The sound of rain echoes across a scorched expanse filled with dissipating tendrils of electricity piercing through the Earth.

Rasping breath, eyes facing the stars, body sprawled over one's back.

The involuntary spasming of muscles and the scent of burnt flesh amid the darkened sky.

A laugh escapes parched lips, skin peeling from flesh and bone.

And the sound of his name reverberating from the coming dawn.

The light of the sun touches his skin, filled with fury, grief, and regret.

Too little too late.

Ah, the curse of the Gods…

Mankind's folly and the boundary between the divine secret.

Pathetic.

Footsteps sound from just out of sight, muted thanks and whispered faults as a garland of flowers are laid atop his chest.

Through blackening vision, the sight of tears upon a face that once again teamed with life, proof of transcendence, and the jealousy of the God of Death.

What was it all for?

Caster opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling before him in the upper floor of the abandoned church where he and his comrades took refuge under Hestia's hearth.

As a Servant, he had no need for sleep, but the golden mini-sheep atop his head had insisted.

"What kind of doctor did not know good health?"

The fact that Apollo had said it was the most aggravating. Worse, when Caster's honour as a doctor found itself agreeing, unwilling to say otherwise when it meant a misdiagnosis on the issue of sleep and rest.

His pride was irked and there was not a suitable rebuttal as a physician.

The only real upside was that he didn't have to deal with his father's antics while asleep.

Therefore, Caster slept.

Still…it had been a long time since Caster had had that dream.

Sitting up, Caster opened and closed his palms, feeling goosebumps travel down his skin. Each time he blinked his eyes, the appearance of his hands would shift into an ashen black, and then return back to normal.

His mind was playing tricks on him, Caster was quick to self-diagnose. His Spirit Origin and his skill as a doctor already told him that he was physically fine.

Clicking his tongue, let out a long breath, ignoring the gold sheep at his bedside that had been staring at him ever since he'd woken up.

"Something on your mind, kiddo?" Apollo pawed the bed sheets, his body stretching before moving to hop on top of Caster's head. "Migraine? Aches? Pain? Did you not know? Your father's a God of Medicine and Arts! Now tell me, what's the cause and I'll fix it."

Apollo used his stubbly arms and legs to press over Caster's head.

"You." Caster grumbled, already used to his father's antics.

"Gh, you wound me," Apollo said as Caster got out of bed and readied himself without fanfare. "But you know, this kind of treatment is new even to me. I'm not sure if I like it or not. Hm."

"Damn old man," Caster knit his brows and filtered out his father's ramblings.

Caster washed his face from a small basin of water, and then proceeded to leave the abandoned church rather than make his way to his make-shift medicine hall.

There was much to do today.

It had been a couple days since the Raid Party had returned to Orario, and news of their victory had changed the entire dynamic of the city.

Everyone was busy dealing with something, leaving Caster the only one to return to the abandoned church. His company had been Bell and Hestia, but the two knew better than to disturb Caster lest they make him cranky.

However, today was a different day.

Shirou had sent word that they'd begin the true start of their mission in this new world- to reach the very depth of the Dungeon.

With the Black Dragon dead, there would be no one able to publicly bar them entry into the Dungeon due to lacking qualification.

Saber had shared information in regards to what potentially lay at the bottom of the Dungeon.

A Holy Grail, more than that, a Great Holy Grail. A Grail made from a Holy Grail War that summoned seven Servants against another team of Seven Servants.

The capability of such a grail was not lost on any Servant.

Saber would have been pressed for more details if not for the situation the man of steel had found himself in with Berserker and a girl from the Loki Familia on the way back from the Raid.

Then again, it was not Caster or anyone else's business to pry into personal matters. Instead, they were to focus on the goal, trusting that Saber would be more forthcoming when it mattered.

As it stood, the further down the Dungeon you travel, the greater the difficulty in successfully passing the floor. This was common knowledge.

However, Saber said difficulty increases exponentially with the number of participants in the lowest floors. Therefore, the odds of succeeding were greater with a smaller party of individuals. Yet, there was an exception.

Servants.

Just as it was rumoured that the Dungeon reacted harshly to the Divine, it was unknown how drastically it would respond to numerous Servants entering a lower floor at once. With the knowledge that an uncorrupted Holy Grail may be fueling the energy consumption of the Dungeon, it was not worth the risk.

Especially if the Dunegon was influencing the Holy Grail.

As Servants and Master, Shirou and the others would have no issue getting to bottom of the deep floors, but what Saber said that was beyond that was what mattered.

There were seven sub-levels that reached the heart of the Dungeon, each with a fragment of the Holy Grail.

The closer to the heart, the greater the Grail's power would be.

One Servant per sub-floor was Saber's suggestion. No more, and no less as the Grail would likely not allow it.

A single Servant challenging all seven sub floors was also unlikely.

Rider had scoffed at the notion while Archer had held his words, but the both of them did not appear at all affected by Saber's negativity.

If it was them, they had confidence.

Yet Saber had this look in his eye like he knew more than what he was letting on.

The fact that Shirou sided with Saber meant that there had to be more to the issue, but Caster did not pry.

As a result, Caster was planned to challenge the first of the seven sub-levels since it was the furthest from the center, making it the least difficult.

His role as the healer was too important to risk on a lower floor.

There was always the notion of Caster not participating to preserve his medical capabilities, but intuition was telling Caster that he could not do such a thing.

There was a reason for his summon to this world, and if everything was to be believed, he would find that answer in the Dungeon.

Leaving the abandoned Church, Caster made his way to Orario with a firmly set frown.

The dream he'd had, had reminded him too strongly of past memories and sentiments.

"Son?" Apollo appeared to cue in on the shift of mood almost immediately. "Are you really alright?"

It was like Apollo's playfulness had disappeared as he noted an anomaly with Caster.

"…I was just thinking about how annoying this all is." Caster said, not even bothering to gesture at the group of Apollo Familia that trailed him at every step. "And you, what are you doing following me?"

"You said to do as I wish," Alfia shrugged. "I'm doing it."

Day by day, she was getting better with each new transfusion of Divine Blood. It wasn't enough to get her to a hundred percent, but she felt confident enough to not be a burden.

Caster could not argue the logic, but it was the constant escorts that were irking him.

While Caster had been asleep, the Apollo Familia members had made due with making camp outside the Abandoned Church. After Caster had left, they simply resumed following him again, treating him as their patron god.

It was ridiculously tiring.

"You have a big day ahead." Apollo grinned, no longer minding the annoyed expression Caster was making. "Come now, the sun always rises."

But the gold sheep was truly the most frustrating.

"…" If Caster could kill with his stare, everyone around him would be dead.

He'd long since expected that this was going to happen, but experiencing it was not to his liking.

For the first time in a long while, Servants and Master were all together.

Saber, Archer, Lancer, Caster, Rider, Berserker, and Assassin were all walking in a row alongside Shirou.

And behind them, were their parents following in the distance. They could have been subtle about it, but there were too many of them to be even close to subtle.

"It's been a long time," Zeus said to Indra and Surya while Kunti kept her head awkwardly lowered at the center.

The two Indian Gods acknowledged Zeus, but Surya and Kunti maintained their focus on Lancer, leaving Indra to answer.

"Zeus. I would say it's a pleasure, but if what I'm feeling is right and they're all Demi-Gods ahead, then I suppose everyone here is in the same boat except for me," Indra muttered, gesturing to the Gods tailing Shirou and the others. "Couldn't keep it in your pants, could you?"

"As if you're any better. You're just dying to take it out, aren't you?" Surya scoffed, Kunti growing uncomfortable as Indra clenched his jaw. Indra couldn't even deny it.

Zeus could sense the tension between the three and gave them their space. It wasn't as if his situation was any better anyway.

"Gramps, you were alive!" Bell stuck to Zeus as if he'd disappear at any moment.

And where Bell was, Hestia was not far.

Different from before, there was a notable difference in the way Hestia was treating Zeus as if he'd done something unforgivable.

"…"

It wasn't said, but Zeus was quite clear about what issue Hestia would bear resentment over.

How could he have done nothing?

Zeus knew Hera was mentally insane, but to let her torment his own blood without even lifting a finger? It was something that no family could do or condone. Hestia's shift in demeanor was only natural.

"Zeus, you stay away from Bell. He's my Familia," Hestia offered only the bare minimum, as her response was curt. "You can speak with me on better terms after you make things right with your own son."

"You think I haven't tried?" Zeus felt helpless.

Archer was too indifferent.

Even after Zeus tried to reach out to Archer while on the Raid, Archer's responses weren't quite what he was looking for.

Zeus had his pride and was never in a position where he'd had to lower himself so much. Worse, with his own son, he couldn't even find the proper words to say, leading to awkward silence.

Bell had sought Zeus out to, but Zeus was even more discouraged when it was clear that Archer treated Bell better than him.

"Then you just have to keep trying. You don't give up on family," Hestia said while grabbing Bell and placing him behind her. "Until then, you're not Bell's grandpa."

"But-"

"Shush Bell." Hestia never looked more serious, causing Bell to hold his tongue. "Now follow quietly or go back to the church."

Bell hung his head, but relented.

Hestia had other people she had to deal with.

"Hephy, aren't you going to lighten up?" Hestia said as she turned away from Zeus and addressed Hephaestus.

"…Need to start a trade embargo…Reduce the Crozzo's work to trash…Those bastards…" Hephaestus still had dark shadows in her eyes, her hands constantly balled into fists.

Hestia winced. It was already a miracle that Hestia had been able to drag Hephaestus away from Ares's kingdom on the way back from the raid, but the God of Blacksmiths had clearly not let things go.

"Peleus, you need to talk more with your son," Thetis's lively voice overshadowed everyone else. "You're not putting in as much effort as I have!"

"That's because you're putting in too much effort. Can't you see his ears are turning red up ahead with his friends-"

"Stop making excuses Peleus. I am your Goddess, and your Goddess wills your cooperation!"

Thetis lectured while Peleus dragged a hand over his face.

The two stood out in stark contrast to the other Gods following their children. Earning several frowns from the others dealing with their own problems.

And of course, behind the following Gods, their Familia's were not far.

Loki and Freya Familia were also following, Loki because Ais had grown muted towards Saber, and Freya due to her own interests.

-All in all, the matters that were left unresolved in the Raid had transferred over into Orario where there was no running from them.

Whispers were constantly echoing, much to Caster's chagrin. He would have preferred to remain in his medical ward, but that wasn't an option.

Shirou looked away when Caster sent a withering glare his way. The Rider and the others held their laughter because the look Caster was going for would never reach fruition with the gold sheep on his head.

In any case, Rider was quick to start a conversation to drown out of the sound of Thetis gushing in the background and the fact that his ears were reddening from second-hand embarrassment.

"How's avoiding women going, Saber?" Rider snorted from the side.

"…"

Saber bowed his head, opening his mouth but closing it when Berserker gave him the side eye as if she saying 'do tell?'

"That's not funny, Rider," Archer interjected. "You shouldn't pry into personal matters that don't involve you."

"Peace. To each their own," Lancer nodded. "Everyone has their troubles."

"Ah, to be surrounded by warriors is a privilege." Assassin said, using Thrud as the main body. "Now if only Caster weren't here."

"Hn." Caster grunted sharply.

"We all remember what we're here for, right?" Shirou spoke up, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "I know we have a lot of other things on our minds, myself included, but let's put them aside for now. Saber and I have our circumstances, Archer his, and even Karna. But Rider, really?"

Rider scratched the back of his head before rubbing the bottom of his nose with a finger. Thetis telling Peleus to try harder in the background was hard to ignore.

"At least everyone else's parents aren't so enthusiastic," Rider said, relenting. "Let's just get this over with. If Saber is right, it's not like all of us will need to go in together in the future. The crowd is a bit much."

Shirou nodded.

Fame had spread quickly. Wherever Shirou and the others went, there would always be a pair of eyes turning in their direction. Especially in this instance when it became clear to everyone where Shirou and the others were heading.

The Dungeon.

/-/

Generally administered by the Adventurer's Guild, entrance to the Dungeon wasn't so simple. But these were extenuating circumstances.

Eina Tulle had seen better days. Exhaustion had crept up on her features, making her appear haggard and at odds with her usual self ever since the Dungeon Break Incident.

The clean up was still in process, and there wasn't any word about what state Rivera was in. Anxiety was creeping into the hearts of many, but the guild had to toughen up.

Lives were at risk, and there were those who insisted that they had to enter the dungeon to rescue those trapped inside in the safe zone.

Eina's present job was to turn those people away. It wasn't as if it was difficult.

All Eina had to do was point at the wreckage of Babel tower that collapsed over the Dungeon's entrance to make her point. There wasn't any way in right now anyway.

The part Eina disliked was the mental aspect as she watched hopeful face crumple with despair. The ever-elusive Caster who could revive the dead was constantly in people's words, but the demand was too high. Not all could have a meeting with the renowned doctor.

Today's job was supposed to be no different, and yet, Eina grew bug-eyed at the emergence of such a large crowd.

"Wait! Wait! Waaait!" Eina quickly got up to block the front, staring Shirou and the others down while frantically waving her hands in warning. "You can't enter right now. It's too dangerous!"

Rider laughed at the spectacle, but Shirou nudged him on the side.

"We would like to enter. If qualification means anything, we were part of the Raid party that slew the One-Eyed Black Dragon." Shirou said.

'I-It was them?'

Eina's pupils dilated, recalling the recent news buzzing through Orario of the Black Dragon's successful subjugation.

These people were all heroes.

Eina pursed her lips, but in the process stared at her guild receptionist card. She still had a duty to fulfill before fame.

"Even if you wanted to enter, it's not as if it's in the state to grant anyone passage." Eina tried to reason. "There's too much debris from the collapsed tower and-"

Eina trailed off, nearly stumbling back and falling on her butt.

Archer had lifted the entire crumbling structure blocking the way into the dungeon with his bare hands before placing it a few feet to the side.

"Can we enter now?" Shirou asked to clarify.

Rules were rules, but this time, Eina understood that the entire matter was over her capabilities to handle.

"T-That is, uhm, I-I have to call the manager."

Eina ran away.

Rider was relieved when his mother was stopped from entering the Dungeon with the other Gods at the entrance.

Instead, it was only their Familia who were able to enter and follow.

The sole exception to the 'no God in the Dungeon' rule, was Apollo, but that may have had more to do with his current state as a gold sheep than anything else.

Caster was understandably vexed.

As an agreement for entry, the Adventurer's Guild had tasked the group with checking the situation in the safe zone Rivera.

Due to the large size of the group, it was rather simple to form a team to follow up on Rivera's situation while the other team followed Shirou and his group down further into the Dungeon.

Rider and Archer took point by themselves, acting as a vanguard unit. Expectedly, the greatest of the Greeks combined made swift work of anything in their way.

Besides, this wasn't the first time Archer had his way down to the deep floors.

What differed from before was the audience following behind who could not fathom the level of skill and ability Rider and Archer alone were displaying.

With Rider and Archer as the vanguard, many Dungeon explorers managed to reach the deep floors for the first time in their lives.

And then from there…a deeper point than anyone had ever gone.

Alfia followed after Caster's back with a sense of disbelief. This was the same for members of the Zeus Familia who Zeus had sent to protect Archer.

It only took two Demi-Gods to rival the explorative power of the prior generations strongest Familias.

It was ridiculously daunting, but at the same time, the members of the Zeus Familia could only marvel at the progeny of their patron God. The very same power and divinity flowed into them from their Falna, yet the conduits could not be compared.

"Where is this place?"

In the end, the entire group reached a point in the Dungeon where the scenery began to blur into a pale white. Walls were vanishing, environments were fading, and what was left was a sense of growing wonderment and intrigue.

Those from the top executive positions in their Familia were privy to information pertaining to the fragment dropped by the One-Eyed Black Dragon.

A wish.

A heart's desire.

What was ultimately at the bottom of the Dungeon was a promise of actualization.

In the fading scenery, all that was left at the entrance of the lowest seven floors was a glowing gate, shimmering in golden motes of light.

"Caster." Shirou said, nodding with determination.

Caster was well aware of what was discussed prior, but seeing it first hand was different. Something was calling to him beyond the gate. Nevertheless, he was a Heroic Spirit and would not balk at a challenge.

"How bothersome," Caster began walking towards the golden gate under the eyes of everyone.

The Adventurers had expected Rider and Archer to take the lead again, but Caster was not in their expectation.

"You aren't going with him?" Apollo called out, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

The question was directed towards Shirou and the others more than the rest of the crowd that had followed behind. Shirou or anyone in his group was more assuring to Apollo as they were Demi-Gods.

"It doesn't seem like we can even if we wanted to," Archer said as he tried to push through the glowing doorway but was repelled back from a shock of magic energy. "I thought it was one at a time, but there seems to be a restriction too."

Rider hummed and tapped his own hand to the gate, humming as he was repelled.

The only one who seemed unsurprised was Saber.

"Doesn't seem to be the case for us?" Clio of the Apollo Familia said while mimicking Archer's actions, but with his arm passing through the gate.

"Let's give it a try," Shirou said, stepping forward and mimicking Rider and Archer. He was rebuffed.

Berserkers, Assassin, Lancer, and Saber were next to try, but all had the same result.

They stared at Caster, who soon gave his attempt.

Caster's hand passed through, the gate rippling as if waiting for him to fully step forward.

"Stop." Apollo hardened his voice. "It's too dangerous. We've never been this deep into the Dungeon, and there's no telling what's beyond this point. Trust me, my intuition is warning me of the danger. Let the others go. They can clearly pass."

"Them?" Alfia spoke up for the first time, uncaring for the glare's directed her way for the actions she took in the past. "We'd still be in the deep floors even with our strongest Adventurers. Face it, the only reason we're in this deep is because of the Demi-Gods."

Apollo could not reply back. There was too much truth in the words.

"…Then provide support." Apollo hopped on top of Caster's head and turned to the group of Adventurers that had followed them to this depth. "Who's willing to come and defend my son?!"

The Zeus, Loki, and Freya Familia members maintained their gaze on Apollo, but many others flinched and turned away.

"Y-You ungrateful bastards-!" Apollo clenched his jaw.

"Apologies, but we were tasked with other matters from our patron Gods," a member of the Zeus Familia said.

"It's fine," Caster interjected, having grown fed up with the arguing and finger pointing. "Those who wish to come, come. Those who don't, just step aside."

Clio and the members of the Apollo Familia didn't hesitate to include themselves, but the majority did not move.

Left unsaid, but everyone knew the difficulty of the Dungeon increased with a God's presence. With Apollo stuck on Caster's head, there was no telling of the danger having him in the vanguard would impose.

Unexpectedly, there was one more person who voluntarily decided to come, and that was Alfia.

"What, you think I'd sit this out with cowards?" Alfia sneered while keeping a step behind Caster.

Then they were set.

However, Apollo did not look kindly on those that remained behind.

"Wait!"

A familiar voice suddenly caused everyone to pause as a veil of mist appeared and turned into a window.

Iris appeared on the other end of the window with Thetis and the other Gods threateningly standing around her.

"Alright, alright I'm already doing it!" Iris complained to the parents. "Fine, I'll do it there too."

From the mist, a projection appeared revealing a reflection of Shirou and the others to everyone to see from outside the Dungeon. Furthermore, a whiff of Iris's Authority fell onto Caster and let everyone see what he and the others were experiencing on the other side.

"Now we should be able to watch over you guys and offer our input." Iris said, partially prideful. "See? Aren't my Authorities better than that overrated Hermes?"

"Yes yes, now get out of the way," Thetis pushed Iris out of the view of the window before she peered through. "Achilles, look it's mommy!"

"Gh," Rider's lip twitched as he hunched his shoulders.

In contrast, Caster had enough of the noise and quickly entered the golden gate as if he was escaping. The Apollo Familia and Alfia came soon after.

/-/

What lay beyond the golden gate was not a bleached scenery, but one that was vibrant and full of textures. It was as if they had magically returned above ground.

Trees and shrubbery lay all around; the air rife with the scent of the distant ocean. Rolling hills and mountainsides could be seen beyond the horizon. Olive trees, and marbled architecture could be seen from several island.

"Hmm, a more pleasant a scenery than I thought. But this place…where have I seen it before?" Apollo muttered from atop Caster's head.

Caster did not reply.

Greece?

Caster could never mistake it. This feeling, and even this moment of time, he knew where he was.

'The Grail responds to one's deepest wishes. The Dungeon exploits it.'

This damn Dungeon.

The words Saber had warned everyone of came to mind.

This place, this scenery, how could Caster not remember?

Robotically, Caster's gaze shifted towards a certain place, his body remembering the way.

"L-Look over there!" Clio said hurriedly while pointing towards the face of a mountain.

A grand temple where thousands of hooded pilgrims were steadfastly making their way up for salvation.

Apollo froze when he laid eyes on the structure, his body going ramrod straight in sheer agitation. The visions that came to mind, the ill foreboding that constantly plagued him- just like Caster, Apollo too knew of this place.

The vision, the paradise and hell Apollo had seen within a fleeting dream.

The Seventh Deepest layer of the Dungeon.

Temple of Asclepius.

(-)

Thanks for reading! And Thanks to my newest patrons: Rebeldon117, Kharn, Hilario M, Alex S, Noobstar, Robert L, Olderthanguy, and MaxD!

Free web novel :[The Apostate in Grim Fantasy] (For those that asked, the web novel is available on webnovel and the patron main page, leave a review if you'd like! New goal is 20 reviews)

Next update: Hero and Sword

P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious

Book links:

Fatedlegacydark

New Book: Out on Amazon (Remove dash on link)

Survivor's Log Reflection: Amazon.c-om/dp/B08VDDGN7Z?