Fate/Spring Tonelico (Fate/Grand Order Redux)

When I close my eyes, I see a blizzard of ash.

It's a violent storm, raging and howling. It fills my ears and my sight with meaningless white noise. It steals my sense of place and drags me down into sorrow. In the distance, I see a small star, burning in spite of it all.

The storm is the world of humans. Their perceptions. Their lies. It makes repose almost impossible.

That storm is what convinced me of the one truth of my life.

I hate humans.

I hate faeries.

I can never see Spring.

Then I met her. Mash. She was human, but she was from outside. Our time together was brief, but then she was gone again. I could have been selfish and kept her to myself. If I had, I might not have transformed from Aesc the Saviour into Morgan le Fae. I might have chosen a different path.

But I chose the correct path.

At least, I believe I chose the correct path.

I am making guesses about what I did in a time I do not actually remember. However, I know what my plan had been because it had occurred to me in my second loop. I'd have sealed her in a Spiritual Coffin in Orkney. So long as she remained Galahad at the roof of our world, she would have been safe. She just had to remain gone until the day of Norwich.

Then the world would let her exist again.

But I digress.

Uther died. Everything I worked for turned to ruin. The world faced disaster. The Great Calamity was coming.

I chose to throw it all away. I chose to be the monster that everyone needed, not the saviour they wanted. Faeries didn't really want a saviour, anyway. They liked the idea of one, right up until the moment came to pass where it was time to own up to ones sins. The faeries refused to take responsibility in much the same way a human child might not. Its not that they did not understand the idea of 'make it right', its that they had no concept of right and wrong in the first place.

Original sin, if you would, was a bitch.

Cerunnos is not exempt. I do not blame him. If anything, I fear him. However, I also am upset with him. There was no atonement for the fae of Britain. They could not be redeemed. It wasn't that they weren't necessarily deserving of being redeemed, Cerunnos simply had not put such a thing in place.

And now he was dead. A dead god fueled by rage. If he had woken, then the world would end.

That was what Morgan le Fae feared. I feared. So I sealed the world in what might as well have been called stasis. Things changed on a day to day level, but at large, faerie society had been the same for two thousand years.

I waited two thousand years. Gathering strength.

Then she came. Little Artoria. My sister( self) .

And it all came tumbling down.

I was granted a second chance. But for what? I'd used all my arcana and genius and just run away. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Let me have happy memories."

That was my greatest desire. Yet I don't think it can be attained. There is no such thing for the Faerie of Paradise.

There is no such thing for me.


I am Pretender. I understood the concept now.

I am a still living hero. The planet acknowledged my gambit and let me live. It was so very insane, but the insanity of the logic is what had made it work.

I lived, but I had no anecdote of being Aesc( Tonelico) . Aesc( Tonelico) had not existed in the history of humans. So the world bypassed it all by stapling me to the existence of Morgan le Fae.

From the perspective of the world, I was Morgan le Fae. I did not bear all of her memories, only what she'd deemed important. Several things that were actually important had very obviously been omitted. Morgan le Fae, the true one if you will, was actually the fusion of three spirits. I suspect I only bore the knowledge possessed by one of those spirits. Morgan.

That meant the knowledge of Vivian and Morganna was not mine to know. I intellectually knew of things that Vivian and Morganna might have done. However, the spirit that Beryl Gut had actually summoned was that of 'King Arthur's kind sister'. Not of the destroyer of Britain.

I knew that I had contributed to that on some level.

No. I knew that she had contributed to that on some level.

Sometimes it was difficult to separate where I ended and Morgan le Fae began. It was actually very cruel.

The thing in front of me. It was now something that could be analysed. Mordred. That was what Ritsuka had told me. Morgan's memories only noted her as the Knight of Treachery, the destroyer of Britain. But Mordred's words meant that Morgan was her mother.

Which means Morgan had made Mordred.

They had not had a happy relationship.

That means that…

The Morgan that Mordred had known was probably Morganna. The actual being one refers to, when one refers to the Great Mother faerie called Morgan le Fae. The Avatar of Britain.

I knew of such things only intellectually. I could not put it into better context. After all, I am the Faerie of Paradise.

I don't have siblings, or children, or parents. Yet… Looking at Mordred…

I feel a swelling in my chest. I don't know if it is from me or from the memories of Morgan. Whether it is some lingering affection that I hadn't known about or if it was something else. It was an impossibility and an-

It came back to the core of what I want.

I want a memory of Spring. Of happy days and love.

I want to belong.

That is impossi-

"Saber. Stop killing them before they can help us!" The words of the man who'd interfered were harsh. He was certainly more calm then Mordred. Mordred's lips twisted into a snarl. Her instincts were in overdrive.

I had already deployed Ronmiant Around. I'd exhausted that avenue of defence. My mental limits for the moment had been reached. If she decided to fling around that giant red blade of light again, we wouldn't make it.

She spat to the side. Her blade lifted.

"They aren't our friends, Henry." Her blade rose to the sky. Lightning crackled. It's blade would extend in an edge of light in an instant. It would-

Mordred stopped. Her muscles were like stone. Her attention was on her partner. In his hand was a potion.

"No… You wouldn't."

"Try me, Mordred." Henry, I think his name was. He used her name. Not Saber. Not the class the Human Salvation Ritual had assigned Mordred. They knew each other relatively personally. That was the nature of co-conspirators.

Mash had moved to my side. Her shield hovered over me protectively. Her face was clouded with doubt.

"Can you block another?" I asked. Mash shook her head. I understood why. Lord Camelot was the wishes of humanity to live, turned into the greatest shield. But that shield had fallen from within. Mordred was the blade that had done it.

She was probably uniquely suited to pierce that defence. That we'd been successful in blocking it once had been a miracle. My mental fortitude had run out. I'm not sure I could pull myself together in time to cast more magic.

Yet Mash stood over me. My protector. My-

"GYAAAARGH!" Mordred's howl of rage rang out. Her sword went flying into the distance, smashing through one of those metal carts like paper. "What the hell, Henry!? That-!" A mailed fist pointed angrily at me. "Is Morgan le Fucking Fae! She almost certainly caused our problems here!"

"The Servant Summoning Ritual cannot summon faeries, Mordred." Henry's answer was calm. That potion in his hand teetered a little closer to his lips. My heart stopped.

Wait. It couldn't?

Beryl had clearly s-

…

No. Morgan, as summoned by Beryl, was human. The other parts of her had been left behind.

Which meant summoning Morgan le Fae, Mordred's mother, was probably close to impossible.

"I know that!" Mordred snarled. Her fist smashed a light pole. The light pole bent. "What, do you think she is innocent!?"

"She's a faerie." Henry's answer was calm. "When you put the impossible together, the only solution that fits criteria must be valid." His response was almost cryptic. Ritsuka, bless her, was inching closer. "I would stay your hand. In your state, I don't think Mordred needs her sword."

Mordred did not even regard Ritsuka's presence. Yet I could see the blood clearing away. Her arm was healing at a frankly impressive rate.

"You're fucking demented, Henry." Mordred snarled. "There's no way my mother isn't involved in sending this place to hell!"

"Then we must take the evidence and consider." Henry retorted. "Is that Morgan?"

"Who the fuck else could it be?"

"Any faerie that shares her purpose, for one."

… I like Henry.

Henry was intelligent. That said, I don't think logic was going to stop Mordred. My treacherous body did not wish to cooperate as I stood up. My body ached. My limbs were not okay. I wasn't… hurt, not quite. But I wasn't okay either.

The light of Mordred's sword had eaten something up inside me. It was poison to my existence.

Mordred took a deep breath. A long, deep breath. Then she kicked the light pole. It went flying.

It bounced.

It was actually a pretty impressive kick.

"Say I fucking believe you…" She turned, on her heel, and glared at Ritsuka. "… What, do you think we can trust her? Mother was a piece of fucking work and-"

"If they weren't working to save London, do you think 'goodie two-shoes' over there would be with them?" Henry retorted. Mordred glared at him. For one long moment. A very long moment.

Then her helmet formed back over her head, and she became a hole in the world again.

"Fuck you."

"You're welcome."

"This is a mistake, Henry."

"Then I made it." The potion lowered, and the man turned, straightening his doublet absently. "My apologies for my compatriot. As you can see, she gets a bit ruffled at the unexpected. I am Henry Jekyll. Given the homunculi and helter skelters appear to have attacked you, well, I think the enemy of my enemy is my friend for the moment, don't you think?"

He was completely unruffled. It was like nothing had happened.

Mash slowly inched forward. Slowly.

"Um…"

"Don't worry. Mordred won't bite… well, immediately, at least." Henry continued. "But I doubt this is a discussion for out in the open. If you would follow me, it'd be more comfortable in doors."

"I can agree with that." Ritsuka grumbled, her hands falling to her side as she wearily stepped around Mordred. The knight seemed to not care, just huffing and looking away.

"This is a mistake." She repeated. Henry shrugged.

"That's fine. It's mine to make. Let's go before the fog gets thick. It's getting late."

Wait, the fog gets thick!?

"This isn't thick!?" Mash voiced my incredulity. Yet looking at her, I realised the source of her confusion. This was information inconsistent with her memory.

Henry just nodded.

"Unfortunately. The fog might kill you after a few hours at this time, not that the population dares to leave the house these days." He answered. "In… about an hour? It'll kill you in minutes, servant or not. The fog starts actively devouring magical energy once the sun finishes setting."

I pursed my lips.

"Then it is the ability of that boy." I noted.

"Boy?" Mordred's gaze fell on me.

"The one in the fog. The one that has multiple bodies. The assassin of women." Henry swallowed. His hand went to his pocket, withdrawing a small pocket watch, which he flicked open and stared at.

"I think… we need to get a move on." He said. "It seems we have some information to trade. Especially if you have an idea of what that things abilities are." He closed the watch again. Yet I was sure the mist had gotten lighter.

"No, we should ta-"

"Mordred, we are out of time." Henry's voice sounded almost strained. "Come on. Please. We can discuss this soon enough."

His voice brooked no argument. In the face of that, Mordred finally just gave up, her gaze falling on me.

"If I think for a moment you are involved, I swear I'll gut you."

"… At least be more inventive about it. I've been gutted before."

"… I'll think of something more inventive."

Mordred was incredible. On a fundamental level, I was looking at a work of art, one that set my chest on fire with emotions I'm not sure I was equipped to deal with.

Pity she simply hated my guts.


"Ah. That hits the spot."

I was surprised that Mordred had flopped onto a couch, her armour dissolving into… well, I wasn't sure what to call the red garments underneath, and cracked open a can of cider. Within this house, she was at ease. Henry just let out a groan, briefly excusing himself to check something, while we made ourselves at home.

Henry's house was quaint. Larger then a single person had need for, it was clearly designed with a scholar in mind. The library and study that we were within was huge, walls lined with more books then I knew what to do with. One wall was lined with books with a plaque stating 'Dr Jekyll'. Clearly, Henry was a prolific writer as well as a scholar.

My finger traced the spine of one book, retrieving it and popping it open. He was smart. Very smart. Magic concepts as humans understood them fascinated me, yet the way he wrote it, as if from a scientific perspective, was like…

"Um. Mr Jekyll isn't a mage, is he?" Ritsuka sounded almost hesitant. Mordred paused her sculling of her cider, her eye leaving me and finding Ritsuka.

"No. He technically has the talent, if that's what you mean. Otherwise, he would never have been able to forge a contract with me." Mordred answered. "But if you are asking if he is a magus, then he is not. His circuits are too small to be worth noting."

"Circuits?" I paused my reading, peering over the lip of the book. Mordred rolled her eyes.

"Don't play dumb, mother."

"Aesc." I corrected her. Mordred did not give me the time of day, however, ignoring my question. It was Ritsuka who finally responded.

"Magic Circuits are the spiritual organ that allows magical energy to move through the body." She answered. "At least, that's my rough understanding."

"You don't know?" I asked. Romani blue image popped into existence at my words.

"You'll have to forgive Ritsuka. She's a hedge mage, by designation. Not formally trained in modern theory." He answered. Mordred's hand went for her sword for just a moment, before she relaxed again.

"Cool trick. So you have one too."

"Too?" Mash asked. "Then Mr Jekyll has something similar?"

"His radios, yes." Mordred nodded. She mustn't have considered it important information. "He talks with his information network every morning and evening." She didn't say more, just chugging more cider. I returned to the book for a moment. Then I snapped it closed. A piece of paper had caught my eye.

Serial Killer Jack the Ripper strikes again. I picked it up, flipping over the loose leafed paper shaped roughly like a book. I wasn't sure how to interpret it. It was… like-

"It's called a tabloid." Henry's voice was gentle. I blinked, glancing at the man sweeping back into the room. "It's fine. Your face made it obvious. You've never seen one before?"

"I think Murian or Aurora might have had similar in their cities." I admitted. "But I never paid them much attention." The two names of faeries did not ring any bells for anyone but Mash. It wasn't like any of them had the knowledge of what Faerie Britain even looked like. Henry nodded just once, before opening his refrigerator.

"Would you like cider? Mordred has a tooth for it." He asked. "Or if you'd rather, I have some older wine we could crack open."

"What, you'd give them the good stuff?" Mordred sounded almost offended, but Henry just shrugged.

"I haven't had proper company in a while." He answered.

"I'm underage." Ritsuka spoke up. Everyone blinked just once but Mash, looking at her.

"… Underage?" Henry asked. "Wait, you think there's a prohibition on when you can drink? How queer. Suite yourself, would you like some milk?"

"Please."

"I will have your wine." I spoke up. Wine, that was something I hadn't had in a long time. I'd sworn off food entirely after…

Well, it was one way to avoid being poisoned. If I was poisoned now, well-

"Bah. Get me some." Mordred declared. "The white wine, Henry."

"Huh? But tonight we are having-"

"I know mother's preferences." I blinked. Mordred was convinced I was her mother, yet…

"Very well. I suppose we should start with the pleasantries. I am Henry Jekyll, one of London's vaunted scholars. I apologise for my rudeness." I blinked as Henry placed a goblet before me, filled to the brim with wine. Mordred had leaned forward, hands clasping her own goblet, daring me to drink. "This is my Servant, Mordred. Summoned to resolve the crisis."

"Crisis. Smisis." Mordred growled. "Alright. Who are you?"

"I am Fujimura Ritsuka. Master of Chaldea." Ritsuka answered. "Member of the Chaldean Security Organisation. We are here to resolve a singularity before it becomes a point that will destroy humanity." I almost slapped my face as Ritsuka opened her mouth. Did she realise how insane that sounded? That she was basically outing herself as out of her own time period?

"Mash. Demi-Servant and Tam Lin bearing the name of Galahad." Mash spoke up. Mordred's attention went from Ritsuka to Mash. Her eyes danced with understanding.

"I suppose that all means more to you, Mordred, then me?" Henry asked. Mordred nodded.

"Yes." Her voice was unbelievably begrudging. "… Fuck."

"Is that a problem?" I asked. I almost felt smug. Mordred looked at the wine. Then she downed it in one go. I winced. She did that specifically because she knew it'd hurt me.

"… You're a poor facsimile of mother. The fact that wine is still there proves it." Mordred snarled. "I don't hide things from my Master. You-" She pointed at Ritsuka. "And you-" Then Mash. "Are time travelers here to save history. That, I get."

"You mean the sea of life told you." I noted. Mordred nodded.

"It did. You, on the other hand…" Her lip twisted up into a snarl. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Aesc."

"Bullshit." Her response was blunt. "Henry, her class."

"… Pretender. I don't know what that means. Its not one of the seven you explained." Henry noted. "I don't understand. Why is that a problem?"

"It means everything about her is a lie." Mordred's voice was getting irate. I was almost afraid she'd stab me. "Who are you!?"

"I said-"

"TELL ME YOUR NAME, MORGAN!"

Her voice snapped into a roar. My heart skipped a beat. I knew that if I answered wrong, we would fight. Yet I didn't want to fight. I wanted…

Something. Something else. Something…

"… Tonelico.( Rhongomyniad) "

I felt small. This feeling was why I had invented the Tam Lin naming spell in the first place. The Knights of the Round Table were larger then life figures, gallant knights that regularly did the impossible. Mordred was clearly no different.

Yet a moment passed. Mordred closed her eyes. She leaned back.

"… I believe you." She finally stated. Yet now that her voice lacked that emotion, that passion, I felt truly afraid. I hadn't felt true fear in so very long. Now, though, I felt it. I felt-

"… Will this be a problem. If we can't work together-" Ritsuka spoke up. I blinked. Did she really think live and let live was an option at this point? That we-

"It won't be a problem." Henry spoke up. "Let Mordred sulk. She'll work through it."

"OI!"

"Anyway. You have information I need, and I think I have information you need." Henry declared, taking a seat. "I'm going to guess you don't know the situation in London then?"

"No." Mash spoke up. "I'm guessing its been a few days since that fog arrived. We've only been here a few hours." Mordred snorted at that, but Henry just nodded.

"Indeed. Starting from the top, then. London is surrounded by a great wall of fog that has steadily been closing in. The outer edges of the city have already been consumed. That started… about a week ago. Three days ago, the fog breached the city. In another week, the fog will have overrun us all. Every night, the fog thickens and devours the life of those within it." He paused. "For the moment, humans can get by for long periods with masks, but that won't last long."

"That's not all, is it?" Ritsuka asked. Henry lifted a goblet to his lips and took a sip.

"No. You've seen the homuculi. You've probably seen the helter skelters too. The worst part is the wildlife. What little is left have been warped into monsters by breathing in the fog. Generally, if the fog doesn't get you, something else will." He pointed at the paper in my hand. "Then there's that."

"… Jack the Ripper?" I asked. He nodded.

"I believe you now know the identity of the thorn in all of our sides. A shadow that murders women." His voice was dark. Disturbed. I had to wonder if it was disgust, or if he found such a thing beautiful. Maybe it was a little of both. "Jack has been active for four days. If the fog has killed hundreds of thousands, then Jack has only killed several hundred. That was printed three days ago."

"The paper should be a daily thing." Mash noted. "That means-"

"Yeah. The printing presses stopped after it was printed. Whatever blight is killing my home targeted them specifically." Henry muttered. "Its not just the presses. We can't reach the outside world through the fog. Never mind being murdered by Jack, the city will be out of food in a matter of days. Once that happens, it will be bedlam and chaos and everyone for themselves."

"Salted and preserved meals were made often in this era." Ritsuka noted, her hand on her cheek. "So you have more food to hand then a modern city."

"Oh?" Henry glanced at her, but Ritsuka motioned to his refrigerator.

"Those are common when I lived." She answered. "Most people'd only keep about a week of food at most."

"I see." Henry wrung his hands together. "Fair is fair. What is Jack the Ripper's strengths? Weaknesses? How can he be defeated?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry?"

Mash and I expressed our surprise almost immediately. Henry just sighed.

"This is a Holy Grail War. A battle to decide the fate of my home. I have to claim the Grail. I have to undo the chaos. Nothing else matters. To do that, I have to kill Jack." He answered. "Jack's definitely a servant."

And now I understood. Holy Grail War was a concept I vaguely understood.

But…

With Henry's maniac nature, I'm not sure I was okay with sharing everything…

[ ] Share what you know of Jack the Ripper.
[ ] Lie.
[ ] Write in.

Section 2 is…
[ ] The Demonic Fog Laughs (Caster: ????, Berserker: ????)
[ ] From Hell (Assassin: Jack the Ripper, Rider: ????)
[ ] The Man with the Stone (Caster: ????, Caster: Sherlock Holmes)


The inconsistencies build and the script breaks. Forgive me my sins and grant me salvation.