9/14/23 Edit: Fixed grammar mistakes and restructured sentences to make them more cohesive.
~X~
Yuki Emiya
[Excalibur Morgan has been added to ?.]
[You have defeated Servant Saber (Artoria Alter).]
Rewards: 50,000 EXP, ¥100,000.
Level Up!
.
When I dismissed Caliburn, it faded in a flash of light, and a necklace appeared around my neck. It had a pendant shaped like a sword, colored blue, and gold.
Huh, interesting.
Ritsuka and Mash went back toward Olga and Kana, who seemed to be talking about things. Saber and I were making our way toward the crystal that is the Holy Grail.
"Saber, why does your other self have to be so cryptic?" I asked her.
"I… don't know the answer to that," Saber responded with confusion at her counterpart's words.
"If I may ask, where did you get Caliburn?" Saber asked.
"…It's a long story. I'll tell you when we get out of here and when we're safe," Saber thought it over for a bit, then nodded in acceptance.
We got to the Grail, and I picked up the crystal to get a better look.
…Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?
"Hm?" I heard the sound of clapping coming through the silence. Everyone else heard it and looked in the direction it was coming from.
Oh, that's what I was forgetting. At the top of the slope that Saber Alter was on was Lev Lainur Flauros. The Demon Lord and the one who sabotaged Chaldea.
"My, I never thought all of you would get this far," he commented. "This is an unforeseen element of the project that goes beyond what my tolerance allows,"
Beside me, Saber narrowed her eyes at his words and held Excalibur a little tighter.
"Professor Lev?" Mash said in surprise.
"Lev!" Olga started running toward him in happiness.
"Hi, Olga. It seems you've had a rough time," Lev idly commented
"With all these problems, I thought I'd go crazy," the relief on her face was evident. "But with you here, we'll get through this, won't we?"
"Of course. I'm just furious with all these unexpected events," Annoyance had seeped into his voice. "Romani, I told you to come to the control room right away."
"Lev?" I heard the confusion and realization in Romani's tone. Ritsuka, Kana, and Mash all gained a surprised and horrified look when they realized the implications of Lev's admission. Saber noticed the growing tension and slowly put her guard up to be ready for a fight. Olga was lost in her relief that she hadn't seemed to have noticed yet and was still running in his direction.
"And you, Olga… I planted the bomb right beneath your feet. I'm surprised you're still alive," Olga completely froze in place when hearing that. "In fact, you're dead. You're physical body, anyway."
The others gasped in shock. Olga's jaw dropped, and she stared at Lev in disbelief at what he was saying. He explained how she was here, but I tuned it out.
I was too busy thinking of something else. I knew of Olga's fate and was trying to devise a plan to solve it. I have the Holy Grail in my hand, but I don't think I can stop Flauros from taking it from me. I was proven right when I felt it being pulled from my grasp. I tried to hold on to it, but it was torn from me and went right into his grasp.
"You know, you could have placed the Grail in that pocket dimension of yours," Medea pointed out.
…
…I'm an idiot.
.
Thinking fast, I Traced EMIYA's bow and my Nihil Sword. I used Alteration to change its shape into an arrow and fired it at Flauros. My DEX made up for my lack of an Archery Skill. The shot was accurate and about to hit Flauros in the chest, but he effortlessly raised a barrier and stopped the sword-arrow dead in its path.
.
[Due to certain actions, a new skill has been acquired.]
[Archery Mastery] Level: 2 [7%]
Handling a bow requires extraordinary commitment and dedication. However, those who master this skill can send death from afar before most enemies have a chance to react.
- Increase damage and attack speed by 5% when using a bow.
.
"And then there's you…" Flauros was glaring at me. "You are not supposed to be here, a complete anomaly, a wildcard," Flauros seems incredibly agitated at my presence if that sneer is anything to go by.
Saber jumped in front of me and raised her sword, ready to defend me.
The Holy Grail reached Lev, who stared at it for a few seconds before absorbing it. He had a malicious smile when he snapped his fingers, and a wormhole opened up. On the other side was CHALDEAS.
"No way… That can't be real!" Olga shouted in denial.
"I have connected space-time together for you. With the Holy Grail, even something like this is possible. So, take a good look, Scion of Aminusphere. This is the Fate of your family's lunacy," Lev raised his hand toward Olga. A bright light flashed around her, and she started floating toward the portal.
"Since this is your end, I'll allow you to touch your treasure." Lev still had that damn smile on his face.
"But that's CHALDEAS!" Olga struggled to release whatever power was floating her to her impending doom.
I Traced some more arrows and fired them toward Flauros, but it was useless as he, once again, effortlessly blocked them.
"Yes, it's no different than a black hole," Lev continued, ignoring my attacks. "Once you touch it, you will be split apart at a molecular level. You will experience an infinite death."
"DIRECTOR!" Kana and Ritsuka screamed out at the same time. They tried running out to do something.
"No, Senpai!" Mash was able to grab ahold of them and keep them back. They could only look on in horror as Olga was in terror as she got closer. Lev still had that nasty smile.
Damn it! The last thing I can think of that can help me is to summon one of my Personas, but that's only possible in the Metaverse. I can't call one here!
I am completely frustrated with my lack of power to save Olga from the situation before me.
Is there nothing I can do!?
"Argh!" I clutched my head in pain. Everyone else heard and glanced at me to see what was going on. Expect for Olga, who was still struggling.
"So, that's it? Is this the extent of your will?"
"Merlin?"
"Do you not remember your vow?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then why are you not following through?"
"…?"
"You vowed to carve your own path, to defy Fate itself.
"I did."
"Then why are you resigned to the Fate in front of you?"
"What are you talking about? I want to save her!"
"And yet you are under the impression that you don't have the power to save her."
"The only thing I can think of is the power of Personas and the power of the Wildcard. But I can't access that here."
"Yes, you can."
"…Then how?"
"I am thou. Thou art I. That is our part of the vow. We are always with you to fight by your side. You just need to reach inside and call for us."
….
"I won't let you do this…"
Everyone turned toward me when I said those words.
"Oh? How amusing, you think I need your permission?"
I can feel my anger building up. My body is twitching, my jaw set, and my fists clenched so hard that I can feel that I've drawn blood.
"Although we haven't officially created it yet, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts were created to fight against corrupt adults… to go against the system of slavery we are trapped in... the general public's selective apathy that lets it happen."
Nobody knew what I was talking about, but they were all paying attention.
"In essence, we created this group…
…To Rebel.
And that's what I'm going to do. I am going to Rebel against this! To Rebel against your plan to end humanity! To Rebel against Fate!"
Everyone was surprised when blue fire lit around my eyes. When it went out, I could feel the mask on my face. I can feel the power bubbling beneath the surface.
"Hmph, a nice speech, but you cannot stop me," he said with such assurance. He honestly believes that I have no chance. Well, he's in for a shock.
~X~
Third Person POV
Yuki gripped the black domino mask and took a couple of breaths. Then, in one smooth motion, she ripped it off her face.
"PERSONA!"
Ritsuka, Kana, Mash, and Artoria were shocked and felt a little sick to see the blood covering her face. It was as if her skin had come off with the mask. It must have been excruciating. A second later, blue fire erupted from her and engulfed her whole body. Saber jumped away, not knowing what was going on.
The blue fire slowly came off her body. Everyone was surprised to see her in this new outfit. It was a red button-down shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned, black pants, two belts, black with gold trim crisscrossing each other on her hips, and red and black boots that go up to just below the knees. The shirt's sleeves were rolled up to just before the elbows. Over the outfit is a black short-sleeved long coat that drops to the knees, with a small silver guard on the left shoulder. A slit was going up the coat, stopping at the waist, so there was no restriction on the legs.
The blue fire that was up high exploded outwards, and a gorgeous woman was floating there. She had silver hair and wore this black and white outfit made of the finest robes.
Everyone was curious about this new being as they could feel the power rolling off her. Artoria was in shock that this new woman looked so much like Merlin. The only difference is that the Merlin she knew was male. The person in front of her was clearly female.
Merlin twirled her staff and pointed it toward the Director. A pink light surrounded both of them, and the Director stopped in place. She was still floating but was no longer floating toward her doom.
"Yuki, you better summon another Persona. I won't be able to hold her still for long," Merlin said.
Yuki nodded as the domino mask appeared on her face again. She was contemplating which one to summon when one decided to volunteer. Yuki agreed as it would certainly be a surprise.
"Persona!" she ripped the mask off again, but there was no blood this time.
"I am Thou, Thou art I."
An immense pressure spread throughout the cavern, forcing Ritsuka and Kana onto their hands and knees. Artoria and Mash were able to stand, but they broke out into a cold sweat because of the heavy aura.
In front of Yuki, a black horse with a white mane materialized, pawing at the ground.
"I am a Great Duke of Hell, leading over 60 of its legions."
The rider was now materializing. He wore blood-red armor, his helmet had two horns on it, and he wore a dark cape with fur trim around the neck.
"War is my domain; no aspect of it is unknown."
A silver spear appeared in his hand, a malefic aura coming from it.
"Number 15 of 72,
I am Eligor."
The pressure lessened, allowing Yuki's allies to relax a bit, but they still felt the terror of being in the presence of a Duke of Hell. They were all wondering what the hell was going on. First, Yuki summoned someone who looked to be a powerful mage (though Artoria had an idea who she was). Now, she's summoned an Archdemon, one of the leaders of hell.
None were more surprised by the Archdemon than the one standing as the enemy.
"What the…" Flauros was shocked. When the being was summoned, he knew the energy as a fellow Archdemon. Then when the being declared itself… to say he was shocked would be a massive understatement. "Why… Why!? WHAT are you doing, Eligor!? Do you intend to throw your lot in with the humans!?"
Eligor looked up toward Flauros. One could see the yellow eyes through the slit in the helm; there was a small amount of amusement in them. "Hmph. Do not speak as if you have a say in my actions, Flauros. What do make of a situation like this, Master?"
"I think we need to show the other Flauros just who he is messing with," Yuki said in a low tone. You can feel the battle excitement coming off of Eligor.
"Give the command," Eligor gripped his spear, and his horse got ready to charge.
"Eligor, Assault Dive!"
Eligor charged forward, and in less than a second, he was in front of Flauros. Flauros had no time to react as the horse rammed right into him, and Eligor stabbed him with the spear. Then, both Persona and Archdemon disappeared behind the slope.
Because of the attack, Flauros lost his concentration on the spell, and his hold on Olga was released. Merlin was able to use her magic to bring her back to the group. Sounds of battle, of physical and magical attacks, can be heard on the other side of the slope.
Yuki gave mental commands to Eligor as she saw the battle through the Persona's eyes. Flauros was trying his best, but he was not using his true power as Eligor was. Yuki noticed that it doesn't cost her any mana to summon her Personas in the real world, and they don't drain her mana when they are out. Although, they still drain mana when they are in battle. Also, their power, in reality, was much more potent. Maybe because they were summoned outside the Metaverse, Humanity's will isn't there to influence their power?
It kind of feels like summoning another Servant to fight for her.
Everyone was shocked when I summoned Merlin. Then they were shocked even further when I summoned a horseman who had announced himself to be an Archdemon.
"I- You- Wha- Haaah?" Kana couldn't form any words because of her shock.
"What the hell is going on!?" Ritsuka shouted in surprise.
Saber and Mash didn't bother to hide their surprise, and Olga looked like her brain had short-circuited from everything that was going on.
"Yuki-san! What-"
Ritsuka didn't get to finish what he was saying as the body of Lev Lainur Flauros flew down the slope and crashed into a crater in front of everyone. His clothes were messy, with blood, cuts, and stab wounds.
He slowly got up, his entire body shaking in effort. His face was in a vicious snarl but quickly shifted to pain as Eligor charged in, stabbing through the chest and dragging him across the ground as his attacker kept on riding around.
With a heave, Eligor launched him, his body crashing into the slope, kicking up dirt and dust. Eligor gave no quarter as he charged his horse through the dust cloud, blowing it to the side and stabbing Flauros through the chest at full force. Flauros' body was pushed further into the slope, causing it to crater as he coughed out blood.
"This is my counterpart? How disappointing," the Persona Flauros spoke in my mind before he retreated into the Sea, turning his eyes away from the pitiful showing of his other self.
"Is that all you have, Flauros? I expected you to put up more of a fight,"Eligor said with clear disappointment. He was expecting a hard-fought battle between fellow Archdemons. But, instead, all he got was… whatever this is.
"Kuh… It doesn't matter how much damage you do to me. I've succeeded in incinerating Humanity's future… Human history has gone up in flames… Hehe… and there's nothing you can do to change it…" Lev groaned out with a wicked smile on his face despite the pain he was in.
"Not if Chaldea has anything to say about it," Yuki retorted with a baleful glare. "Eligor, finish him off."
Eligor ripped his spear out of Flauros' chest and stabbed him again. This seemed to have made him lose control of his power as the portal leading to CHELDEAS started to close. However, Flauros made one last-ditch effort as a bright light exploded out of him, causing Eligor's horse to rear in surprise. Everyone else had to cover their eyes. When the light died down, Flauros was gone.
"Were you able to get the Grail?" I asked Eligor through our connection.
"No. Flauros managed to escape with it," said Eligor.
"Tch, oh well, not much we can do about it now,"The Grail would have been a good source of mana for me in the future. So, with the threat gone, Merlin and Eligor returned to the Sea of Souls.
When Yuki conversed with her Personas, the others made their way to her. Olga was practically running.
"What in the world was that!? And who the heck are these two!?" Olga demanded from Yuki, waving her arms.
" 'Oh, Yuki, thank you oh so very much for saving my life!' " Yuki mimicked Olga's voice sarcastically. "No problem Director. I'm so glad I could help," she finished her sarcastic reply, then stared at her with a deadpanned expression, annoyed that she did not express her thanks first.
Before Olga could speak, the image of Romani appeared. "Emiya-san, you have my heartfelt thanks for rescuing the Director," he expressed with a slight bow.
Yuki acknowledged it with a nod. "Well, she's not out of the woods yet."
"What do you mean?" Ritsuka asked.
Yuki gave him a strange look. "Did you forget? Her physical body is dead. So if she returns to Chaldea, her consciousness will also die."
"Oh, right," Ritsuka and everyone else were grimacing.
"You didn't answer my question!" Olga shouted, trying to get the topic back to Yuki's Personas.
"…At least you don't seem too down from Lev's betrayal and your near-death experience," Yuki commented, once more avoiding the question.
Olga flinched at the reminder of what had just occurred. The truth is Lev's betrayal struck her. Right now, different parts of her are warring to explain what's happening. One aspect of her doesn't want to believe Lev truly did betray her. Another part can't refute what had just happened, that Lev honestly did try to kill her twice now.
She doesn't know what to think about all of that and doesn't want to right now. So, instead, she is focusing on what is in front of her. Mainly the fact that Yuki has summoned two powerful beings with no trouble.
"And don't forget how Flauros brought up the incineration of Humanity's future," Yuki brought that up to move away from Personas. She did not have the time to deal with that explanation.
"Lev did mention that…" Romani commented to himself. "Do you know what he was talking about, Emiya-san?"
Yuki sighed and shook her head. Obviously, she did know, but she didn't want to give away the knowledge since she had no idea how to explain how she knew it. Besides, Romani should be able to figure it out.
And as if to prove her right, Romani gasped and had a look of realization on his face.
"I see now… The reason we aren't able to contact the outside world isn't that communications are down, but because there's no one outside to receive them," Romani realized with a grim look on his face as everyone else went wide-eyed at that revelation.
"Wait, if History is gone, how are we still here? How is Chaldea still around? Shouldn't we… cease to exist or something like that?" Ritsuka asked with apparent confusion. He has no idea how any of this works.
"Not exactly. One of the laws of the Universe is the Law of Cause and Effect," Yuki spoke up. "History being incinerated is the effect. So there has to be a cause for that to exist."
"The Singularities that SHEBA detected," Olga figured it out. "Because they are the cause, they were most likely separated into their own little pocket dimensions. As for Chaldea, I would guess that CHALDEAS' magnetic field protects it."
"So… in order to fix History, we need to fix these Singularities?" Kana questioned.
Olga nodded. "We now know what we need to do. Romani, get ready to bring us back-"
"You can't go back, Director," Yuki interrupted. "Did you forget, yet again, that your physical body is dead?"
Olga flinched again. She did forget that little tidbit.
Unfortunately, nobody got to start thinking of a solution to that as the entire cavern started shaking violently. The ground was splitting open in multiple places, and chunks of large rocks were falling from the ceiling as the roof was caving in.
"What's going on!?" Ritsuka shouted.
"The Singularity is falling apart. I think it's reached its limit," Yuki answered while trying to keep her balance with Saber's help.
"Romani, hurry up and Rayshift everyone out of here!" Olga ordered.
"I'm already on it. But, Director, what about you?" Romani asked. The worry in his tone was unmistakable.
"Just focus on the others!" Olga gritted her teeth as she could not think of a solution to her situation.
A massive amount of rubble fell from the ceiling all around everyone. With the ground breaking apart, everyone was launched into the air. Ritsuka, Kana, and Mash manage to grab hold of each other. Saber managed to latch her hand on Yuki's arm as well. Olga, however, flew off in a different direction by herself.
It seems she's really going to die here. Even though Emiya went through all the trouble of saving her from being absorbed into CHALDEAS, she's still going to die, having accomplished nothing noteworthy. All she wanted was to live up to her father's legacy and for people to acknowledge her efforts. Still, everything she has done seems all for nothing. She closed her eyes, fully believing that this was the end.
…
She never noticed the hand that managed to grab hold of her own before they fell through a rift together.
~X~
~ Riverside Park – Late Night ~
Morgana was pacing around the park, a worried mess. It's been about 4 hours since Yuki disappeared into that rift. When that happened, Morgana panicked as he had never seen anything like that before and had no idea what to do. All he could think of was to sit there and wait. Fortunately, all that waiting was worth it as another rift opened up and spat out three people.
There were two people passed out and one who was awake and quickly surveying her surroundings. She looked like an old knight from the past with that outfit and armor she was wearing. Actually… now that Morgana looks closely, she looks much like Yuki.
Another person who had silver hair was unconscious. But the last person, who was also out, caught his attention. She may have been wearing different clothes, but it was definitely Yuki. Morgana wasted no time and ran up to her. The knight took notice of him but almost immediately dismissed him and went back to checking her surroundings.
Taking in her appearance made him even more worried. Her clothes had cuts and blood all over them. Heck, her entire right sleeve was gone, showing her whole arm wrapped entirely in bandages. Her jacket and shirt had a small hole in them that showed some of the bandages were wrapped around her chest. What the heck happened to her!?
"I know you are out there! Show yourself!" the knight suddenly called out as she raised something invisible in her hands.
Morgana heard the steps of someone coming closer and turned in the direction of that person.
He saw a woman with long black hair and aqua-blue eyes. She wore a long red jacket, a white polo-neck jumper, a black skirt, and long leather boots. She slowly walked out of the shadows with her hands raised to show she meant no harm.
"Identify yourself," the knight ordered.
The woman stared at the knight for a bit, like she was assessing her. Then she turned her attention to the unconscious two, then back to the knight and answered her. "I'm a magus. I'm here because I felt a sudden mana spike in this area and came to investigate."
They stared at each other for a minute as the knight took in the answer and thought about what to do next.
"You're a Servant, are you not?" she phrased it as a question, but it was definitely a statement. "And she is your Master. I can tell by the Command Seals on her hand," she motioned to the unconscious Yuki.
"Master? Servant? What the heck is she talking about?" thought Morgana.
This caused the knight to narrow her eyes and raise her guard even more. In response, the black-haired woman raised her hands in a placating gesture.
"I'm not looking to harm your Master. On the contrary, I want to offer my house as a place where they can rest since they're unconscious," she explained.
"…What are you planning?" the knight asked with suspicion, not fully trusting this woman.
"I am not going to harm your Master," she reiterated. "I'm very sure I can't fight a Servant. But if you want a more practical answer… Like I said earlier, I am a magus and the owner of this land. I'm trying to investigate a sudden spike of mana I felt. I found you and the ones behind you. So I am hoping you would be willing to answer some questions I have so I can better understand the situation." she explained.
The knight thought it over for a couple of minutes. "…Very well. My Master and her companion's well-being takes priority, so I will accept your offer," she lowered the invisible sword she was holding.
"Great. You carry your Master, and I'll take the other one," the knight nodded in agreement, and they both moved toward the two, lifted them up, and took off.
Morgana was surprised that these two were much stronger and faster than they looked. He ran off after them to try and keep up with the two. Eventually, they reached a car and entered it. Morgana was able to hop in the back without them noticing. The girl in red got into the driver's seat and drove off.
"I never asked. What is your name?" asked the knight.
"Oh, right. My name is…"
~X~
~ ? – ? ~
Yuki Emiya
When I regained consciousness, I slowly opened my eyes. I saw a very unfamiliar ceiling; from what I could feel, I was lying in a rather comfortable bed.
"Argh…" I groaned out. I slowly sat up, but my body was pretty sore, so it wasn't easy. I took a better look around to see that I was a pretty big room, or at least big by my standards. This place looks like a room you would find in a manor. However, it's very minimal. There are no personal effects around the room. Maybe this is a guest room. Looking at myself, I can see I'm still in my battle-ruined clothes.
I tried to move my legs but felt a weight on them. Taking a look, it was a very familiar cat.
"Morgana?" I reached out and shook him awake.
Morgana gave a big yawn and stared at me with half-lidded eyes before they fully widened, and he jumped to his feet. "Yuki! You're awake!" he exclaimed while exuding happiness.
"Yeah," I started petting his head.
"I was pretty surprised when you disappeared and then even more surprised when you came back at the park," he said.
Morgana was there when I came back? "How long was I gone?"
"Well, you came back around midnight. So, about… six hours," he said.
Six hours? SYSTEM, how long was I stuck in Singularity F?
About 18 hours.
So a 3 to 1-time ratio. Hn, good thing I wasn't gone too long.
"It's 7 AM now. So, you've been asleep for 7 hours," he continued.
"Do you know where we are?" I asked.
"We're in someone's manor. She showed up at the park just after you came back," Morgana explained.
"She?"
"Yeah," he confirmed. "So… What happened when you were pulled into that portal?"
Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door.
"Yuki, are you awake?" the muffled voice of Saber came from the other side of the door.
"Come in, Saber," I called out.
The door opened, and in came Saber, still in her armor. She stopped a few meters from the side of the bed and gave a slight bow. "I'm glad you're awake."
"Yeah… Where are we, and what happened after the Singularity collapsed?" I asked her.
She was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Are you well enough to walk around?" she asked.
"I'm feeling fine," I confirmed.
"Then, if you would follow me, I can lead you to a person who could answer those questions better than I can."
"The owner of this house?" I took an educated guess.
"Yes," Saber confirmed with a nod.
"...Alright, let's go."
I got up from the bed with some effort. Saber moved to help, but I waved her off. I picked up Morgana in my arms, and Saber looked at him and raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. I followed her out of the room and down the stairs.
I took a look around the house, noting the older style of decorations that a rich person would have. Although, one thing I noticed was that there wasn't much here in the way of technology. I think the most technological thing I saw was an old rotary dial phone.
Finally, we reached the living room, and when Saber opened the door, I noticed two other people were already there.
One of them was Olga Marie Aminusphere. She was still wearing the clothes in Singularity F. They were dirty and had minor scrapes and tears from everything that happened. She greeted me with a nod when she saw me.
The other woman looked very familiar. The long black hair, aqua blue eyes, and red and black clothes… my Mystic Eyes proved my guess.
.
Name: Rin Tohsaka
Age: 33
Class: Magus
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Level: 49
HP: 5100/5100
MP: 28500/28500
STR: 143
END: 102
DEX: 196
INT: 285
WIS: 276
LUK: 178
.
Huh. How is it that I never found her throughout my search for any leads in this city? Also, Rin is a lot stronger than I thought.
"Well, it's nice to see you awake, Emiya-san," The older Rin greeted with a smile.
"You know my name?" I asked with some surprise in my voice.
"Aminusphere told me," she revealed. Makes sense. She then noticed Morgana in my arms. "Where did that cat come from?"
"Oh, this is my cat. I brought him with me when I came here. I guess he followed you here to find me," I explained.
Rin got up and started giving him ear scratches. Morgana looked to be enjoying the attention. "He's cute. What's his name?"
"Morgana," I saw Saber still for a quick second before she was back to normal. I guess she was thinking of her sister.
Rin finished petting Morgana and retook her seat. She motioned to a chair across from her for me to take. I took my seat, and Saber stood to my side. When I was settled, Rin began.
"My name is Rin Tohsaka. I am a magus and the Second Owner of this land."
"Second Owner?" I asked.
"Hmm, how to explain this…" Rin tilted her head to the side, thinking about how to explain this. "Do you know what ley lines are?" I nodded, and she continued. "Well. Fuyuki City has several of them here, making this place a perfect area for magicals to settle. As the Second Owner, I am responsible for essentially governing this land on the magical side. Understand?"
"I think I do. But why is your title 'Second Owner'?" I asked. I was pretty sure that had to do with the Magus Association, and I was really hoping they didn't exist in this world. Dealing with magi is like pulling teeth.
"Well, the Japanese Ministry is the official owner. They were the ones who appointed me to manage this land. Thus giving me the title of the Second Owner," she explained.
"Ministry?" I asked. That term is from another source of fiction I know. It would be interesting if it was a part of the Multiverse Shuffle.
"I can tell you all about the magical world later. But, right now, there are more important things to talk about. Like, the fact you fell out of a portal and that you have a Servant," she motioned her eyes toward Saber.
I can see Morgana is having trouble keeping up with the conversation. I never did tell him I knew magecraft.
"How much do you know?" I asked, so I knew where to start.
"Aminusphere already told me what she knew. I just need to hear your story." Rin said.
So I started my story. I told her I had come to Fuyuki to look for information on my family and that I was in the park when the portal opened and dragged me through. I told her about being ambushed, summoning Saber, and running into Chaldea, Berserker, Archer, Saber Alter, and Flauros.
Rin sat there and listened to the whole thing. Sometimes she was asked questions to clarify some things, but most of the time kept quiet. When I finished, Rin kept quiet, probably processing all the information. Olga also kept silent the whole time. It seemed weird, considering her personality. In fact, she looks rather… subdued. To no surprise, Morgana was utterly stunned as I told them everything I went through.
"That is… quite the story," she commented.
"I have to ask. About Ritsuka and Kana…" I started to ask but didn't finish the question. Rin was able to figure out what I wanted to know.
"They're not my kids- Well, I guess they sort of are. But I wasn't the one to give birth to them," she answered.
I get what she means. They are not the kids of the Rin in front of me but one from another world.
"Also, you. How are you still here?" I pointed toward Olga. Seriously, her physical body is gone, and the Singularity fell apart. Nothing is keeping her soul anchored.
"I don't know," Olga shrugged and said no more.
Ugh, this new quiet Olga is way too weird.
I took a breath and leaned back in my seat. "So, what now?"
"Now, I believe it's my turn to explain some things," she said.
"What things?" I asked, and Olga perked up and started paying attention.
She took a breath… and got started. "That portal you went through, there are more of them worldwide. People on the supernatural side of the world have been trying to find out how to close them. But, they cannot do it from this end, so they tried to go through them to close them from the other side. But, unfortunately, no one was able to make it through," she then looked at me. "Until now."
She gave me a deep, meaningful look. "I'm going to be direct. These portals are somehow slowly destabilizing this world. It's like our world is slowly taking on the burden of these other worlds, and it can't keep up. Our estimates said that in about 2 to 3 years, the world will break from the pressure."
I'm sure my jaw has dropped as far as it could in shock. She's talking about the end of the world. And not just any world but my world. From what I could see, the others were also shocked by this information.
"What does this have to do with me?" I asked once I finally found my voice.
"You are the only one who's traveled through a portal and made it back. The one you came through? It's now gone, no longer burdening the world, but there are still others. We need your help. We need you to close the rest of them, " she explained.
…
What… what the hell. I'm dealing with the Persona storyline and Jaldabaoth. Issei's existence means the DxD storyline is here, which means Rizevim is here and trying to unseal Trihexa, another being capable of destroying the world. I just escaped a world where history was incinerated, And now I have another world-ending event on my hands.
This is just too much, too quickly.
I abruptly stood up and started making my way toward the door. "I'm going for a walk," I announced. Nobody said or did anything to stop me, but Saber moved to follow me. I allowed her, and we left the room.
We were about to leave through the front door when a voice (or a meow for Saber) stopped us.
"Yuki, wait up!" I turned around to see it was Morgana and went down to one knee closer to his level. "I'm going with you."
"Sorry, Morgana, but I need you to stay here," I said.
"Why?" he asked, confused.
"I need you to keep an eye on Rin and Aminusphere. See if they talk about other things that might be important."
He thought over for a second, then nodded. "Alright, but when you get back, I have a lot of questions for you."
"I promise we'll talk later," I pet him on the head.
"You'll be alright, right?" he asked, clearly worried for me.
"I'll be fine. I just need to sort my thoughts," I reassured him.
"Okay. I'll see you when I get back," he turned and took off to the living room.
I sighed, stood up, and walked through the front door. "Let's go, Saber."
~X~
~ May 4 - Riverside Park - Morning ~
Quest Completed
[Singularity F]
You have found out the rift that suddenly appeared has dragged you to a Singularity in a different world. Find a way to get back to your own world.
Objective:
- Defeat Saber Alter. [x]
Bonus Objectives:
- Summon your own Servant. [x]
- Save Olga Marie Aminusphere. [x]
Rewards: 15000 EXP, 2 Gacha Tickets.
Bonus Rewards: Pokemon Ticket, Legendary Pokemon Ticket.
.
Interesting bonus rewards. Unlike the Gacha Tickets, I can choose which Pokemon I want. I already have a pretty good idea of which ones to pick.
…
"Haah…" I sighed out once again.
I was leaning on the railing, staring out into the Miyama River at the park. I had a lot to think about. This is just so much. Jaldabaoth, Rizevim and Trihexa, Grand Order, this portal business.
"Ugh…" I dragged a hand across my face in frustration. Just thinking about this is making my head hurt.
"Do you want to talk about it," Saber asked from behind me.
"Haah," I let out yet another sigh as I turned around to face Saber. I rested my elbows on the railing, leaned back, and looked up into the sky. "It's just… everything you know."
"What do you mean by everything?" she asked for clarification.
"I mean… how I go to this point. I came to this city to look for leads on my family, and I suddenly got dragged to another dimension. A dimension where humanity is facing extinction. And when I come back, I find out this world is facing its own extinction." I explained.
"You're overwhelmed. Too many things are happening too quickly," Saber said what I already knew.
"It's why I went for a walk. To clear my head." I said, still absently staring into the sky.
"There's something you're not mentioning, something you're holding back," she stated.
I look back down and stare at Saber. "You're pretty sharp," I said with a smirk. The smirk is just a shield to hide my uneasy feelings. I don't want to reveal the other part of my life to Saber yet.
From the look on Saber's face, she knows I don't want to talk about it.
"I'll tell one day, Saber. Just not today," I turned to the side, my face shifting to a neutral look.
Saber walked forward to my side and stared out into the river as I went back to leaning back on the railing and looking at the sky. Then, after a moment, she spoke.
"I think you need to think of each situation individually. Then, prioritize which ones you need to deal with urgently and which you can hold off until later," Saber advised.
…I guess I should do as she suggested.
First is the Phantom Thieves. That is something that will develop over the year and end in December. This is a priority as I'm the de facto leader and need to be hands-on.
The second is DxD. Issei's existence and the fact that I looked up Kuoh Academy and saw the Gremory and Sitri heirs attend means that Trihexa might become a problem. The easiest solution to dealing with it is to prevent Rizevim from unsealing it in the first place. I think I can wait on this until canon starts. But I was hoping to make some moves before that. I could continue my friendship with Issei and maybe introduce him to the supernatural world early. Start training him as well.
The third is Grand Order. There's really not much to say about this. This is something I stumbled on, and I doubt I'll run into it again. But, if I do, I'll deal with it.
And last is portal business.
…I need more information before I decide on priority on this. That means I need to ask Rin more questions. I'll do that when I get back to the mansion.
…Right, it looks like I have a general plan in place.
"Looks like you figured things out," Saber commented from my side.
"Am I that obvious?" I asked, slightly joking.
"No, but I have a lot of experience reading people," she replied seriously.
"Hah, I have a general idea of what to do."
"Whatever you decide, I will be there, right by your side," she said earnestly.
"...Thanks, Saber," I said with gratitude.
[Temperance Confidant (Artoria Pendragon) has reached Rank 2.]
"Haah, I think it's time we head back," I stopped leaning on the railing and started walking back. Saber followed.
As we were exiting the park, something ran into my side. I turned to see a kid who had fallen to the ground.
"I'm sorry, miss!" she apologized in English.
I took a good look at the little girl who bumped into me. I first noticed that she was dressed in clothes too big for her. She had scarlet red hair that reached her shoulders and bright green eyes. But what really stood out the most was the lightning bolt-shaped scar on her forehead, just off-center.
My Mystic Eyes confirmed her identity.
Name: Rose Potter
Age: 10
Title: The Girl Who Lived
.
Oh, you have got to be kidding me! The world really wants to drop one bomb after another on top of my head, doesn't it!?
~X~
Social Links:
0 – Fool (Igor) – Rank 2
I – Magician (Morgana) – Rank 2
V – Hierophant (Sojiro Sakura) – Rank 3
VI – Lovers (Ann Takamaki) – Rank 1
VII – Chariot (Ryuji Sakamoto) – Rank 4
XIV – Temperance (Artoria Pendragon) – Rank 2
XVII – Star (Issei Hyoudou) – Rank 3
Author's Note:
Chapter 10 is finally done.
Just so you all know, I have no set schedule for this story. I write this story as a hobby, something I do for fun and relaxation. My life is too busy to be able to set and keep to specific deadlines. The chapters will come out when they come out.
I'm having trouble deciding who to pick as the Devil and Tower Confidants. If you have any suggestions, I'm open to them.
As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.
(Preview)
"How? How on Earth do you just happen to run into the Girl Who Lived of all people!? What is she even doing in Japan!?"
"Hey, don't look at me. Ask her."
"I would if she could speak Japanese!"
(x)
"So, what's it like being back in Britain."
"It's… certainly become a unique place now."
"Uh-huh. And what about the fact that your castle was moved from Wales to Scotland and is being used as a wizarding school?"
"I'm trying not to think about that."
(x)
"A-are you replacing me…?"
"Morgana, don't be so melodramatic."
(x)
"...I will put my heart and soul into creating the best nude painting ever!"
"WHAT!?"
"Nude!?"
"Ah, to think I'd be able to create a nude painting with my most ideal model…!"