Hi there, welcome to chapter five, this chapter will be a lore focus chapter so there won't be much action here ( not like theres any beside from chapter 4 ) So hope you enjoy.
'Fire, fire is everywhere' Thats Kitsuki first thought when she wake up 'Is this Saku village?' Her question is immediately get answer as her surounding look nothing like her village, no, her surounding look nothing like a kingdom at all let alone a village.
Debris everywhere, the smell of Dread and Regret fill the air as on top of her right now is a hole thats blacker than the night itself.
'If im not in the village right now, then where am i?' Her mind questioning itself before a sound catches her ear, a sound of a person walking, a child walking.
Without any further question, Kitsuki immediately trying to look around searching for where the sound come from, then she found it, a red hair child no older than 5 wandering around the area aimlessly.
'Hey are you ok' She wanted to ask but found herself unable to say anything, and at the same time trying to reach him but also found herself unable to do it.
'What is happening' Kitsuki was unable to do anything beside watching the child suffering without being able to provide any help, then the child, probably tired of the walk, has finally collapse the same time a nearby building collapse.
"..." She doesnt say anything mainly because of 2 thing, first she can't and second she didnt wanna say anything while someone is literally dying in front of her.
While Kitsuki was focusing on the child, a presence have escape her attention, a black hair man with a messy hair along with a black suit, the man are currently trying to dig around the debris to find any survivor.
When the man come near the child had Kitsuki finally acknowledge his presence as the man has caught a sight of the child desperate attempt at surviving.
"Hes alive! Hes alive! Hes alive" The man said as he pull the child while crying out of pure happiness of saving just one person "Thank you, just by saving one, i have been able to save myself" The man said as his face still wearing the smile he had earlier when he pull the child out of the debris.
'I wonder...if i could smile like that'
The child thought, clearly envy of the man happiness even during the all the chaos thats happend around him.
She open her eye.
'A dream?' She thought to herself while lying on the ground, still feeling like that wasn't a dream at all, its so... realistic, that felt more like a memory rather than a dream.
"You finally awake huh? Took you long enough." She heard a voice right beside her and she decide to spin around to see a black hair figure with a red cloak? Scaft? Outside shirt that look like a mini cloak? A jacket? Yeah thats the word.
"Hey don't you know its rude to stare" The figure said as Kitsuki finally snap out of her staring.
"Ah! Im so sorry for staring, its just that your clothes look very unique mister uhh" Kitsuki said with both panic of being caught staring, and awkwardness of not knowing who was in front of her.
"Good grief...Its Shiki, Ryugi Shiki, you can call me Assassin or Shiki, whatever you like" The figure now is Shiki said.
'Assassin? First its Shirou with Caster now its Shiki with Assassin, it this some kind of trend or something...Wait what even is trend?' The Girl confuse herself.
"Well anyway, now that you are awake-" Shiki cant even finish her speech before getting interrupted "Well do you have a good sleep master?" A tanned figure suddenly materialize out of nowhere interrupting Shiki.
"...Did you got a habit of interrupting someone when they speak or something?" Shiki ask feeling a little annoyed "I'm sorry, its probably because of my skill" Shirou explain apologictally.
"Huh? Caster-san what are you doing here?" She ask dumbfounded by Shirou appearance 'Why is he here wasn't he currently fighting the-' Then it hit her.
"The Magical Energy! Right, the purple pillar that appear out of nowhere, Quick Caster-san we must bring everyone to safety!" She ask panickingly.
"Calm down Master, We have already deal with it while you are still asleep" Huh? So its already been dealth with, thats a relieve "Wait, what did you just call me Caster-san?"
"... Well anyway, now that we have dealth with the bandit situation, what are you going to do now?" Shirou ask trying to change the topic of the conversation "Huh? I-" He is right, what am I going to do now?
"I don't know" She admitted 'Although it would be great if I could be traveling a bit' She thought to herself "So traveling huh? Never thought you had such a wish" Shirou said so with a smirk in his face 'Eh? How can he read my- Oh right telepathy.'
"... Well I don't really intent for anyone to find that out, it is really embarrassing now that you said that out loud" She said while having a small blush on her face.
"Well in any case, i wish you good luck with that" Shirou said confuse Kitsuki a bit, seeing her confuse face he continue "As you may know, i am a spirit that doesnt meant to exist here so i can't stay here forever, because of that I can't travel with you as i doesnt meant to be here" Shirou said and after hearing that, Kitsuki's face got a little sadden.
"I see..." She said with a small voice.
Then she said nothing afterwards as so do Shirou and Shiki who was currenly leaning in a nearby wall.
"..." Kitsuki close her eyes and take a deep breath then open her eye and said "I guess this is the end, thank you Caster-san, you save my life and my village, i don't know how I can ever repaid that."
"And you don't have to" Shirou answer her " Just live your Life to the fullest Ginhime-san, thats more than enough for me."
"I promise Caster-san, i would live my life to the fullest" She said while smiling, feeling her tear has already start to creep up "I will start breaking the contract now."
...
"Huh?"
"Why can't i-" Kitsuki said while trying to break the contract between she and Shirou.
"Whats wrong Ginhime-san?" Shirou ask worry about her face cleary are showing struggling, Even Shiki now had open her eyes to see what's going on.
"...I can't break the contract Caster-san" She explain in a panic while still trying to break the contract between him and her "Normally whenever I summon anything there will be a chain connecting me and the contractor soul together so that I could break the contract just by snapping the chain."
The more Kitsuki speak, the more worried Shirou become "But now I just can't snap the chain between me and you, no matter how hard I tried." Kitsuki said as she now has given up at snapping the chain.
"Let me try something" Shirou said before he create a dagger with a strange shape "Rule Breaker!" Shirou shouted at the same time as he stabbed himself in the arm.
...
Nothing happen
"This isnt right" Shirou mumble to himself as Kitsuki look at him cleary misunderstood his action "WHAT ARE YOU DOING CASTER-SAN! Why do you stab yourself! You can't just kill yourself hoping to die!" Ok that last part sound weird but still why do he stab himself!
"Calm down Ginhime-san, I'm not gonna kill myself but rather this dagger ability is to cancel out magical contract but it requires physical contact to do so" Shirou reassure Kitsuki "But it seem like not even this work."
As the two still confuse as to why they can't break the contract, Shiki decide it was time to interference "Well, that was a sight to witness" Shiki said as she began to approach them, gaining their attention "I might have the answer you two want" She said as she begin to observe the two reaction.
"Well basically I'm not a full on servant-and-master type, rather I'm a rouge servant summon a week ago with no master to give me mana to fuel my existence." She continue as Shirou began to wide his eyes and Kitsuki stare at Shiki with even more confuse eyes "So to make it short and easy to understand, i was meant to be gone a week ago...But I didnt and still walking and fighting" She added, see through Kitsuki confuse face.
"So that mean..." Shirou said as he began to realise something "We Servant don't need mana to exist here?"
"Im afraid thats correct" Shiki said "A normal servant body is usually made out of mana and only truly 'die' when we are out of mana and without the need of mana to exist here, meaning that we don't have any real way to get out of here either."
"So what do that had to do with our situation Ryugi-san" Kitsuki said even though she had no idea what they are saying half the time "Well this is just a theory but because of our current special circumstances of 'unlimited mana' make it that whenever a contract is make, its impossible to break out since contract of this world relies soly on mana of both sides and the chain that the kid meintion act as a 'mana transfer' or some kind that when break will absorb the other end mana so when that happened, that will interference with the world as something can not exist from nothing so the world itself will go against it."
"In other word, because of our 'unlimited mana' make it so that when you make a contract, which only relies on mana on a being that never ran out of mana the result will be a small reality paradox?" Shirou shorten thing so that Kitsuki would be able to understand it.
"So i can't break the contract?" Kitsuki said while still trying to warp her head around the information "Basically, yes" Shiki answer her.
"So do we have anyway of returning to the throne then?" Shirou ask much to the confusion of Kitsuki "Well i have one way, although this method isnt really the best one..."
"And that is?" Shiki with a sign said "Kill your-"
"NO, He won't kill himself!" Kitsuki suddenly interrupted Shiki causing her to suprise a bit, and on Shirou part, he could've swear when he heard Kitsuki said that her normally amethyst eyes had briefly turn green.
"...Fine if you don't want that then theres another way" Shiki said "Well this method will take longer or shorter than the first one depend on our luck."
"That method being travelling and hope we found a way to return to the Throne" Shiki said making Kitsuki exited for a bit.
"..." Shirou fell silent, clearly considering that method, if we do that now there will be a chance at returning to the Throne but at the same time had a equal chance at not finding anything at all, and the first one seem the most viable but...
Glancing at Kisuki direction and saw her eyes looking at him.
"Sigh, Fine guess I could venture out with you Mistress" Shirou said with a sigh as Kitsuki face bright up.
"Really? Then when can we start!" Kitsuki ask excited at the fact that her only friend is coming with her.
"We can start now, but you should tell your parents that your about to leave so that they won't have to worry" Shirou ask as Kitsuki face darken a bit.
"...I-I don't have parents" Realise that he had make a mistake Shirou immediately apologize "Oh, I'm sorry i don't know that Ginhime-san"
"Thats ok you don't know." She reassure him and upon seeing his face, she decide to change the conversation "Well what are you gonna do now Ryugi-san, do you wanna join us, we can make a team if we go together."
"...Well I don't have anything better to do so-" Before Shiki can finish her speech, she got interrupted...Again "Great now we can make contract, let me get prepare"
But before she could do anything, Shiki stop her "I will stop you right there kid" Seeing her confuse face, Shiki continue "Look its not like I don't wanna make a contract to you, if i make a contract i might return back to my old strength but rather i can't take the risk of making a contract and cant get out of it."
"Ah i see, then let us go then, the faster we go the futher we can go so lets go!" Kitsuki said excitedly.
"Um How about we helping the villager first, most of them are still unconscious we can help them get to a safer place before we go." Shirou suggest.
With a nod Kitsuki immediately go to get the villager to a safer place "Well you guy better be quick then, i don't exactly at the peak of my strength so i will just stay here" Shiki said as she began to turn into her spirit form.
'Not at the peak of my strength?' Shirou decide to ignore the final detail as he began to bring the other villager to safety.
2 hour 30 minute ago
Inside a castle located in the middle of a stormy mountain, in the end of a hall way full of skeleton of multiple human and monster alike, lie a throne, a figure couldve seen sitting in it.
The figure had a dark skin with a horn in his head, he wore a crimson red armor with a sword at his side, one could say the 'red' of his armor are from the corpse of his enemy but in this case its the opposite.
Upon futher look couldve seen that the figure was having multiple hole in his body with 2 giant hole in his chest that go through his body and his crimson armor, now soak in his own blood, his eyes now no longer having any sight of light in it.
"Sigh, Thats quite a boring battle, who could've thought the almighty Demon Lord wouldve been so weak" A figure have seen standing in front of the Demon Lord corpse.
The figure have light grey hair accompanied with a dark green eyes that shown a immense boredom, the figure are wearing a black cloak thats covering all of their body.
"To think the weakling in front of me now have cause me and Shirou-sama so much trouble before..." The figure said with a sweet and nostalgic voice " Fufufu, soon just a little bit more and then we could reunited once again, my love."
"RAGHH" A roar come from outside the castle as a dragon suddenly fly toward the throne room to check on his now dead master.
Suddenly in the figure back grow 2 silver tentacle that resemble a spider legs and said tentacle immediately charge at the dragon, piercing through it and kill it, all in the matter of second.
"Now I'm curious of what kind of power do you have to cause me and my beloved so much trouble" The figure wonder to themself as the two tentacle now return and start to stab the Demon Lord corpse.
Suddenly the Demon Lord corpse turn into a green crystal version of itself as it break apart and get absorb into the figure body.
"Clairvoyance and future sight and time manitpulation huh?" The figure wonder to themself before coming to a conclusion "Utterly useless."
"Hmm, maybe the Clairvoyance is not as useless as it seem" The figure said with a smirk knowing who they are gonna watch with the ability.
Well we reach the end, and I hope you guy like this chapter and I will see you guy later hopefully.