Artoria Pendragon, known in history as King Arthur." Artoria said plainly.
"...Mordred's mmmmm..." I wasn't sure if I should ask this or not.
I mean King Arthur is known as a man, but if she was a woman here, then when did she have time to have a baby or something, while ruling and fighting and stuff. Isn't that why kings had queens? So they deal with the babymaking and all?
"I'm Mordred's father."
"Father!? I... see!" I quickly nodded as I began to feel irritation from her.
How could she have been Mordred's father when she's clearly a wo—Futa!
Holy shit, futas are real here? That's hot!
No, wait! That's bad! This is beyond the separation of the screen. My butt is in danger!
No, no. Futas likes girls, so they're lesbians. And that's hot.
But no, other dicks are gross. Although on another woman it's hot.
Actually no, this is bad. The screen isn't protecting me from the fantasy. I do not want to discover anything new about myself right now!
"It's Merlin's fault!" Artoria said heatedly. She was half-glaring almost like she can read my mind.
"Merlin, the wise wizard?" At least that's what I remember from the cartoon Irina once showed me.
"'Wise wiz...'? You have heard of a very sanitized version of Merlin, young man." Artoria said in my face, making me lean away, while awkwardly, laughing trying to defuse the tension.
Seriously, I've only been here for five minutes, why does it feel like I'm close to making enemies already.
"Artoria, were you looking for something?" Ritsuka interjected.
"Yes." Artoria stepped back, and turned to Ritsuka, the pressure of her presence being relieved a bit. "I sensed an odd magical energy. It gave me this feeling of... well not deja vu, but almost as if sensing myself. So I came to investigate—"
[Hey blonde!] Boosted Gear appeared on my left hand in place of my arm glove. Huh, now it feels right. [Why the hell do I feel myself from you?]
"That's!" Mash reacted first, looking on in surprise. "From the report. The dragon sealed in Prince Hydro. It's rational enough to speak?" She asked in awe.
[Rational enough to be pissed off at some blonde twink trying to pass off as me!] The angry Red Dragon shouted.
"Wait, are you saying that you're..." Artoria asked with wide eyes.
[The Welsh Dragon! The Red Dragon Emperor! Y Ddraig Goch!] Ddraig declared. [You have some balls to try and act like you're me, imposter! Prepare to have your ass kicked, copycat! Get her, Issei!]
"Ddraig, no! Don't just pull me into fight with freaking King Arthur!" I cried out, hoping desperately for this fight to not happen.
"Prince Hydro is right. Please calm down, Mr. Ddraig!" Mash cried out, joining in, in trying to pacify Ddraig as well.
Ritsuka just laughed her ass off.
"This is Merlin's fault. I just know it." Artoria sighed, looking at the floor in exasperation before shaking her head.
"Welcome to Chaldea, Issei." Ritsuka said between laughs.
"You met the actual King Arthur? King Arthur is a woman in the other world?" Vali asked with surprise. "...I really want to see Arthur and Le Fay's reactions when they find out." He chuckled.
"Yeah, it kinda threw me off too, specially with the whole them being Mordred's 'father'." Issei laughed as well.
"When did you meet Mordred? Actually what is their personality like that you seem to hold a lot of respect for them?" Vali asked with narrowed eyes, since he knew what his Pendragon friends' emotions toward their ancestral treacherous knight were.
"I know the Mordred here is not well like. Hmm, the Mordred there isn't well liked either, but they are more innocent I guess you could say. Morgan created them from Artoria's DNA and hastened their growth to plant them in Arotria's court quickly. They have the body of an adult, but they tend to act like an actual kid at times too, since well, they never had a childhood. Morgan isn't exactly what you'd call 'Mom of the Year' from what I've seen."
"Hmm," Vali grunted and nodded.
"I met them basically in that imaginary world I told you about. They were summoned by my subconscious to act out a part in that world." Issei sighed. "And yeah the Mordred I met there wasn't the real Mordred whom I met later, but some stuff were the same. She's brash, headstrong and bullheadedly stupid at times." He smiled fondly. "But she's the most dependable aneki I could ever ask for."
"And you get into a fight with their 'father' within seconds of meeting them." Vali smirked.
"That wasn't me! That was Ddraig's fault." Issei cried out.
[Damn straight. Sure I think she's a good fighter now worthy of my power, even if it's another version of me, but she' still a twink.]
"Thankfully, she didn't actually fall to Ddraig's taunting and fight me that time. She'd have demolished me back then. Also if that's what you think, Ddraig, then what about the Lion King?"
[Overcompensating twink.]
"Simba?" Vali raised and eyebrow.
"That would be Mordred. Artoria would be Mufasa, and we'll get to the Lion King later on."
One Year Ago, Issei (POV)
"So, you're Prince Hydro that's been causing so much trouble since he arrived. A.K.A Hyoudou Issei." Spoke a woman in a fantasy renaissance outfit.
She instantly drew my eyes the second I saw her, when we entered the R&D labs.
Her body was...
"Ah, so, Hyoudou Issei," Da Vinci stood with her arm spread to the sides. "As the Oppai Lover that you are, what do you think of this body?
"D-Da Vinci!?" A fluffy haired guy in a doctor's coat spoke, but I wasn't paying attention him.
All my attention was on the visual perfection of those oppai.
"34D. Measurements: B38, W27.6, H38. Not only does the edge of the side boobs, lines perfectly with the edge of your hips from the front view, and likely the back view."
"W27.56." Da Vinci corrected, but nodded for him to continue.
"Your three sizes are perfectly hour-glass shaped, and based on the depth of your oppai, as well as your stance being perfectly balance, I'd say your center of gravity is located 34.65 inches off the ground, which is slightly above the navel. Which is I hazard a guess your butt is as projecting outward at exactly the same distance as your boobs. Can I ask you to turn sideways?"
"Sure!" Da Vinci incredibly smug and amused did so.
"Ms. Da Vinci!" Mash screamed, scandalized..
"Yeah, as I thought, your butt, like your bust are completely taut, without any sag even for someone in your presenting height and age. They even make a perfectly lengthy vertical cosine wave, or it is sine? I'm not that good at math. Either way, ma'am, your body is literally erotically perfect." I finished my analysis.
"...Hm." Da Vinci a smile of one professional acknowledging another and nodded.
"Ms. Da Vinci, please don't make that approving face as if to say 'he's good'." Mash protested.
"Hmm, he's good." Ritsuka said approvingly as she held her chin.
"Senpai!" Mash cried out.
"So is that what 'Talented in Many Fields' Skill does?" Ritsuka said with a cheeky grin.
"Not sure, but honestly it's something I've learned to do long ago. My friend back in high school used to brag about having a Three-Size-Scouter, but honestly? I've been able to do that for a long time. I just never needed to point it out." Also I didn't want Motohama to feel like he wasn't special.
"Mr. Issei, what kind of friends did you have?" Mash said disapprovingly, making me chuckle before looking back at the perfect babe as some struck out to me about her.
"Actually, wait, your body is too perfect for it to have been a natural." I blinked a few times as I got out of my stupor and actually focus on her face. "Wait, the Mona Lisa?"
"Ah, I should introduce myself. I am the Universal Genius, the one synonymous with being called the Renaissance Man, scientist, inventor, artist, the Head of Chaldea's Technology Development Division, Leonardo Da Vinci!" Da Vinci introduced herself with much aplomb, arm raised in the air dramatically, before she lowered her chest in a light bow. "Or you can just call me Da Vinci-chan."
"Wow. She wasn't that dramatic when she met me." Ritsuka said with a chuckle.
"I think he's entertaining her too much." The fluffy doctor said with a sigh, but my mind was one something else.
"So wait, you're also a woman here in this world?" I asked.
"Oh no, I was born a man." Da Vinci said blatantly.
"Huh?" I blinked in confusion.
The fluffy doctor stepped forward.
"Like I said before, Da Vinci is a pervert, twisted enough to turn himself into the Mona Lisa, just because he loves the Mona Lisa." He said with a sigh.
"It's called being passionate!" Da Vinci objected.
"But why?" I found myself asking.
"Because the Mona Lisa is the ideal of beauty, so I sought craft that beauty myself to realize it in the real world. The world needs to see what ideal beauty looks like, to truly experience it in full!" She declared.
I was quiet, but for me the more I thought about it, the more I felt in awe of this man, nay, this hero had done.
"You wanted to create the ideal beauty so much... that you ended up changing your own body to realize it. Literally just deciding to do it yourself and not search or wait for it to appear." I said in bubbling reverence.
"Exactly!" Da Vinci beamed.
I cried.
I cried manly tears for this bro, this god among men.
"Is... is he crying?" Mash was weirded out. I already ruined my first impression, I don't care anymore.
"Leonardo Da Vinci, you are by far the bravest and the manliest man I have ever met. I salute you, sir!" I saluted.
Ritsuka held her stomach and started laughing. Artoria was next to her looking visibly disturbed. I actually forgot she was there, but I will not be deterred from paying my respects to this Cultured King.
"Mr. Issei, what the hell are you even saying!?" Mash shouted in complete shock. "Please put your hand down."
"No, Ms. Kyrielight." I said solemnly. "Respect must be given once a monumental achievement has been acknowledged."
"Oh god, it's another one." Fluffy doctor face palmed.
"Hmm," Da Vinci nodded smiling. "An artist loves when they find an audience that can fully appreciate their works." She nodded in approval.
Ritsuka was out of commission from laughing too much, and examining me and Ddraig was postponed for a little while.
"Vali? Vali, wait, where are you going?"
"I'm done. That's it, I don't care anymore."
"Vali, wait, come back! I promise I'll get to the serious stuff now!"