Chapter 7

Terrarians, while inhuman in nature, are not incapable of siring offsprings with humans... or any race for that matter. Though the chances of it happening were exceedingly low due to the difference of our existences, it was still a possibility.

I, myself had never fathered any children, mostly due to my penchant on keeping to my lonesome. The stereotypical mage behavior of secluding themselves within their studies. But my siblings might've had one or two in the past, but either kept it to themselves or didn't know, simply dismissing the possibility.

Either way, her existence has piqued my interest.

"Hello there," I greeted, snapping out of my daydream. "I'm looking for ointments, bandages, something for headaches, and pain relievers. Do you have those?"

"Hmm... all available. Should I put it all in one bag?" she asked, glancing at the paper bag in my arm. I gave a nod, and she reached under the desk, pulling out a plastic bag. As she packed my order, she struck up a conversation. "Haven't seen you around before. New in town?"

Not expecting her to engage in small talk, I took a moment to respond. "I was here a few years back. Still remember the place like the back of my hand. The people are nice, especially the street food."

She scoffed lightly. "Sounds like you haven't been here long enough to see Arkhalis for what it really is. Trust me, stay away from the east and west wings. That part of the city's rotten, even after everything."

"Gangs, I presume?" I guessed, earning a silent nod from her. "I wouldn't worry about them. The Guild of Guides just entered the city just this afternoon. Those thugs will probably be gone by next week."

"Oh? Have they now? That's a relief." I couldn't help but feel as if she was more relieved for someone else's sake than herself. With the last roll of bandages tucked into the bag, she slid it across the counter. "Here. That'll be eleven silver and 8 copper."

Nodding, I brought out the exact amount and gave it to her. Instead of taking my items off the counter, however, I spoke, "Before I go, would you mind if I ask you something?"

"If its my number, then you can go ahead and leave. I've dealt with enough men trying to get under my skirt just this past week. I don't want to add another person on my blacklist," she sighed, her expression darkening.

"Sorry to be the one to break that streak, but no," I shook my head. "I want to ask about your necklace. Where'd you get it?"

"Huh, that's a first. What made you interested in my necklace?" She grazed the necklace with her fingers, appearing genuinely surprised by my question.

The item in question wasn't flashy or overly ornate—just a simple necklace of interlocking silver with the occasional lines of golden yellow at the edges. A completely normal item for women of her age to have.

"Well, my brother had something similar. Though he lost it some time ago. I'm just wondering where you got it, and see if I can get one myself," I lied through my teeth, keeping my tone from giving anything away.

Solar wasn't one for accessories, that much I knew. He was the type of guy to bring nothing but bare necessities in any given situation, fueling my curiosity on why he'd bless such an object without telling any of us. In this world, a Terrarian's blessing was no different from a God's favour.

"Honestly, I don't really know where this came from," she shrugged. "All I know is that it's been in my family since..." she tilts her head, pondering, "...I think about a hundred and twenty years? So, I don't think you can buy something like this in the market anymore."

"Huh, I see," I bit my lips. 120 years... that's not a short time in any measure. Too bad I couldn't recall anything during said period. Curse my incomplete reincarnation. "Ah, before I forget. I'm Shirou Emiya, a vagabond for the foreseeable future. You are?"

"If this was some elaborate ploy to get my name, then consider me... baffled, more than anything. Rarely does anyone take notice of this necklace." She cleared her throat, offering a small bow. "I'm Lisa Lorraine, humble nurse."

"Hmm," I hummed. "It's been nice talking with you, miss Lorraine. Do expect frequent visits from me, I have a feeling I might find myself in precarious situations on a daily basis."

"Sounds good to me, it's good for business. Clinics and hospitals thrives on people's suffering, you know?" she joked, yet her cold delivery made it sound more like a threat than a jest.

With my newly purchased items in hand, I stepped out of the clinic. Still lost in thought as I tried to piece together my missing memories, I suddenly found myself colliding with someone.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" a voice snapped.

I blinked and looked down to see a young girl, no older than fifteen, scowling up at me. She bore a striking resemblance to Lisa, I noticed.

"Ah, sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention," I said with an apologetic smile.

She craned her neck, glancing toward the clinic before turning back to me with the meanest glare she could muster. Unfortunately for her, it was far from intimidating. If anything, it only made me smile at how hard she was trying.

"Tch," she clicked her tongue. "Big sis isn't looking for anyone, got it? Take your business somewhere else."

"Hmm?" I raised a brow, then realization clicked. With a small chuckle, I lifted my arm, showing her the plastic bag in my hand. "Not sure that's the best way to treat a paying customer, little Lisa. Shooing people away is bad for business, you know."

"My name's Abigail!" she huffed. "And you probably just bought that stuff to not embarrass yourself after big sis turned you down. Hmph!"

Before I could even respond, she spun on her heel and stormed into the clinic, leaving me standing there, mildly amused by the girl's contrasting personality compared to Lisa's coolness. With a shrug, I decided to go on my merry way.

From what I could understand, Lisa and Abigail, or perhaps the entire Lorraine bloodline, were likely descendants of Solar's chosen from over a century ago. I'd have to keep a clos eye on them in the future.

As night arrived, I picked up my fallen stars from the shop and exited the city, finding a relatively secluded space near a creek far out into the wild.

I laid out my alchemical components on the flat ground and began synthesizing them in a way that would make any respectable alchemist recoil in horror. The five fallen stars were forcibly merged into a far more potent, and far more volatile, variant. Only certified experts were permitted to attempt such a synthesis in a controlled environment. Anyone else risked having it explode in their face.

But I was no ordinary alchemist. I was a master of all that was mystic. Without hesitation, I manipulated the crystallized magical energy with practiced ease. With a mere flicker of intent, the remaining components moved on their own, seamlessly arranging themselves as I contained the unstable mana crystal in my palm.

Minutes passed, and soon, a small vial hovered before me, waiting.

Holding the crystal over the funnel, I tightened my grip. It liquefied instantly, its essence dripping into the vial's contents. With a slow twirl, the mixture blended, swirling into a luminous fluid that pulsed with energy.

Though slightly diluted due to the lower-grade ingredients, there was no doubt—it was complete.

The Red Potion.

A rare elixir, one I had crafted only a handful of times for a select few students in the past. It was designed to pry open one's soul, offering a zhort window for its consumer to manipulate their very essence. And the best part is, it could be done more than once, but with diminishing effects.

But it was easier said than done. To open one's soul to the elements was an act of pure recklessness, an invitation to destruction. You'd have better odds of surviving a mouthful of molten iron than drinking the Red Potion.

And yet, without a moment's hesitation, I lifted the vial to my lips and downed it in a single, burning swig.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, my very soul convulsed. It stretched, twisted... resisting with all its might. But the force was too great.

With a blinding flash, my being shattered. Two lesser shards of my soul tore free, no longer whole but something new, something transformed. They crackled with unstable power, humming with the echoes of what once was.

Stray wisps of raw magic spiraled outward, searching desperately for completion, seeking the fragments of themselves. And when they found each other, they struck, stretching and twisting once more, repeating the cycle.

A chain reaction of pure arcane energy erupted within me. Had it not been for the barrier I had erected beforehand, the tidal wave of magic would have surged beyond my control, sending alarm bells ringing across all of Arkhalis.

Heat and light flooded my being. A searing agony tore through my body as blood burst violently from my eyes, ears, and mouth. I collapsed onto all fours, gagging as my vision blurred.

The very air shimmered, warped by the sheer magnitude of power spilling forth in an uncontrollable wave. This energy seemed endless, enough to fuel the grandest of spells, to empower even the most costly magitech. Or, if left unchecked, to reduce the area around me to nothing but ash and dust.

I gritted my teeth, choking on the taste of iron, yet I endured. Clawing through the pain, I reached for control as my mind was slipping. I forced my will upon the storm, drawing the swirl of mana inward, binding it within myself.

Seconds bled into minutes. Then an hour. And finally, something changed.

The flurry of arcane energy collapsed in on itself, retreating, coiling back into the depths of my being. Without warning, the duplication ceased, my soul pulling itself together, reforging into a single, complete whole.

I collapsed. My body was wrecked, my strength spent. Yet a smile crept onto my bloodied lips. I had done it. My soul had been elevated into something more.

As my consciousness slipped into the abyss, my eyes suddenly snapped open, my injuries having seemingly vanished.

Gone was the thick canopy of trees and rough hills of the forest. In their place stretched an endless vista of sand and gravel as far as the eye could see. Above me loomed a boundless void, alight with blinking stars and hazy images of distant galaxies.

"Where am I?" I ask myself, yet something at the back of my head told me I already knew where I was. Then, realization dawns on me. "This is... Unlimited Blade Works?"

For the most part, it looked similar to my alternate selves, except the sky was that of deep space instead of gyrating gears or sunny skies. Truth be told, I had not accounted for this, my Reality Marble had completely slipped past my head by some miracle. Its addition is a surprise to be sure, but one that is very much welcome.

I pulled my eyes down, scanning the landscape. Scattered not far from one another, five distinct sights stood out, each starkly contrasting the barren surroundings.

The first was a spear wreathed in searing heat, its very core forged from the heart of the sun itself—Daybreak, Solar's chosen weapon. In his hands, it became a lance of apocalyptic might, capable of burning through even the fabric of reality.

Nearby rested a bow of striking cyan—Phantasm, the weapon of Vortex. A bow unlike any other, its arrows could pierce through space itself, striking from every conceivable angle, across both time and dimension. Paired with her unerring aim, escape was an impossibility.

Next was Stardust's staff, it didn't really have a name as she had only ever called it her 'staff'. Yet, its power was undeniable, capable of summoning all manner of beings, from wandering spirits to forgotten legends, each bound to fight at her command.

Beside it floated a pulsating purple orb—the Arcanum, my own weapon. Encased in intricate metallic plates and forged from the essence of a nebulae. If given enough time to reach its full power, it could erase an entire galaxy in a single blow.

And finally... a patch of lush grass with nothing on top of it. I recognize its origin fairly quickly—Avalon. However, it appears the legendary sheath was missing, leaving only traces of its presence. I had it at one point, helping shape my body into what it is today, but no longer.

I don't recall ever interacting with it once in this life. Perhaps Kiritsugu had given it to me when he rescued me all those years ago before returning it to the Einzbern family. As to how he even got access to it despite being no closer than strangers to the noble family, I did not know. Maybe it was part of a deal they made.

Just as abruptly, I returned to the physical plane, battered and bloody, yet elated to the highest extremes.

Forcing myself to sit upright, I summoned the Magic Mirror and began tweaking some of its features to mimic the effects Zelretch's Jeweled Sword, the Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon, granting me with a near inexhaustible reserve of magical energy. I never needed such a thing as Nebula, for I was the manifestation of magic itself. But as a human, I had my limits.

And with it, I casted a multitude of healing spells, mending any damage my body had suffered during the transfiguration. Despite using some of the most powerful self-healing arts, however, it still took a whole four minutes to complete. It just goes to show the extent of my injuries.

Giving my wardrobe a change, and erasing the traces of blood on the dirt, I looked no different from before the transformation.

"I'M BACK!" I shouted into the heavens, yet the barriers around me stopped my voice from going further.

While I've not fully returned to my full power, I was now capable of wielding magics beyond what my mortal body could handle without the risk of being erased from existence in an instant. To me, that was a significant progress. With time, my body would adapt and grow stronger.

Suddenly, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. There was an underlying sense of unease surfacing in my mind, as if unseen eyes, an evil presence, were watching me from the darkness. I glanced around, leaving no stone unturned, yet found nothing odd. Still, I kept my guard up just in case.

Then, the wind blew, resulting in my hair to fall over my eyes. Only then did I another change that happened to me.

"Why is my hair white?" I ask nobody in particular. My hair went from an autumn leaf to a wintery snowscape.

While there were strands of red remaining, it was not noticeable unless viewed from certain angles. My skin remained its usual, unlike a certain parallel version of me that abused his magic circuits.

"Oh well, I'll just have to dye it. Pretty sure there's a salon near Lisa's clinic. But it's already night, so I'll just go there tomorrow morning." I don't personally dislike the colour, but I'd much prefer how it was before.

END.