[] "Tell me, who are you really? How can you do these things? Tell me the truth."
You stood before the blackened husk of a Servant being pushed slowly through the mirror and the girl by her side. This was magecraft unheard of before nor discovered by the Association. It was completely unique that even a second rate Mage like you could see it for what it was.
This girl was prime target for Enforcers and being slapped with a Sealing Designation. What she was doing must be outright magic itself, not just magecraft. If it's her, the Luctworth's dream of recreating the Sculpture of the Gods, Pandora, would come true.
That was if they got her to cooperate. You also doubted that someone of this level would fall to the hunting dogs of the Association. Whatever that thing on the other side of the mirror was, you didn't want to see it again.
Not that you could do much given your choice of acquaintances.
"Tell me, who are you really?" You questioned her as you stood in the presence of her works, "How can you do these things? Tell me the truth."
Manaka smiled and stepped away from the Blackened Husk. She placed her hands behind her back and said, "Well, the Truth... I've already grasped the Truth since as long as I could remember."
"The... Truth?" You repeated with a frown.
"Whatever that truth is, I know it. I know a lot of things thanks to it. Magecraft, secrets, rituals and all manner of outcomes and possibilities. It's all one thought away. That thing all Magi are obsessed with carving a path towards to," Manaka said as she hummed and crossed her arms.
Your eyes widened as you stepped back, "The Root?"
"Where everything began and where everything will end, the bastion of all knowledge of all worlds in all of time. Yes, that Root and I were connected since I was born," Manaka said as she walked towards you, your vision flashing and fading as you found it harder to breathe, "At least that's how it's supposed to be."
"What do you mean?" You asked her with a frown.
"Though I do have this talent for magecraft and my own uniqueness, I'm limited by my own body. This body isn't any different. There's only so much I could do on my own, which is why rituals such as the Holy Grail War are necessary for me," Manaka said as she walked past you, "But with that comes the ultimate curse, Hans... Everything is so boring."
Boring? You turned to her as she gave you a serene smile while leaving down. Her eyes were bereft of any emotion you recognized. It was like gazing into an alien mind and having your sanity poked and prodded with painful needles.
You endured as she continued speaking, "When you have all knowledge, you end up losing things normal humans would find precious. Like knowing the ending of a book from simply looking at the reviews or seeing results of a race by someone from the future showing it to you. It's boring. I don't understand why decrepit and foolish Magi would ever want this."
Clairvoyance? Or a higher form of it? It reminded you of certain Servants with that ability. Divination and Star Gazing were also branches in acquiring such a skill but for Manaka, all she had to do was input her query and she would receive an answer.
If she looked into her connection now, she could look at the millions of possibilities of how Hans Derrinsmith would act in this situation... Way ahead of you actually doing anything.
But then, why would she go this far? She shouldn't need you for this war.
"You're probably wondering why I still kept you around. With such a power, I could easily win this war," Manaka said as she hummed before turning to you, "Well, it's because this parallel world has nothing to offer me. Whether I win or lose it won't truly affect me. Right now, I'm a spectator with front seat to a funny show... And there's you, an unnatural Magus with no interest with the Root. Obsessed with the Dead... And that's when it clicked for me. If I don't want to be a Reader who was spoiled the ending of a book... I could be an author and direct things to the results I would find the best."
"So that's why you picked me. You don't plan to use the Grail at all," you told her with a frown, "You're... Just here for the ride, leaving whatever mess you made as you please. If I wasn't so sick in the stomach, I might have called you a Goddess."
"Oh please, you're flattering me," Manaka giggled as she waved her hand.
"That wasn't a compliment," you replied as you shook your head, "But it does give me an idea. You may be omniscient but it's limited. The Kaleidoscope doesn't just reveal numerous world's but also numerous possibilities from each of those worlds. You must be quite the Genius to take on all that information at once but there's the thing, you can't pin down things and make them happen on a whim."
Manaka giggled at that and said, "Is that how you think?"
"It's a guess. I'm not sure if I'm even right. Talk to the Wizard Marshall or something, I'm no an expert on the damned subject," you replied with a tired tone.
You straightened your back and sighed. Shaking your head, you glanced at the Blackened Servant moving out of the mirror.
"Even if you do have vast knowledge on certain events or results, there are just some things you can't account for. You can only influence them to a certain degree," you told her as you tapped your cane, dispelling the foul atmosphere in the hall of mirrors, "Just like nudging a rolling ball to a direction you want it to go. You know what to expect but there are things you don't know how they'll affect you even when you see them coming."
Manaka froze at that as you walked past her. She went silent before you heard her speak, "Like... Falling in love?"
You stopped and glanced at her, "Probably. Is that how it went with your Prince Charming?"
"He's no Prince, Hans. He's a gallant King," Manaka said as you turned away and left her in her hall of mirrors.
You slowly made your way out until you stepped into the outside once more. A short breath left you as you leaned on your cane.
What a monster.
"Hmph, so you made it out in one piece," Berserker said as he walked by.
You glanced at him as you asked, "How do you deal with it? With
that?"
"Simple. I don't," Berserker said as he glanced at the hall of mirrors, "Well, I am in a way. By making sure she doesn't go crazy. Do you realize how close to I am to losing it? If I have to listen to one more story about her pretty boy I'm going to vomit."
"Just don't do it in front of her," you advised as you chuckled.
Berserker regarded you then and said, "A girl half alive packed with so much power. I can't imagine a more pain in the ass person to deal with."
"At this point we're no more characters in the story she's trying to pen," you told him as you walked past him.
"Are you going to let that be the case?" Berserker asked you with a stern tone.
"Hah! Hell no," you said as you shook your head. You continued moving as you hoped to find Assassin and Miyu again.
.....
....
...
Berserker watched the Magus walked away as he crossed his arms, "Hah. Crazy bastard."
Perhaps being crazy wasn't inherently bad. The mad ones tend to defy Fate the best after all.
.....
....
...
You found Assassin seated in a bench all by herself with a patient look on her face. You raised an eyebrow and drew close, causing her to look your way.
"My Lord, you're back," Assassin said as she stood up.
"Funny to see you alone," you said with a curious look, "Where's Miyu?"
"Lady Miyu wished to use the restroom. She should be nearby," Assassin said as she met our gaze, "She should be back in a moment."
"Will she be okay?" You wondered.
"She insisted I go back here. But I did accompany her all the way," Assassin replied as she added, "Not only that but there are also no signs of people here other than us."
Grounded
[] Sit beside Assassin and wait for Miyu. You can use this time to speak with Assassin as well.
[] You'll go on head and meet Miyu halfway. Assassin can go to patrol the park once more, making sure everything was ready.
[] Write in...
