Epilogue – The End of the Beginning.

Ritsuka wakes up in bed, all sore.

"Welcome to the world of the living." – suddenly said an enthusiastic woman who looked like... Mona Lisa?

However, everything was quickly explained – "I am Leonardo Da'Vinci of Caster class. And if you're wondering why I look like this, I just wanted to. Although I have to admit, I was handsome as a young man."

"...what?" – Ritsuka needed a moment to collect herself.

But Da'Vinci just unhooked her hand from some device and said – "You know, you really scared us for a moment. Your Magic Circuits were almost burnt out from the sheer amount of energy you were providing. Unfortunately, you'll have a scar near your heart from this, and your hair will have a white lock. See for yourself."

Da'Vinci took a mirror and gave it to Ritsuka. She quickly checked her face and thought about checking the scar on her heart, but…

"If you're embarrassed, don't worry. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"That doesn't make it any better."

"Okay."

Da'Vinci turned around and let Ritsuka use the mirror in peace. Sure enough, where her heart should have been, there was a scar that looked like veins spreading out.

Ritsuka sighed but was happy that at least it was in a hidden place.

"So." – Ritsuka began, clearly worried – "Did Director Olga survive?"

"Oh yeah." – Da'Vinci said happily – "I even had one body in reserve, so transporting the soul and mind using the Holy Grail was quite easy."

Ritsuka looked at Da'Vinci for a moment before she suddenly corrected herself - "Oh. Don't worry. It's just a doll I made to serve as a temporary Master for me to sustain myself in this era. The Holy Grail transformed her into a real flesh and blood body and we threw Olga's soul into it. We finished the procedure a few hours ago. You, on the other hand, have been sleeping for 3 days."

Ritsuka understood this and tried to stand up, but Da'Vinci caught her before she could fall and continued - "Your body is still quite weak, so I suggest you wait a while longer before trying to do any physical exertion."

"Sure." - Ritsuka replied. "What about Mash?"

"She's completely healthy." – Da'Vinci replied – "And Kojiro, Cu, and Emyia have already adjusted to Chaldea. I'm especially happy about Emya. Morale is rather low and his cooking is probably the only thing that has kept people from breaking down yet. When they hear that you've recovered, they'll surely be cheered up."

Then Da'Vinci helped Ritsuka lie down on the bed again and a moment later a happy Mash came running through the door, shouting - "Senpai!" - Fou, who was in her arms, quickly jumped on Ritsuka's chest.

Ritsuka calmly caught Fou and started petting him, then turned to Mash – "Good to see you, Mash."

Mash sat down next to her and said – "I was so worried when you fainted. Cu and the Director must have cast another healing spell on you. And just messing around with the Holy Grail to store the Director's soul took an hour."

"Fou." – added the cute creature.

Ritsuka just sighed and said – "Well. The important thing is that we all got out of this Singularity unscathed. Although, I have a very bad feeling about what happens next."

"And you're right." – the voice replied and Ritsuka looked towards the door, where she saw… Director Olga's younger sister?

The girl, who looked at best 12, probably younger, said – "It's me. Olga Animusphiere. And yes, I look like a little girl, but that's only because they didn't have anything else as a body, and someone has to take care of Chaldeom."

"I see." – said Ritsuka.

Olga then sighed and said in a serious tone - "After eliminating Singularity F, 3 more have appeared, most likely covered by Fuyuki. We don't know if that's all of them or if there will be more. Also, as you may remember, all of our Master Candidates are currently badly injured, and we don't have the resources to heal them. To make matters worse, our Rayshift system is damaged, so although we were originally supposed to send Heroic Spirits with you on missions, only Mash will be able to go with you now due to her situation as a demi-Servant. Even so, I have to ask. Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash, will you take on the burden of saving the entire human race."

That was it. There was no turning back from that last word. Mash and Ritsuka looked at each other and said simultaneously - "Yes."

Olga smiled, although there was some pain there - "In that case, we officially begin the original mission to protect and recover the history of the human race, the Grand Order. Many obstacles will stand in our way, and who knows how many legendary figures you will meet along the way, or how much we will be able to help you. This is how we begin the original mission of Chaldea, the Grand Order."

"Yes!" - Ritsuka and Mash replied, saluting.

Olga this time switched to a full smile and said - "As soon as you recover, you will begin training. Our training room has remained in a good state, so you'll definitely be ready next time. Plus, we can send you to smaller Singularities that will normally repair themselves, but you can also practice there, and even take other Heroic Spirits with you. And to finish, I've already set up your new training. Enjoy. Not many people can say they learned magecraft from a Demi-god."

Ritsuka smiled but quickly added - "Oh, exactly. Why is Emyia so hell-bent on Cu?"

Mash quickly chimed in - "It's a really long story and many reasons. Maybe I'll start with the fact that Cu apparently called Emyia, a virgin through limerick."

Ristuka briefly imagined how it would look and simply said - "...ok."

Meanwhile, Olga and Da'Vinci decided to quietly leave and leave the two girls and the cute little animal alone for a while. Let them enjoy their peace while they can.

So, that's the end of the prologue. Should I continue? It was fun, but the sheer amount of things that happened in FGO looks like a daunting task. Well, I will try to write some more in the meantime.