Olga Marie Animusphere had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown for days.
Her chosen Master candidates never seemed to take her seriously. Her staff insulted and mocked her behind her back when they thought she wasn't listening. An inconsiderate half-magus who barely had any reason to be in Chaldea at all had fallen asleep in front of her during her speech twice, and she still somehow ended up being convinced by Lev to keep him in her father's organization instead of throwing him out into the cold as he richly deserved to be.
Worst of all, the one moment she had been counting on as her chance to prove to everyone that she would be the one who would bring Human Order to a new era of prosperity had ended with an explosion and her suddenly losing consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself in what could only be described as the site of an unprecedented disaster.
"H-hello?! Can anyone hear me? Lev? Somebody? Anybody?!"
The Director had no idea how much time had passed since she arrived in the burning city that should have been Fuyuki. The sky was completely impossible to make out due to all of the smoke, and her own watch seemed to have just stopped at the precise moment that the Rayshift occurred. The only thing she was certain of was that as far as she could tell, she had somehow managed to Rayshift successfully.
Just as she was about to leave the ruined streets in hopes of looking for other possible survivors, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her position. She turned to the source of the noise in the hopes that someone had finally come to save her.
Her hopes were dashed quite quickly when she got a look at what exactly it was that had just found her.
A horde of skeletal monsters, charred black by the raging inferno, had apparently been attracted by her shouts for aid and were barrelling towards her at alarming speeds. Several of them were blasted to pieces by a burst of Gandr shots she launched in resoonse, but their numbers seemed endless- there was no way she could possibly take them on without using up all her magical energy. It didn't take long for her to realize that there was nothing she could do but run for her life and hope that the undead couldn't keep up with her.
When she first woke up and got her bearings in the abandoned streets, the Director couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilty pleasure despite her initial fear when she realized that she had finally been able to Rayshift. All those tests claiming that she would never be able to serve as a Master, all proven wrong in one glorious instant. Her father must've known that she could really do it, too- that must have been why he seemed so unconcerned when he learned that she supposedly had no Rayshift aptitude.
But unlike in Olga Marie's past fantasies about becoming a Master and Rayshifting to help save humanity, there would be no Servant to fight by her side this time. Far more worrisome in her mind was the possibility that there might not even be anyone left alive to verify her existence, let alone Rayshift her back to Chaldea on the off-chance she could complete their mission by herself. For all she knew, she'd be stranded in the urban hellscape for the rest of her life.
Suddenly, the moment that she had dreamed of for so long started looking more and more like a terrible nightmare, even before the dead had come for her. Now, it was all she could do just to stay ahead of the undead throng.
One ill-timed stumble over a loose piece of rubble later, even that prospect was looking like a hopeless fantasy. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as one of the monsters surrounding her raised its rusty blade over her head in preparation for a killing blow…but that blow never came. Instead, she heard the sound of metal clashing against metal and bones cracking apart from a heavy impact. Her rescue had come at last!
A moment after she realized who the armored girl and her companion hacking away wildly with the sword actually were, her relief was rapidly replaced with confusion and surprise. Were Mash and that idiot from before really going to be her only hope of making it out of this place alive? Still, she couldn't afford to be too picky about what kind of help she could get now. Not when the alternative was an almost certain death.
After the last of the undead had been dealt with and the three of them had found a relatively safe-looking ruin to take shelter in, Olga Marie spared no time in interrogating her saviors.
"Director, about my situation. I know it's hard to believe, but the truth is—"
Mash was cut off halfway through. "You're a Demi-Servant. I could tell from the armor and the shield. But why wasn't it successful until now?!"
The director's commanding gaze turned to Ritsuka, her voice growing increasingly agitated as she continued her questioning. "And you, the one who showed up late and couldn't even be bothered to stay awake through my speech! How could someone with such an unimpressive set of magic circuits possibly forge a contract with a Servant? Did you do something to her to make her do your bidding?! Because if you did, then-"
Luckily for him, Mash interjected and spared him the need to figure out how to defuse Olga's tirade. "It's not like that at all, Director. I'm the one who forced the contract, not him."
"She's right," Ritsuka added after it looked like Olga had calmed down long enough to hear him out. "I didn't even know that I was her Master until Mash started asking me for orders. We had just managed to fight our way out of an attack by another group of those skeletons. We were searching for a ley line when we heard you screaming, and we came here to investigate."
"And you've seen none of the other Masters or Master candidates?"
Ritsuka shook his head, marveling at how quickly she could regain her composure on such short notice. "You're the only living human we've seen since we came here. I'm not sure if that means we're the only ones here, or if they got teleported to different parts of the city, or if they got killed before we met up."
"It's the first one," Olga concluded. "We were the only ones who were actually able to Rayshift to Fuyuki."
"How could you tell?" Mash asked, trying not to pay attention to Fou's tail tickling her nose as it scurried up her shoulder. "Were you not able to find anyone before us, either?"
"No, but it's not just that. The Coffins are equipped with breakers as a safety measure. If the success rate for a Rayshift drops below 95%, the power cuts off and the Rayshift is aborted. But none of us were ever actually inside the Coffins."
Mash seemed confused by this last part. "But I thought you taught us that Rayshifting without a Coffin was almost impossible."
"The key word is "almost", Kyrielight. While it's extraordinarily unlikely to happen, it's not completely impossible. So in conclusion, we're the only ones who actually Rayshifted here."
"At least that explains why we're the only living things in this whole place, then," Ritsuka added. Then he realized something: "But wait a minute- does that mean you weren't going to Rayshift with us?"
"Huh? N-no, of course not! What sort of commander heads to the front lines? Were you asleep when I told you that you were all my tools, too?"
Ritsuka shook his head in response. He had heard the hint of uncertainty in her denial, but now was obviously not the time to press her further. "No, no! I was just asking, that's all."
"Anyway, I understand the situation now. Since this is an emergency, I'll approve your contract with Kyrielight, and from here on out you'll follow my commands."
The newly approved Master nodded, as did his Demi-Servant. "I'm fine with being number two. So, what's our next move?"
"First, we should set up a base camp. If we can find a ley line terminal, we can open a connection to Chaldea and summon additional Servants to help us. In this city's case, it should be…"
"Director? It's right here. The ley line terminal is right at your feet." Mash seemed apologetic over interrupting Olga's attempt to reassert control over the situation.
"Ack! Um, I meant that I knew that, of course! I was just about to say that!"
Olga's subordinates did their best to ignore how her face was now only slightly less red than her stockings.
"Well anyway, just place your shield down on the ground right there. It'll act as the catalyst for a summoning circle. Fujimaru, Mash, do you understand?"
Ritsuka nodded, keeping a hand on his sword just in case any other unpleasant surprises showed themselves while they got set up. "I'm ready when you are."
Magical energy surged through the shield as it was placed upon the ley line terminal, and a series of holographic blue rings manifested around the trio. As Ritsuka marveled at his first glimpse of the FATE summoning system, his communicator began to ping again. One push of a button later, Roman's face flickered into view.
"Testing, testing. Ritsuka, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear," Ritsuka replied.
"Good job. With the connection secure, we can now communicate and even send rations to-"
Before he could finish his explanation, Olga interrupted.
"Why are you of all people running the operations now? Where's Lev?!"
Roman's initial response was a shout that sounded like he had just sat on a pin, followed by a brief pause to compose himself. "D-director! You're alive?! And you're not hurt? Wha-"
"What's that supposed to mean? And didn't I just ask you where Lev was? The head medic has no business being in charge, especially a good-for-nothing slacker like you." What signs of surprise that had previously been apparent on the Director's face had been replaced by her usual look of perpetual annoyance.
"Trust me, I know that I'm not cut out for this," Roman explained. "But I'm the closest thing Chaldea has to senior staff right now. I'd estimate that no more than 75 full-time staff survived, including me. And since Lev was supervising the experiment from the control room, there's no way he could have possibly escaped the blast."
The Director just barely stopped herself from panicking upon hearing that the only person she could trust in this whole ordeal was now dead.
"What about the Master candidates…the Coffins? What's their condition?"
Roman's already harried expression turned even more grim in response. "All 47 are in critical condition, and we're short on medical supplies. We might be able to save a few, but there's no way that we can-"
Before he could finish, Olga cut him off. "Cryopreserve them immediately. Worry about reviving them later, right now your only goal should be to ensure that they don't die!"
"I totally forgot the Coffins could do that! Give me a moment and I'll have it all set!"
As Roman's image disappeared from the communicator, Mash turned to the Director with a look of surprise.
"I'm surprised. Cryopreservation without consent is a crime, but you made the decision right away. You put human lives ahead of your own reputation as the director."
If Olga realized that this was supposed to be a compliment, she didn't show any sign of it. "Are you an idiot? I can explain myself later as long as they're not dead. Besides, 47 lives…I can't carry that kind of burden. If only Lev was here!"
Ritsuka had thought that it would've been a better idea to just stay quiet for the most part, but upon hearing that last sentence he decided that he needed to say something. If she couldn't handle that burden, then he would help her in Lev's place. "Then I'll help you carry it. I know I'm just a rookie who's out of his league here, but you shouldn't have to handle something like that by yourself."
His offer was met with a look of utter confusion, as if it was the first time anyone had ever offered to help her with anything. "Do you even know what you're saying, or do words just come out of your mouth at random?! I-I didn't mean it when I said that I couldn't handle that burden, anyway! I was only exaggerating to make a point, but you -"
Before she could resume her strangely unconvincing rant on the subject of minding his own business, Roman's image reappeared on the communicator screen. "Okay, I'm back- wait, am I interrupting something here?"
"I was just telling the Director that I wanted to help her with our situation in any way I can, that's all." Privately, he was wondering if he should ask about her bizarre reaction to his offer of assistance, but before he could come to a decision about it Olga ended up doing so for him.
"And I was saying that if he wanted to do so, he should focus on keeping us all alive instead of trying to be my emotional support. But anyway, is there anything else to report beyond that?"
The doctor shook his head. "No, I pretty much covered everything. We've lost a significant fraction of our functionality and the remaining staff are stretched thin. I'm shifting available manpower to Rayshift repairs, and maintaining CHALDEAS' and SHEBA's current states. When external communications are back up, we'll request supplies and start rebuilding Chaldea."
For once, the director's tension seemed to fade somewhat. "I didn't think you were the type to rise to the occasion like this, but I suppose you're the kind of person who works better when they're under pressure. So as much as I dislike it, I'll be putting you in charge of Chaldea until we return. Ritsuka, Mash and I will be investigating Singularity F."
Now it was Roman's turn to be surprised. "You're not afraid to be at ground zero? Since when did you become this brave?"
Olga shot a withering glare at the doctor. "You really need to learn when to shut up, you know? I'd like nothing better than to go back now, but it's going to take time till you finish the Rayshift repairs. So far we've only encountered relatively weak monsters, and with Mash as a Demi-Servant we'll be safe. And besides, we Animuspheres pride ourselves on doing our best in the situations we're given, accident or not."
The Director paused, trying to keep herself composed and hoping that her subordinates didn't notice. "I'll be looking into Singularity F with Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight as investigators. I'd like to say that the extent of this mission will be to discover the cause of this anomaly, but depending on how long it takes to restore Chaldea's operations and prepare a second team we may need to analyze and eradicate the anomaly ourselves. Ritsuka, are you okay with that?"
The Master nodded in assent. "Like I said, I'll help however I'm able."
"Roger that. I'll send over the Saint Quartz you'll need to perform a summon- just place them in the center of the circle. Communications are stable in short bursts now, so in case of an emergency you should feel free to contact me."
As he spoke, a set of rainbow-colored objects that reminded Ritsuka of konpeitō materialized in the ground in front of him.
"And if that's it, I'm ending the connection for now," Olga concluded as she picked up the objects. "We'll perform our first summoning and take it from here, now go do your job." With that, the communicator shut down.
"Director, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Mash asked. "We could always wait here for rescue."
"By who? We're probably the only ones left who can do anything about this Singularity," Ritsuka pointed out. "For all we know it could take months just to find more Master candidates."
"Exactly. And do you know how much the Association will harass me in the meantime if I came crawling back to them with nothing to show for my efforts? If worst comes to worst, they could even accuse me of mismanagement and take Chaldea away from me. I just can't go back empty-handed now. I can't!" The longer she spoke, the more apparent the Director's agitation became to her subordinates.
"Um, Director? Weren't we going to do that summoning you mentioned?" Fortunately, Ritsuka's question was just what was needed to get Olga to focus on what they had to do next.
"I was getting to that," she snapped as she handed a handful of the odd objects to Ritsuka. "These are Saint Quartz, they're basically crystallized nuggets of magical energy that can be used to summon Heroic Spirits. All you need to do is place them in the center of the summoning circle and the system will take care of the rest."
She took a moment to count how many Saint Quartz crystals the doctor had sent them. "It looks like there's only enough for about three summons. Not great, but even a single allied Servant will make things far easier for us. Now, are you ready?"
Ritsuka and Mash nodded in agreement. "Sure are."
The device spun to life, generating three rainbow rings around itself before they converged in a beam of light.
Out of the beam, Ritsuka could just barely make out three figures emerging from it as they walked out. The first was a girl with blonde hair and piercing aquamarine eyes in what appeared to be a cross between a set of plate mail and a blue dress. The second was a tanned man in a red cloak, the sleeveless shirt beneath it revealing his well-muscled frame. The last of them had a gaudy set of golden armor that matched his equally golden hair, with a self-satisfied grin that seemed practically etched upon his face.
The Servant in the golden armor was the first to break the silence following their summoning. "FUAHAHAHA! Oh, how ironic our destinies can be! I would have never thought that we of all people would ever be summoned together again, let alone by the same mongrel of a Master!"
"Yes, this was most certainly a rather unexpected turn of events," the girl said through clenched teeth. Ritsuka could only assume that whatever their past connection might have been, it was not an especially pleasant one.
The girl turned to Ritsuka. "I ask of you, are you our Master?"
"I am," he replied. "My name's Ritsuka, and this is my kouhai Mash." Mash waved shyly as she heard her name being called. "She's a Demi-Servant, but even if she's no more experienced than I am she's proven to be a reliable ally."
Neither of them noticed the glimmer of recognition in the girl's eye as she noticed Mash's shield.
"Servant, Saber. Apologies for not revealing my True Name, but until we better understand the circumstances of our summoning here I wish to be cautious."
"Servant, Archer," said the red-cloaked man as Saber finished her introduction. "You can call me EMIYA. Something terrible must have happened to humanity if I ended up being summoned here. As for him-"
"You've caught me in an unusually good mood, mongrels, so I will condescend to reveal my True Name to you", the man in the gold armor interrupted. "I…am Gilgamesh! The King of Heroes!
Olga beamed as she recognized the name of humanity's oldest hero. Surely he will be willing to help us figure out what happened here?
"It is an honor to meet you, King of Heroes," she declared. "May we count on your assistance in investigating this Singularity?"
Gilgamesh laughed as if she had just told the funniest joke he had ever heard.
"Me? Help you? It is beneath me. I will allow the other two mongrels here to assist you as they see fit."
With that, the King of Heroes entered spirit form, taking just long enough to savor the shocked looks of the Master, his Demi-Servant, and the Director.
"We are off to a terrible start…" the Director lamented, her head cradled in her hands.
"...Indeed." Ritsuka concurred. "But we can't just stay here. I'll follow your lead, Olga."
The Master, the Director, and their Servant allies moved out, travelling towards the bridge in the distance.