Author's notes
Now it's the second arc of this fanfiction! Fear not, this is equivalent to the side story regarding relaxation. It is noted that Clockwork Flower Pavane Chapter 1 and Eden Treaty Chapter 1 are skipped.
ENJOY!
Fate/Grand Order: Where All Miracles Begin, SCHALE
A Visitor from Beyond (4/6)
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The room was silent.
Abigail stared at her master, her confusion mounting. His face... changed. His wide eyes, mouth slightly agape, and the beads of sweat on his temple resembled a man who had just witnessed a ghost. Seeing that, the little girl's heart raced in panic.
"Ma-Ma-Ma—Master-san! Did I do something wrong?"
Ritsuka didn't answer.
"Am I a bad child?" she blurted, her panic bubbling over as her tiny hands clenched her skirt. Meanwhile, the young man stood frozen, his eyes locked on the innocuous teddy bear in Abigail's arms as though it had just declared itself a world-ending weapon.
"Master-san! Master-san!" Abigail's voice grew frantic as she reached out and shook him by the sleeve. Finally, her words snapped him back to reality.
"Ab—Abby..."
"Yes, Master-san! H-Huk... Did I—Did I—" Her voice cracked. Like a child about to be scolded, her eyes turned misty as droplets of tears were ready to drip down at any moment.
"Abby, that doll... May I look at it?"
The little girl blinked, startled. "Ehh? Sure..."
Hesitantly, she handed him the teddy bear.
The instant it was in his hands, Ritsuka's expression hardened. He stared at the doll with laser-like focus.
(_ )
( ;;!)
For a split second, it almost felt like the teddy bear stared back.
In this moment, even just the slightest light reflection in its eyes seemed suspicious to him.
Abigail tilted her head nervously. "Master-san... What's wrong with it?"
"Abby..."
"Yes?"
"This is going to be a little cruel, but... do you mind if I dissect this one?"
"Eh?!" Abigail clutched her hands to her chest, visibly horrified. "But—But Master-san! It's a gift! Kotama-san gave it to me!"
"I'm sorry, Abby," Ritsuka said apologetically but firmly.
Reluctantly, Abigail nodded, her small shoulders trembling. "Mhm..."
Ritsuka walked to his desk and retrieved a cutter. When he turned back to the teddy bear, the blade glinting ominously under the office lights, Abigail gulped. Watching a man with a knife in hand about to dismember her newly gifted teddy bear was not a pleasant sight for the little girl.
He brought the blade to the bear's stomach and made a swift, clean cut. Cotton burst out in fluffy tufts.
However—
"Eh... Master-san..." Abigail's voice quivered as her eyes fixated on something inside the bear's exposed belly. "What's... that?"
A teddy bear shouldn't have any electronics inside right?
Moving swiftly, he grabbed the bear's head and pulled at its eyes. A faint metallic snap echoed as wires came loose, dangling from where its eyes had once been.
Abigail gasped, her eyes widened in shock.
"Master-san, its eyes— Is that..."
Turning to her, Ritsuka let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Yes... It's a camera."
"..."
"Abby, we've been wiretapped..."
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Half an hour earlier.
in the heart of Millennium's high-tech Veritas clubroom, the sound of clacking keyboards and humming computers filled the air. The room, brightly lit by the glow of LEDs and multiple monitors, buzzed with activity. Three hackers worked intently at their stations—though one of them, Kotama, seemed unusually distracted. She sat back in her chair, headphones on, staring at a monitor with an oddly determined expression.
"Kotama-senpai, you've been staring at that tracking screen for so long. Is something wrong?" Hare asked, her white hair catching the light as she peeked over Kotama's shoulder.
"Hmm..." Kotama adjusted her glasses and answered hesitantly. "Well..."
"What are you looking at?" Maki, the most energetic of the trio, leaned over from her station. Her curiosity was piqued as she saw the tracking display on Kotama's screen.
"It's..." Kotama hesitated again, her eyes darting between the screen and her friends. Finally, she confessed.
"—It's Abigail-chan."
"EHH?!" Maki exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "Kotama-senpai! I knew you've tried wiretapping Sensei several times, but spying on Abigail-chan? That's bold!"
Kotama sighed, swiveling her chair to face the two. "Yes, I did it. But aren't you two curious about him?"
Hare and Maki exchanged glances, their curiosity bubbling beneath the surface.
"Curious... about Sensei?" Hare asked.
"Yes." Kotama said firmly. "This time, we're going to succeed. Since it's Abigail-chan, he'll surely drop his guard."
"Noa-san and Yuuka-san have already said they're from outside Kivotos. Abigail is connected to Sensei. Thye were from outside of Kivotos! They knew each other for so long too! Don't you want to know who he really is? Where he came from?"
"Well... when you put it like that..." Hare trailed off, glancing at the screen with growing interest.
Kotama had gifted the little girl a teddy bear with wiretapping devices and camera eyes installed. Prior to this attempt, she had tried gifting him a lot of modified stuffs. Their purposes?— to study him, his identity, his personality, his behaviors— to find out why was he so perfect.
Nonetheless, they all failed.
As the opportunity had presented itself, she'd no reason not to utilize it.
Kotama clenched her fist. "This isn't just idle curiosity! We need to understand him. Sensei is perfect, too perfect! There's something he's hiding, and I want to know what."
Maki laughed nervously. "Hey, Kotama-senpai, but aren't you afraid Sensei will get mad? What if he finds out?"
"Of course, he'll be mad..." Kotama admitted. "But it's worth it to know the truth!"
"...I guess." Hare muttered. "It's not like Sensei would ever do anything shady. Maybe this will help us understand him better."
"Exactly. Besides, imagine the knowledge we'll gain. We'll be closer to him than any other students!" Kotama smirked triumphantly while thinking privately to herself.And maybe, just maybe, I'll see sides of him no one else has seen...
"Alright, let's do it! We're Veritas, the righteous truth-defending, knowledge-liberating hacking club! Let's unveil Sensei's mystery!" Pumping her fist in the air, Maki announced.
"Regardless, what is done is done—" Hare continued "Just for the record, I'm only agreeing because of curiosity about his secret, not for... personality or behavior studies."
"Right, right..." Kotama said dryly, clearly not buying Hare's excuse.
"Great, we're all in agreement! No backing out now!" Maki declared naughtily.
In the end, all of the Veritas agreed to spy on their teacher. With a clear goal and objective settled, the two girls pulled their chairs to Kotama's station. All eyes glued at the monitor.
"Kotama-senpai, where is she now then?" Hare asked her eyes now looked at the tracking screen.
Suddenly, Maki's eyes darted to the monitor. "Kotama-senpai, she's close! Abigail-chan's approaching the SCHALE building!"
Kotama's fingers flew across the keyboard, opening another feed. "She'll be at the office in just a few minutes."
"Let's switch to the camera feed!" Maki suggested excitedly.
But before they could proceed, a sharp knock on the clubroom door startled them, pausing their operations. The door slid open, revealing two familiar figures.
The two worst possible people at the worst possible timing.
"Sorry to bother you again. We wanted to ask about— Hmm?"
Yuuka's voice called as she entered with Noa trailing behind her. Still, she paused, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at the trio, who looked like kids caught red-handed. Her eyebrows furrowed, thinking what was wrong with them— She and Noa came in for a good intention this time.
"Oh, hi again," Kotama said stiffly, her head swiveling between the newcomers and her monitor. "Is it urgent? We're kind of busy right now..."
"Busy? What are you three looking at?"
Stepping closer, the treasurer asked as her gaze fell on the monitor. It was just a few hour earlier they that had visited the club with Abigail. Before this, they were all free— they even ate and drank together. They becoming busy now was indeed strange.
"Well, well... We're—" Kotama stammered, scrambling for an excuse. They were racing against time, they needed to watch the screen now or they may missed a moment.
Nonetheless, just as the conversation reached stalemate, Maki blurted out, ignoring Yuuka entirely.
"She's entering the building!" Maki blurted, ignoring Yuuka entirely. "Abigail-chan has entered the building! Kotama-senpai!"
"Wait... Abigail? Just what are all—"
"Fine! I don't care anymore. We can't waste time explaining!" Turning away from Yuuka, Kotama made her decision— Spying on Sensei was more important. More important than getting caught in her crime.
Swiftly, Her fingers danced across the keyboard, switching the feed to a real-time view. The screen showed what the teddy bear was seeing.
"She was about to reach the office!"
"Target in vision in 10 seconds." Hare reported robotically.
"You're spying on Abigail?!" Yuuka exclaimed, horrified after the realization struck.
"Yes! And through her, we'll uncover Sensei's secret!" Maki said enthusiastically. "Don't you want to know what their relationship really is? Who they are?"
Yuuka faltered, her curiosity fighting against her better judgment. Whenever it came to the teacher, her mind was always clouded...
"That's... that's..."
Unable to balance the good and evil, she instantly turned to her trusted friend— with the expectation to receive a helpful advice, she was greeted with her iconic smile.
"N-N—Noa?"
"It's not so bad." Noa said cheerfully, already leaning over to look at the screen.
"Noa, not you too!" Yuuka cried.
As Yuuka wrestled with her thoughts, Maki shouted. "There he is! Sensei's in the frame!"
Everyone leaned forward, their eyes glued to the screen as the feed showed Abigail stepping into Ritsuka's office.
"Master! I'm back!"
"Hey, welcome back. I thought you forgot about me already."
The girls in the room leaned forward, their eyes glued to the screen as the teddy bear camera gave a shaky but close-up view of Ritsuka wrapping his arms around the little girl.
"So... this is what I'll see when I hug him?" Kotama muttered under her breath, her glasses reflecting the screen.
Hare sighed, crossing her arms. "Kotama-senpai, you're sounding more like a stalker than a hacker right now."
"Shh!" Maki waved her hand, silencing them. "Let me focus on this. This isgold."
Yuuka stood at the back of the group, her face a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "You three... this is really crossing a line, you know?"
"Oh, come on, Yuuka-san. Don't act like you're not curious." Kotama shrugged nonchalantly.
Before Yuuka could retort, something on the screen caught their attention. Abigail spoke again.
"By the way, Master-san, did you read the letters?"
"Ahem— well, yes, I read all of them. Looks like I can't afford to slack off on this trial Alaya has given me."
"Letters? Trial? And who is Alaya?" Maki's voice broke the silence, her head tilting in confusion.
Yuuka furrowed her brow, tapping her chin. "Letters? Hmm... I think I know this. Yesterday, I saw him storing a pile of letters in the office. That must be what they're talking about."
"And is Alaya one of his students?" Hare speculated.
"Well... that could be, but I don't know..." Yuuka admitted thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Noa, seated on a chair with a notebook in hand, scribbled down notes furiously. Not only was the conversation she recorded, She documented every detail—Ritsuka's tone, his behavior, even the little inflections in his voice.
"Abby, last time you said everyone was fine... but nothing bad happened, right?"
"Well... before I left, nothing big happened. Based on what we normally deal with, I think it wasn't bad."
"Hey now! It's going to be about his secret!" Maki exclaimed, her excitement bubbling. "Besides Abigail-chan, he hasotherpeople too!"
The girls focused intently, but their anticipation was quickly met with confusion.
"Tenochtitlan-san was bound by Enkidu-san's chains. Tezcatlipoca asked for his help to keep her in check..."
"Wh-What was that? Tex-Tez? Tezcat-what?" Yuuka stammered, clearly thrown off by the unfamiliar names.
"It didn't sound like our language..." Hare added, leaning closer to the screen.
Noa adjusted her posture, her calm voice breaking the chatter. "I think I recall those are names from some ancient civilization. We can look them up later."
"Mhm, but what are they even talking about? A game?" Yuuka asked, her brows furrowing in frustration.
However, it didn't end with just that. More names began to flow through the conversation.
Tenochtitlan, Enkidu, Tezcatlipoca, Chaldea.
More names began to flow through the conversation.
Kotama tilted her head. "Hey... I recognize some of those. Siegfried, for example. Isn't that the name of a dragon slayer? Like, from folklore?"
"Yeah, but they've mentioned more modern-sounding names too." Hare added. "Saint Martha, Pope Joan, and Jeanne... That sounds something related to the Trinity's Sisterhood."
"Hey, did you all hear it?" Maki leaned in. "Abigail-chan said something like 'many servants are praying for his return.' What does that mean? Does Sensei have an army of maids and butlers? All with weird names?"
"And Abigail-chan keeps calling him 'Master'." Hare pointed out.
A long silence fell over the room as the girls exchanged confused glances.
"...WhatisSensei hiding?" Yuuka muttered, her voice a mix of wonder and unease.
Noa, as always, smiled mischievously, her pen poised over her notebook. "Fufu, Yuuka-chan... don't you think this is getting more interesting?"
Yuuka's eyes twitched as she huffed in frustration. "Moreconfusing, you mean!"
The conversation on the monitor shifted again, snapping their attention back to the screen.
"Looks like I have to quickly solve this singularity and figure out what's going on in this world. I can't help but worry what will be left by the time I return.
"Mhm! You can do it, Master-san! I'll be cheering for you all the way!"
"Thanks, Abby. If you're ever allowed to visit again, please ask Da Vinci and Sion about this singularity's Human Order Foundation Value too."
"Roger!"
The Veritas room was still, save for the flickering monitor screen and the hushed sound of Abigail and Ritsuka's conversation filtering through the speakers. Instead of names, now they heard lots of terms they couldn't follow, leaving them completely blank.
Singularity? Human Order Foundation Value?
Thanks to them being Millenium students, at least they knew those words sound scientific.
"Singularity? Human Order?" Yuuka muttered. Her eyebrows furrowed as though she were trying to decode a foreign language that sound too serious to be just a random game. "What does all that even mean?"
"It sounds... important. Like, world-ending important." Hare replied.
"Shh!" Maki hissed. "Here comes more—!"
"Abby, do you happen to know where the Holy Grail is?"
"No, Master... I don't sense it in its usual form. But what bugs me the most is..."
On the screen, Abigail pointed toward the window, her small hand gesturing toward the distant beacon of light piercing the heavens from the Sanctum Tower.
"High up in the sky, there are enormous magic circles covering the entire city. It's as if they're maintaining this place."
"Magic circles? In the sky?" Yuuka whispered, thinking about the circles in the sky she'd seen her whole life.
"And I've flown over all of Kivotos several times. The outside... It doesn't exist. There's no place beyond this city."
As Abigail and Ritsuka spoke further, their words sent chills through the room.
They talked about the Holy Grail— something straight out of history and religion books that only those from Sisterhood seemed to care. Magic circles— those circles in the sky they'd seen their whole life. They didn't even question it any more as though they were part of the world like clouds and winds. Nonetheless, that was something their former president, Himari, who was also the head of Paranormal Affair Department, tried to researched on but gave up long ago.
There were more too... Sanctum Tower? Its pillar?
"Magic circles, no outside world... what is even going on?" Maki whispered harshly, her usual enthusiasm replaced by growing concern. "Ahh! What are they even talking about? I couldn't understand a thing. What's Rhongomyniad?!"
"And he said Kivotos... our city is what?" Yuuka muttered.
"He implied our city is a singularity created with the Holy grail. The Sanctum tower is similar to the 'Rhongomyniad' he mentioned" Noa explained, her face no longer had the excitement she'd displayed earlier.
"This sounds... big," Hare muttered, her voice unsteady. "Bigger than anything we expected."
"It's worse." Noa whispered, her usual teasing smile completely absent. Her amethyst eyes were fixed on the screen, sharp and calculating. "Based on Abigail-chan's reaction, this isn't just a theory. They're scared it might be true."
The girls exchanged uneasy glances. The image of Abigail's solemn expression, normally so full of cheer, was burned into their minds. Their eyes glued to the monitor, watching Ritsuka tried to console the little girl, saying they would find a solution together.
"Will something bad happen to Kivotos...?" Yuuka murmured.
"Normally, singularity refers to a point or an incident that occurs in a timeline— time and spaces that are not part of the regular temporal axis" Hare spoke up. After a little pause, she continued.
"If that's true, then—"
"He was saying— Our world was an irregularity... that's not supposed to exist."
The silence that followed was deafening.
The sound of Abigail's voice broke through their thoughts.
"Master-san... Promise me, no matter what happens, you'll protect everyone here."
"..."
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"Of course, that's a given. I'm their teacher, after all."
His words brought a faint reassuring comfort, though the tension in the room remained palpable.
Yuuka exhaled shakily. "Even with all those secrets he's keeping... at least he still sounds like Sensei."
"Yeah, but... the fact that he even has to promise that..." Hare nodded, though her eyes betrayed her worry. What did ones expect to react when they heard him saying no one would vanish under his watch? Not only they were shocked, they were scared of the truth— The truth hidden behinds facts they didn't know.
As the students turned silent, speechless from the information they'd received. Noa, however, said nothing. Her gaze stayed fixed on the screen, studying Ritsuka's faint smile. To anyone else, it might have seemed reassuring, but to her, it was a mask. Behind his calm facade, she could see the cracks. His emotions—his burdens—were painfully clear to her.He's in shambles, isn't he? It's like he's trapped in a cage of his own thoughts...
"It's almost funny."
Ritsuka's voice broke the silence again, startling everyone.
"What is it, Master-san?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
The girls leaned forward in their chairs, their tension mirrored on the screen.
"...That I ended up in a place like this. A city filled with students, a world of guns, magic circles, and halos... all while trying to play the role of teacher. And now, even the city itself might be the Grail we're looking for."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Life is strange, huh?"
"But Master-san always finds a way, no matter how strange or difficult."
Abigail's voice, as always, was full of warmth. Ritsuka chuckled softly, and the tension in his voice lightened.
The girls in Veritas felt some of the weight lift as well. Even with the looming uncertainty, Ritsuka's presence had a way of easing fears.
As the conversation shifted to lighter topics—Abigail's school life, her newfound friends—the girls allowed themselves to relax a little. But the unease lingered in the back of their minds.
Noa, however, kept her eyes on the screen. Her thoughts, hidden behind her calm demeanor, remained troubled.What kind of burden are you carrying, Sensei?she wondered.And how much longer can you keep it up before it breaks you?
"Haaaa... now I really feel like we've listened to something we absolutely shouldn't have." After a long sigh, Kotama sank in her chair.
"Still..." Hare murmured. "This whole thing—his words, the Grail, the city... it's not just about him. It involves us too. Our city—no, our entire world."
"Veritas... We're Veritas, the righteous truth-defending, knowledge-liberating hacking club..." Maki said with mock enthusiasm, slumping over the desk. "Now I kinda regret it..."
"What do we do now?" Yuuka asked, her voice unusually soft. She looked around, seeking answers in their faces. "Noa, what do you think?"
Noa sat in silence, her usual smile nowhere to be seen as her amethyst eyes were fixed on the notes she had been furiously jotting down. Yuuka scanned the room again, taking in everyone's expressions. The weight of what they had uncovered was too much, and they all knew it was only the tip of the iceberg. There was so much more they didn't know...
Nevertheless, Sensei— who ever the real him was— had to shoulder all this.
"Well... now that we're all in the same sinking boat—" Yuuka finally said. "Let's make one thing clear: until we validate his claims, none of this leaves this room. These secrets could never, ever be leaked to the public. Not even to the General Student Council."
"Mhm," Hare agreed, nodding firmly. "If word gets out, it'll definitely stir chaos."
"Maybe President Himari could lend us a hand." Kotama suggested, adjusting her glasses. "With her expertise in mysteries and paranormal stuffs she might be able to connect some dots. If anyone can do something about this, it's her."
Even with that resolution, the atmosphere was heavy. The scale of what they had just learned was incomprehensibly large. Managing their school was challenging enough, but this? This was the fate of an entire city...
"And... what about Sensei?" Maki asked cautiously, breaking the silence.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.
"Do we just... pretend we didn't hear anything, or..." Maki trailed off.
Before anyone could answer, Ritsuka's voice suddenly echoed from the speakers, startling the room.
"By the way, Abby. Did you buy more plushies?"
"—!" All heads snapped to the monitor.
Abigail's sweet, innocent voice followed.
"An Onee-san gave it to me!"
Maki, Kotama, Hare, Yuuka, and Noa froze.
"This one came from the hacker club!"
( _;;!)
"..."
"..."
"..."
All eyes turned to one person, theOnee-sanmentioned.
"Right! The Hacker Club with the really hard name—ummm, VeryMuch? That doesn't sound right."
"Uhh... Vegeta? Ve-Ve-Ve—Veritas!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Do... do you remember that Onee-san's name?"
"Of course! It's Kotama-san!"
Kotama's heart stopped.
"Don't tell me..." Yuuka muttered, looking at the mastermind with wide eyes.
Kotama's face turned pale. "Uh—uh—uhhh..."
"Will he know?!" Yuuka whisper-screamed. "Will he know he's been wiretapped?!"
In this moment, she didn't know what was right and wrong anymore. Even worse, she didn't dare picture how he'd react if he found out what they'd done.
However, it wasn't just Yuuka. All felt the same.
Their panic doubled as Ritsuka's voice grew sharper.
"Abby, that doll... May I look at it?"
Thump. sound of their racing hearts drowned out the clicking of the keyboards.
The man on screen stared at the teddy bear with unnerving intensity. The girls collectively held their breath, feeling like they were the bear under his scrutiny.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Abby, this is going to be a little cruel, but... do you mind if I dissect this one?"
"Noooooooo! We're done for!" Kotama wailed.
"Abort! Abort! Abort!" Maki cried, grabbing her head in despair.
"We can't hide it anymore!" Hare added, her voice trembling.
They cried in terror, afraid of their teacher as he walked over with a cutter in hand. They started praying— begging for their lives as though they were the teddy bear itself.
On the monitor, Ritsuka calmly picked up a cutter and began to slice through the bear's stomach. Cotton burst out like snow.
"Noooo, he cut the belly!" Maki screamed. She didn't need to look at the reflection in his eyes to know he'd seen various electronic circuits and wires.
Now, the teacher's eyes locked onto them as if he was staring through the screen. He was looking directly at the doll's eyes...
And after a few camera shakes. Abigail voice rang through the speaker
"Master-san, its eyes— Is that..."
"Yes... It's a camera."
And like that, The screen cut to black.
The five girls sat frozen in place like criminals awaiting their sentencing.
"...I can't believe this," Kotama whispered, her glasses slipping slightly down her nose as she stared blankly at the monitor.
"Did we... did we really just get caught?" Hare muttered, her voice shaky.
"Not just caught—dissected!" Maki groaned, slumping into her chair. "Sensei ripped that bear open like it was nothing! We're doomed. He knows everything!"
Yuuka pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long, exasperated sigh. "This... this is too much. What do we evendonow?"
The group exchanged nervous glances, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife.
Ping!
The sound of a notification shattered the quiet, making everyone jump. All eyes turned toward Kotama, who hesitated before picking up her phone. Her hands trembled as she read the message aloud.
[Sensei]
Are you still in the clubroom? I'll be there in 30 minutes.Just now.
With her eyes pleading for help, the other accomplices sighed and accepted their fate.
In the end, everyone stayed together, waiting for his arrival.
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END.
Author's notes
This chapter is a moderate length one. Nothing new much but I thought it's a good to show the girls' reaction to something they didn't know pressured Guda more!
Since the arc seemed a little long, so I expanded its chapter. Anyways, the next one will in similar length to the previous chapter =D
Stay tuned for the next chapter! As I said, this arc is a light-hearted one(?) (or was it my lie?)