A/N: I feel like the Intermezzo chapters are kinda meh, and I'm chomping at the bits to being Okeanos. But pacing matters. And there's still important stuff in here.

082 - Intermezzo (Part II)

The one and only, inimitable Renaissance Woman

Still chuckling under her breath at their Lady Director's adorable reactions, Vinci-chan goes a last time over the experiment's data before wrapping up for now. Even if nothing immediately actionable came out of it, they would have still learned a lot here today, including what to try next. She'll have to rework entire parts of the Observational Existence Verification System, just to ensure it records as much information about [Mold Camelot] as possible whenever it's deployed in the future.

To think she'd find herself trying to trace back the steps her own future self took… What a fascinating challenge! A lesser mind might be concerned about potential time paradoxes, but Vinci-chan is above such petty concerns. Anyone who has spent a modicum of effort studying the topic can tell you that's not how time works!

And, even if that was how time words, they can deal with it, it wouldn't even be hard, just—

"Er… Vinci-san?" A sudden voice cuts off her -maybe a teensy little bit megalomaniacal- inner monologue. "May I leave?"

"Oh, right, that will be all for now." She blinks a couple of times, noticing that the girl has already changed into her regular clothes and made her way into the observation room while she was distracted. Oops? "Please remind our dear Master that she has her own tests scheduled for later today, okay?"

"Right! Thank you for your hard work, Vici-san! I won't forget!" Mashu-chan's bright smile is somewhat contagious, such a precious girl… "Come on, Fou-kun! Let's go find Senpai!"

"Fou, fou!"

Watching the totally-not-suspicious small animal trot after its favorite human, Vinci-chan lets out a sigh and taps her chin thoughtfully. Unfortunately, she can't just throw herself into this one project when there's so many other things that demand her attention right now. Next in the list was… Oh, that aspiring idol from the France Singularity, wasn't it?

Elizabeth Bathory, originally a Rogue Servant and presumably summoned in response to the fake Jeanne's own summoning of Carmilla. She ended up contracting with Haku and later on rescued from the collapsing Singularity through deliciously inspired loophole abuse on Haku's part. That girl's skills for the role of a Chaldean Master is truly astounding. Sometimes, even an amazing polymath genius like Vinci-chan needs to pay heed and take notes!

Either she was born with monstrous amounts of talent in the field, or she received extensive coaching before joining Chaldea. Considering the little they know so far about the Cult of Re'em, her money is in both. Scarily talented individuals working alongside Incarnated Servants under the designs of a mysterious higher power that's never been heard of before, for the sake of unknown goals. What a mysterious organization.

Originally, it was assumed they were some manner of secret society that had thrived in obscurity since ancient times and that's how they managed to pop up in every Singularity, but that assumption was put into question with the discovery that they can more or less freely travel the Singularities. They could be anything from an organization created by Lord Animusphere's rivals to compete against Chaldea to the handiwork of some Foreign entity trying to spread their own influence into this world. Or anything in-between. Or anything besides. They simply lack enough information to know for sure.

And yet, they have been nothing but helpful and Chaldea is in no position to reject assistance, so any suspicion will remain unspoken for now. Maybe -and this is a very big maybe- they could've managed the Singularities without any help from the Cult, but there's an important fact that simply cannot be ignored: Fujimaru 'Haku' Ritsuka, the Last Master of Humanity is a Cultist of Re'em herself, how crazy is that? Talk about being checkmated from the very start.

And now it seems like they can even rescue Servants from collapsing Singularities, which presumably means they can also deploy them in newer ones at will. Pure insanity, who's even paying for the maintenance of these Servants in the meanwhile? What kind of power source does this 'Emiya Household' even use?

Ah, but that reminds her this isn't the time to think about the Cult of Re'em, it's Elizabeth Bathory and her latest feats that she should be focusing on. Unfortunately, she only has the data from standard observation and Olga's own written report to work with, but she can at least put together some preliminary thoughts on the matter.

Without a doubt, the specific wording of the Command Spell used is relevant here. 'Elizabeth, exceed your limits and pin Ibuki Douji down at all costs!', what Olga no doubt intended as nothing more than grandiose speech ended up becoming the core of the command. The 'pinning Ibuki Douji down' was clearly half-assed, while the bulk of the effect went towards 'exceeding her limits at all costs'.

Considering the mental state the two of them were in at the time, Vinci-chan can't even say she's surprised. Olga's burning need to prove herself, Elizabeth Bathory's outraged refusal towards the future that fate had in store for her, all mixed together with the overwhelming burst of sheer power that's a Command Spell. Some sort of miracle being born from such factors wasn't out of the question. In fact, one could say it was pretty much inevitable.

It's the specific shape such a miracle took that raises eyebrows.

An ideal Elizabeth, a Hero. A charismatic hero, a beacon of hope, the absolute opposite of how fate was supposed to unfold for her. Even the container was different, Saber wasn't a Class the original Elizabeth Bathory should even qualify for.

The possibility that they tapped into an alternate version of Elizabeth Bathory from a timeline where she became a hero instead of a monster is… not absolutely out of the question. Just extremely unlikely. The mere fact she changed her class through a Command Spell is already pushing the limits of believability, so reaching all the way into the Kaleidoscope. It truly makes little sense.

Unfortunately… That's still her best guess. All the other possibilities she can think of that explain everything are extremely convoluted and make even less sense. Unless…

… Can Heroic Spirits generate New Heroic Spirits? New legends based on the feats they perform as Heroic Spirits, giving birth to new versions of themselves? That's a question she's had a long time to ponder, since the curious case with Jeanne Alter all the way back during the France Singularity.

It shouldn't happen. To begin with, Heroic Spirits shouldn't appear in circumstances where their feats being recorded is a possibility in the first place. Nevermind the fact that certain factors would actively work against such a possibility even beyond that simple consideration.

But… metaphysics are complicated, and Servants are an aberrant usage of Heroic Spirits that's already creating a loophole in their intended purpose to begin with, so maybe…

Well, even if that's indeed a possibility worth consideration, it's still even less likely than her original hypothesis, so it doesn't really change anything.

Olga Marie Animusphere

Sometimes, when Leonardo Da Vinci behaves like the omnicompetent genius she's supposed to be, one can't help but wonder why she's not just put in charge of everything. She's by far the brightest mind in Chaldea, she could do so much more if she wasn't limited by her role, right?

And, some other times… one remembers why that would be a terrible idea.

"Come on, please?" Said omnicompetent genius is currently kneeling in front of Haku. Both her arms are wrapped around Haku's waist and she's bawling her eyes out. "Pretty please?"

"You know it doesn't work like that, Vinci-chan." Even the ever unflappable Haku, always willing to play along with everyone's nonsensical antics, is making a complicated face as she tries and fails to push Da Vinci's face away with a hand. "I can't just whip up an APC out of nowhere just because, my magecraft has its own limits."

"But… But I need it! I'll make it worth your while!" Da Vinci keeps on begging, uncaring about Haku's obvious discomfort. "What do you need? Some wacky invention Olga would never approve of? Extra funds embezzled from my department?" Oi, oi, what was that? "A customized vacation simulator in the holodeck?" She's forgotten Olga is even here, hasn't she? "A gorgeous plus one to have a threesome with Mashu?"

Olga barely resists the urge to do something unwise upon hearing that last one. Geniuses aren't constrained by common sense. That's… not necessarily a good thing.

"I… Might be capable of wiping up something from the same source." Haku finally concedes with a defeated sigh. "But it wouldn't be nearly the same."

"I don't care! Just give me something to work with here!" Is the immediate answer. "Come on, Haku-chan, you can't just flaunt something like that in front of me and then cut me off cold turkey! I need my fix!"

"I swear, if I need to start carrying a pimp cane around to keep you in line, I'm going to feel very cross." Haku grumpily mutters under her breath before flaring up her magic circuits. "Watch and learn. [Imperial Cherub]"

What Haku's magecraft summons forth this time is– What the fuck is that thing!?

Spoiler

A winged, floating... baby thing. Human-looking, but outfitted with the same gritty style of technology from the Rhino APC Haku summoned in the singularity. Her stomach twists in repugnance as the... abomination stares into the distance with empty, mindless eyes. It's clearly alive, some sort of homunculus would be her first guess, though she can feel the distinct lack of anything even vaguely resembling a soul. Even animals and plants are closer to true humanity than this, than this...

It's… It's not like magi haven't done worse in their pursuit of the Root, of course, but…To have it pop up right in front of her without prior warning was… A–and this is supposed to be a product of technology, right? Which means reaching the Root was never a consideration. What sort of monster designed something like this?

Da Vinci, of course, has a very different reaction. That is to say, she's now hugging the floating skull instead of Haku's waist.

"Who's a fascinating abomination against human decency?" The supposed genius coos, rubbing her cheek against the thing's marred skin. "Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Olga… Olga is going to step outside for a minute. Or thirty. Get some fresh air, give Da Vinci time to get it all out of her system. (Hope that Haku has already dismissed the thing by the time she's back.)

In the end, Olga (allowed herself to get) got distracted by her many responsibilities and didn't return to the testing room for a whole two hours. By then, it was only Da Vinci there, happily humming a little tune under her breath while typing away at a keyboard.

"Da Vinci." She announces her presence, even though there's no way the Servant missed her arrival. "Please tell me that thing went back to whatever hellish nightmare it came from."

"Oh, Lady Director! Yeah, I'm done with Haku's tests and her projections can't be maintained without her around. I learned all sorts of new things!" Da Vinci chirps happily. "Unfortunately, I also discovered that technology was developed under somewhat different metaphysics and it only works here at all because Haku's magecraft bridges the gap. Nothing I learned from it will work until I find a way to account for that."

"Different… metaphysics?" Caught off-guard by the comment, Olga takes a moment to realize what it means. While metaphysics can be easily altered in a small scale by magecraft, one doesn't use such a grandiose term to refer to that. And, beyond those small scale exceptions, metaphysics should always be the same within the Age of Man. Which means… "They come from another Texture?"

Haku's usage of [Gradation Air] cannot be easily imitated by other magi in spite of the rather basic principles behind it. Since the technique itself should be easily replicable, that means the problem lies within the 'models'. Only she can use Projection like this, because only she has access to the original objects she's replicating. Everyone else would be limited to replicating the replicas, further degrading the final result.

"Maybe… maybe. But I feel your logic has leaped in the wrong direction here." Da Vinci hums, a small knowing smirk on her lips. "Did you know? Haku's Element just so happens to be 'Dream'. I don't believe her projections are modeled after things that are actually real."

"And yet, she can still leverage them to great effect in the real world." Olga can't help but observe. "You can still learn from them, even if you need to account for compatibility issues."

"What is human development, but the gradual process of turning dreams into reality?" Da Vinci shrugs happily, looking like she's having fun thinking about concepts that make Olga's head hurt. "Still… that's not really what we're concerned with here, isn't it?"

"Right, this was supposed to be about Haku's latest crazy stunt." Olga rallies herself, grateful for the excuse to change the topic. "I'm assuming she wasn't actually Projecting a Spirit Origins?"

"No, that's exactly what she did, all tests confirm it." Da Vinci happily denies her hopes. And suddenly Olga's head is hurting again. "Looks like our little Haku still has some amazing tricks up her sleeve to surprise us all with."

"Didn't we just establish that the models for her Projections aren't real?" Olga not-quite whines, suddenly wishing she had something cool to press against her forehead. "How can we have a Heroic Spirit that's not been recorded in the Throne? Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"She doesn't need there to be an actual record within the Throne because she's skipping the entire process and simply manifesting the final result." Da Vinci continues on. "The basic principles are exactly the same as her regular projection. We simply underestimated how far along the path she's walked."

This time, Olga doesn't quite manage to hold back a miserable whine. She's supposed to be well-read when it comes to Heroic Spirits. What's with all this high-level theoretical stuff? She never heard of any of this when she was preparing to become a Master herself!

"It also explains why she can't explain much about her own abilities. It's not that she's trying to keep secrets from us, but that she herself doesn't fully understand it." Da Vinci continues on. "Dreams are hardly rational in the first place, much of what she does must be subconscious."

As Da Vinci continues droning on about Haku's outrageous nonsense, Olga's initial dismay and confusion slowly flip into amazement. As she stops trying to keep up with every single little detail of the conversation and starts letting the words of the gushing genius wash over her, she finds herself missing the specifics but at least keeping up with the general idea behind it.

"And that Noble Phantasm… To lean on bonds of friendship to reject causality and bring about an impossible result… Sure, deep down that's simply leveraging the fact that multiple people working together can easily achieve what one could never do on its own, that's the sort of overarching mores that's ever-present in myth and fairy tales, but… is that even a result that can be achieved through normal magecraft?"

And the general idea is that Haku… Haku is kind of amazing, isn't she?

"To make the impossible possible… no matter how you look at it or twist the concepts, it's hard to believe that can be achieved through mundane means. And, considering Magecraft is limited to the reproduction of mundane phenomena… Shouldn't this sort of feat be considered closer to True Magic?"

Before she knows it, she's smiling dreamily and– Wait, smiling dreamily?

"Okay, no." She suddenly interrupts Da Vinci, straightening up and fixing her jacket. "Let's stop here."

"Lady Director?" Da Vinci tilts her head in confusion. As expected, there's a difference between a genius and a mind-reader. "Is there something wrong?"

"My head hurts just trying to keep up with you." She (gives her excuse) explains, getting ready to leave. "Make a written report and I'll try to parse through it on my own time."

Her piece said, she turns around and (flees) leaves.

Right, that's that. That was the last of the pressing matters and Chaldea can now focus on locating the next Singularity, she can now relax a bit and fall back to regular-emergency stress levels, at least until that happens.

Well, no. Strictly speaking, they still need to hold a meeting about the missing Holy Grail, but she's not too worried about that one. The collapse of the Septem Singularity means it's moved on. And there's only so many things a Holy Grail can be used for during the Grand Order. Either they stumble into it during one of the remaining singularities… or a new Singularity will be created by them.

Which means that yes, she can take some time for herself to relax and de-stress, knowing nothing else is of pressing urgency or, at least, that she can do nothing about it. She can now return to her room at a decent hour, collapse in her bed and close her eyes without needing to agonize about stuff that's far beyond her. Like Elizabeth's potential Multiversal access. Or Mashu's future struggles that will seemingly earn her a spot in the Throne. Or… That stupid sexy Haku doing stupid sexy things and breaking reality.

Speaking about alternate realities, the Singularity F was technically an alternate reality, wasn't it? There was never a 'Fifth Fuyuki Grail War' in this timeline, but it's something that could've happened if things were just a little bit different. Following that logic, the possibility of the Cult of Re'em coming from an alternate reality can't be dismissed out hand. And, when Haku fought Archer of Black, she claimed to be 'him, but better'.

Was Archer of Black a future version of an alternate Haku?

…

…

…

No, screw that. She's not going to lose sleep over a vague and terribly far-fetched maybe. She'll just… write it down somewhere she doesn't forget and leave it until tomorrow, then she'll take a sleeping pill or seven and collapse on her bed. Future Olga can worry about that nonsense later. Yeah, that's Future Olga's problem to deal with! Yes, that's exactly what she's going to do!

She's earned a good night's sleep, damnit!

?-?-?-? ?-?-?-?-?-?

What's this piece of paper doing out here? The fluffy female human is usually tidier than this. It stinks of anxiety too, maybe she forgot? I'll do her a favor and pick it up for my new nest.

Status Window Updated:

Imperial Cherub (Warhammer 40K): A Cherub is a form of mindless, cybernetic drone created from a fusion of vat-grown human flesh and robotic technology by the Magos Biologis to serve various Adepta of the Imperium of Man. Cherubim are often used by Inquisitors with psychic abilities as familiars who can act to augment their powers. Cherubim have been intentionally biologically shaped by the Mechanicus to resemble the child-like angels of ancient Terran myth to symbolise their purity in the eyes of the Emperor.

I have no intention of hiding my work behind a pay wall, but I do welcome patrons and donations.

I have a P-treon thing! A Ko-fi account too!

Just add "/Planeshunter" after the dot com and it should take you straight there.

If you have some spare change and feel my work deserves it, please consider throwing it my way.