Fate/Spring Tonelico (Fate/Grand Order Redux)

BlackHadou · Jul 30, 2023

The Faerie of Paradise may never know Spring.

I was never accepted among faeries at large. They hated me instinctively, like a sore on their finger that they could not work out how to get rid of. That feeling extended far into my reign as Faerie Queen Morgan. In the first three centuries alone, I'd face over a dozen rebellions from every corner of the country. It was as if they thought they could grind me down into dust like they had so many times before. That I was Morgan, now, and not Aesc the Saviour, did not factor into their thinking.

The Faeries of Britain were innocent, but also inherently malicious. They did not think to the future, but rather the past.

These memories bounced in my head even during my second millennium. Grimr once said that I thought too much, but at that point, he had long since left. I was alone.

Days that might be called like Spring had turned to Winter. I didn't think of those happy days anymore, for they made me miserable.

"Who da' hell are you!?"

The declaration drew me out of my reverie, one day in Gloucester. I couldn't remember what century it was. It would be some time before that unknown period was nailed down to a year.

… Was it that I was depressed?

"... Just a traveller." In hindsight, my voice had been flat, dead even. I had been a faerie ready to die. That I hadn't died was testament to something, but I don't know what exactly. Sitting by an alley, a giant stick leaning against her shoulder, was a small faerie. Her stick bore a giant wheel, and the satchel by her side had little bits of thread sticking out.

In hindsight, I knew who that was. However, Totorot would not join me on my quest for decades, if not close to a century. If I had a clearer head, maybe I would have pushed harder.

But-

"Get off muh turf."

In those days, Totorot was a rambunctious kid. Her words, not mine. I would actually liken her more to the concepts of Yakuza or Mafia. She was more like a hitman or thug who would collect debts to the wing clan. It was laughable that such a small faerie might be such a thing, but she was exceptionally good at it.

"Your turf?"

"Yeah. Muh turf. Yer scarin' off the fishes."

Her reason for being mad at me back in those days was so strange, too. Totorot was a faerie that could not understand why she felt empty. After all, her purpose was to spin dresses for brides and to guide them down the aisle at their wedding. A eternally single faerie who wanted for others what she could not have for herself.

…

As Morgan, I allowed human culture from the True Human History to flourish. All in hopes of the one day Totoroy might return, maybe a new faerie, true, but with the ability to finally fulfil her purpose. I allowed human concepts to grow in my lands because I hoped against hope faeries might inherit the idea of a wedding and bride.

…

They weren't very good at it. I seeded the idea more then once, but they did not take to it. Faeries are fundamentally different to humans, yet…

Maybe this is a sign of the Faerie of Paradise's abnormality. I would have liked, for one day, that it be me that Totorot led down the aisle.

…

No. That was reserved for Mash. That would be an unconventional wedding. However, it didn't take more then a glance between Mash and Ritsuka to realise the only thing in their way was the star-crossed nature of their roles. For Mash had a limited lifespan as a human being. Granting her the name Tam Lin Galahad was merely putting off the inevitable. I wanted that fate to stay away as long as I could delay it, but there would come a time one day that it could not be delayed anymore.

The Faerie of Paradise may not know Spring.

… If my fate cannot be changed, Little Artoria, then know that I have chosen the wielder of my Sacred Spear. I'm sorry.

The Faerie of Paradise may know Spring.

<-->

"Your cowardice is noted." My voice cracked like a whip. Paracelsus flinched at my words, but that was all I had to say. "It was good to see you again… Um…" I wasn't quite sure how to refer to her, but Saoirse just smiled, flipping once in the air and touching her hand to my cheek.

"Its okay, your highness." That the Dragon of the Event Horizon referred to me as such was embarrassing. "You look better. Not good, but better."

"... The road is long."

"Maybe, but there is a light at the end now." Her gaze shifted, from me, to Ritsuka and Mash, to Grimr. "You. Sage."

"Yes, my lady?"

"Look after her. I will eat you if any harm befalls her." The threat was not an idle one. However, it was one that didn't surprise me. Melusine had always been protective, so-

"Right." He glanced between me and Paracelsus. "Are we done?"

"Huh?" Ritsuka's voice sounded surprised. I nodded.

"Yes, we are."

"But you can't!" Paracelsus' almost squealed in disbelief, his displeasure known. "I'm born of the black mud! An enemy of humans! One of those who will-"

"Saoirse, what do you see in him?" I asked. The dragon faerie just nodded softly.

"Perhaps I am attracted to broken humans and faeries." She answered soflty. "Leave him to me, Morgan. He won't be an issue. I promise."

I winced at the usage of my old name, but then, she had never really known me as anything but.

"You will regret this." Paracelsus snarled. I just motioned for Ritsuka and Mash to follow me as I retreated. "I will boil the world in a sea of mud! My fog will rip the blood from human veins and my sword will rend your sky as crystal! End me! End me Rhongomyniad! Do you have no mercy left to give!?"

I paused at the cavern entrance. I could see it now. What Saoirse saw in him. It was a little, twisted light, but one she wished to save. A light that could not be saved in Aurora.

I looked at him, and I smiled.

"This is my mercy." I answered. "I will see you in the next one."

"You fool!"

"You'd best be there, Saoirse. I'm sick of saying goodbyes."

"We will." With that, I started walking again. But where to-

"The library."

"Excuse me?" Ritsuka turned this time. Paracelsus just frowned.

"You insist on doing the worst thing, so let me speed you on your way. My co-conspirator is in the Library. Seek him out. At least for the moment, your goals and ours align." His face twisted darkly. "This Singularity must be slain. There is no choice."

"Why?"

"It is rotten. Corrupted to its core. It would have been the perfect grounds for the resurrection of my Master, yet one wayward soul dragged everything off course." Paracelsus closed his eyes. "Beware the alchemist. He is not who he seems to be."

"The alchemist? You?"

"Nay." My voice cut Ritsuka off. "You mean Henry."

"Yes."

"And you don't intend to just tell us?"

"You would not believe me if I did." … Perhaps he was right. After all, I was not the one who had to believe him. Ritsuka and Mash did.

Mash, to her credit, stood at the ready. Her hands were white around her knuckles. She was gripping her shield too hard. Yet-

"Senpai, Aesc?"

"Right."

"Yeah."

There was no point delaying this. We had a clear goal, and Grimr hadn't said anything to dissuade us. He must have intended for us to go this way too.

<-->

It was not difficult to find the library. Calling it a library was inaccurate. As we approached, Ritsuka's face turned pale.

"Are you okay?" Grimr's voice was the one that rang out. I bit my lip instead. The words of Paracelsus buried themselves in my mind. Why, then, would our purposes align right now? The only thing I could think of was that something, fundamentally, was wrong with this world.

Which…

"Just memories." Ritsuka answered. Mash looked a little sympathetic.

"Senpai once attended the Association." She noted. I vaguely knew the concept. An Association of Magi that desired to progress human mystics. My human history counterpart had considered it the antithesis of everything she wanted, yet at the same time…

When Morgan had been alive, the Clocktower had been young in Londinium. Barely a few centuries old. Now I understood her nervousness. Where we currently stood was not too far from the tunnels dug out for easy movement between the Clocktower's various campuses.

"I suppose human's are ruthless in their pursuit of the mystic." Grimr noted. Ritsuka nodded, just once. Wait…

"I never said I was a student." She whispered. "The Association is home to many things. For those with actual talent, it is a place of wonder. Learning, even, I guess." Her words made me wince. "I'm a fourth rate magus. There are only seven sub-circuits in my body, and one main circuit. I barely qualify as being able to use magic."

Yet this girl could maintain the existence of Heroic Spirits. Her talent was impossible to actually overstate. By all means, what she did should be completely impossible to do for a human of her nature. Her patterns were completely inadequate to the task.

"... You were a human experiment." I said what we were thinking. Ritsuka nodded.

"They call us refuse." She muttered. "Humans whose families need money, to pay off a debt or worse. I first came here when I was fourteen. When the Clocktower had no need for me, they threw me at Chaldea."

"... Then Chaldea is your refuge." Grimr muttered. "I'm sorry. The other me didn't pass that along."

"It's fine."

Yet Ritsuka's words made me focus on her. My eyes unraveled her at the seams. Learned everything about her at once. What made her so special, that she was used for an experiment, but so useless that they discarded her afterwards?

Unless…

"That isn't on your medical record." Romani noted. "Is there anything I should know, Ritsuka?"

"No. The experiments wouldn't take. I'm just a normal human."

She lied as easily as she breathed. She was not human at all. To be human was to be connected to the material world in a way that allowed one to live a normal life. Ritsuka would never live a truly normal life.

An ordinary human in an abnormal body. Yet I also saw the source.

For the Faerie of Paradise to have a chance at Spring, the grudge against the Faerie, the karma that causes her suffering, must be diffused.

Ritsuka had not suffered in Faerie Britain. It was my unravelling of time and attempt to get a better life that had created this. I was responsible.

It made me sick.

"It isn't your fault." Grimr's voice was gentle. I shook my head.

"A human should not have to bare my karma."

"Yet if you told her why she bore it, she would forgive you. That is the kind of human the last human is." Grimr answered dryly. "If you are going to survive, then you could do with learning how to be a bit more human yourself."

"I am the Faerie of Paradise."

"A faerie with no purpose."

I just huffed, my cheeks puffing up as I pushed open the door to the library. The room within was spacious, many round tables and books strewn about. It was no longer neat, or orderly, or-

"Get down!" Mash was already moving. Lightning flickered and smashed into her shield. My staff was in hand a moment later, and with a swing of my staff, cursed fire formed.

"Archer! Stop!" The voice that cracked was young. Shockingly young, actually. The spirit called Archer, on the other hand, stopped moving. He was tall, standing on a table in the middle of the room, his eyes glimmering with lightning and has form wrapped in cloth and a huge brown cloak. "… I must admit, I thought you were dead."

"... Zolgen." Ritsuka's voice was low. Very low. "I suppose this isn't a surprise either. Paracelsus was here after all."

"You know him?" My voice was one of questions. Mash just nodded.

"Sort of." She admitted. "We saw him in France. He wasn't at Rome or Okeanos, though." Her hand gripped her shield tight as she settled between us. "He created the summoning system Gilles de Rais used to summon the dark Jeanne."

Those names meant nothing to me. Yet the smell of his magic was strong. He was young, almost… too young. I'd hesitate to call him at the tail end of his teens, his blue hair tucked neatly behind his head and garbed in a tunic and jacket. In his hand was a book, very hastily snapped shut.

"Dear, one day you'll learn spilling others secrets isn't nice." Zolgen noted. The air flickered blue, as Da Vinci materialised. His face was almost murderous, chiselled stone that belied fury.

They had history.

"What are you doing, Zolgen?"

"I could ask you the same, old friend." Zolgen's response was like velvet. "But since the information is useless to you, I was the Master of Archer in this twisted war."

Was?

Wait-

"... You were killed in the collapse." I noted. Zolgen nodded, clapping a hand against his thigh.

"Indeed. Give Paracelsus my apologies, it seems I have escaped our master's control." His lips twisted into a sardonic smile, yet-

"You'll die when I release the spell." I muttered. "Then Archer is here because his magical energy hasn't exhausted itself. When you die, he'll have no master again."

"Indeed, indeed. Da Vinci, where did you find this one? She is smart." Zolgen fell silent after a long moment, breathing in and out, savouring the movement of his lungs. "I'm afraid you all arrived late to the tragedy. What are you seeking, then, broken little bird?"

Ritsuka's face twisted at the words. There was a history there. How far back it went, though-

"The Grail. Nothing else matters." Her voice was full of bitterness. "Not a person here can be saved. You condemned them all."

"Aha. Is that what Forneus told you? You seem less spry then before."

"What Forneus said doesn't matter!" Ritsuka's snarl was sharp. Yet Zolgen just rolled his eyes.

"Of course it matters! Everything is in the eyes of the beholder! Shouldn't you know that, with your clipped little wi-"

"Gyaaah!" I flinched. So did Mash. Ritsuka's hand thrust out and the shadow of Heracles warped into existence, his great sword-axe falling on Zolgen's head. Two scissor-like flies flittered out of his arm, and the sword-axe was met by a shadow of another servant, this one wielding a hammer the size of a table.

Bugs. Why did he have to have bugs?

My skin crawled.

Yet the more curious thing was the shared origin of magic.

"You've gotten better." Zolgen noted softly. "Good."

"Why is it good?" My voice was harsh as I stepped forward. Zolgen just smiled.

"Because days ahead will be hard. You, little faerie, are going to be a headache." And with his words, my breath left in a hiss. "You need not worry. I have been cut off from the others for some time now. I died three days ago, and three days ago my connection to the master ceased."

"Solomon." Ritsuka muttered. Zolgen paused, before closing his eyes.

"Yes and no." He knew it was pointless to lie to me. "But also no and yes. When do Solomon's misdeeds begin and end, given how long he's been dead?"

"You lie." My voice cut to the heart of it. "So which is the lie, that Solomon has been up to mischief, or that he is dead?"

My brain raced.

No. The most likely answer was both. I could not see which was the lie. So the whole thing must have been a lie.

"Alas, you have a mighty ally, last human." Zolgen whispered. "Archer?"

"Yes, Master?"

"... I cannot help you anymore. Spread your wings and fly." It was less a declaration of the severing of their contract, and more one of letting go. "You are besieged on many fronts. Surely you are now aware of the catastrophe in the past."

"... You refer to the Singularity 12,000 years before the common era." Da Vinci's voice was full of trepidation. Zolgen smiled, and nodded.

"Yes. And I think your little friend knows why that is." My blood ran cold. Of course I knew why. I had made it. Deliberately, intentionally. I had wanted my Britain to live, after all.

So the Lost World needed a point to split from the tree. I chose the earliest possible point, to diverge from history as much as possible. To retain my own form and existence. It had been selfish in the extreme, yet-

"Why?" It was such a loaded question, but I had to ask it. Zolgen just stared at me for a long moment. Then he spoke, and his words were full of longing and pain.

"Her name was Justeaze." He mused. "In this form, I can see you and her for what you are. Little faeries that save others and ruin themselves in the process. For that, for what I have put Justeaze through, sorry is not enough." His hand clenched. "We will meet again, but I will not be like this. I will have lost my way again. The Master has no need for a broken tool, so he will pluck me from a time where I am crueller, more malleable to his purpose."

"Zolgen-"

"Do you remember the question I asked you, Da Vinci? Tell me the answer. Tell me it wasn't for nothing!" Zolgen's voice was becoming manic as his arm flung wide. I blinked. Just once.

Da Vinci was no longer a man in my eyes, but a young woman, her brown hair flowing around her and her face full of pity.

"... I'm sorry. Human's cannot be saved."

Zolgen's voice choked up. His mouth erupted with a wail. One of fury and pain and-

"Human's don't need to be saved." Da Vinci's voice continued. "We merely need to walk the path. To save others is to damn them and to damn them is to save them. Rather then save human's, we need to become better humans. Become more. That is the real journey. You've lost your way, Zolgen. Ritsuka, I'm ready for summoning."

Ritsuka nodded. Just once. Yet Zolgen's form, wracked and shaking, stilled.

And-

"Your Holy Grail is within this building. Saving him will not end the Singularity. The Crown Lancer was called to destroy all and rejected her purpose." His voice was a whisper. "Maybe… just maybe…"

"You lost your way." Ritsuka noted. Zolgen did not speak for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"Justeaze said the same. The older me sought immortality and could not remember why. Even I don't remember why, exactly, we made the grail." He whispered. "The grail here is perhaps the purest one of the ones we flung back in time. It was, after all, meant to be the vessel of the Master's rebirth."

"The master who has already been reborn." I noted. Zolgen nodded.

"Yes. He was reborn. Somehow." He sounded almost unsure, as if- "Yet if one has two masters, then how does one reconcile the difference? It was that contradiction that let me escape for a brief moment."

"... Tell me your name, Zolgen." I took two steps forward. Zolgen blinked. Just once.

"... I cannot die. Not until Jack the Ripper is ex-"

"Tell me your name."

My insistence broke his shattered will. Zolgen's tears were too much. This was a human who had lived too long and suffered too much. Humans were not meant to bear the centuries. They were not made for it.

Even faeries should not bear the centuries. Yet-

"Barbatos." The mere mention of his true name had already caused his body to start unravelling. His fingers went first, flesh peeling away as boiling blood and too many eyes began to form. "I am Barbatos. The Duke that protects men and reconciles past and future, friend and foe. To you, I am the enemy."

"To me, you are just a wayward soul." I corrected, tapping his chest with a finger. "I forgive you."

The Faerie of Paradise does not bear sin. So, as the Son of the Christian God once said, let the sinless make the decision.

Barbatos closed his many eyes, his form unravelling more and more.

"Forgiveness." He whispered. "Ah… yes… forgiveness…"

"Master. Don't worry. I'll see the rest to the end." Archer spoke up. Barbatos' eyes opened on his Servant, and he smiled.

"This is Nikola Tesla. I summoned him to assist me in defeating Jack the Ripper. But…" He paused, trying to gather his thoughts even as he burned away in black dust. "It would be better for you to see for yourself. Inside the Clocktower, in the basement, we made a machine of fog. It was meant to turn London into a demon city. We shoved the Grail within it. Take care. She will summon herself to his side if she thinks he is threatened."

"She?" Mash's voice was confused. Barbatos closed his eyes.

"Saber." He answered. "The Grail does not normally enter the war. The Grail does not normally have Command Spells. She is an aberration. The spells are on her back."

My eyes narrowed.

"He?"

"Aye."

Mordred said her master was Henry. But Henry was…

"... Who is the man we met?" My voice was sharp. Barbatos chuckled.

"Now that is the right question. You may call him… Jack the Ripper. His true name, though, is…"

"Edward Hyde." Mash finished for Barbatos. The demon spirit nodded.

"A Deadly Game of Sin." He whispered. "Oh, Henry. You were brilliant. Too brilliant. You flew so close to the sun and burned away." His gaze finally came to Ritsuka. No, truly, it was on Da Vinci. "Please…"

"Ritsuka."

"Right."

Normally, when Ritsuka called forth a Servant, they were a mere shadow. Da Vinci was not summoned forth as a mere shadow. She raised her arm, a giant claw contraption, and swung.

"Thank you."

Barbatos' whisper on the wind was gentle. He passed on at peace. Da Vinci had faded a moment later. A moment after that, Grimr's voice pierced the quiet.

"We have a problem." His talent for the understatement had not gone away. I just groaned.

"That's not how I would put it."

"Then how would you put it?" He asked. I swallowed. Hard.

After all… A singularity so far long ago. It was certainly the result of my lost world. Of my-

"Focus on the here and now." Romani's voice cracked out. "A lot of what Zolgen said doesn't make sense to me. Can I have the cliff notes?"

"Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde are two separate beings." Mash spoke up. "I don't know how. Zolgen mentioned a Singularity in the far past, and Aesc is…" She looked at me. As if she wasn't sure how to put it. I bit my lip.

"We observed that Singularity when you first used Lord Camelot." Da Vinci noted. "It's something to do with your little incident?"

"... It's a hole in the history of the world. A critical one." I muttered. "One that ends the world if not corrected."

"From out perspective, that is all Singularities."

"... You misunderstand. That one will kill the Great Mother of Us All." This was heavy. Very heavy. I felt like a sinner, my hands soaked in blood and-

"The Faerie of Paradise is free of sin." Grimr whispered. "Stop that."

"But-"

"It's not your fault." Grimr continued. "I have seen five hundred different worlds. I have seen five hundred tragedies. Stop thinking that there isn't one world you can be happy in." He glanced at Ritsuka, then Archer. "What are we going to do?"

"... You'll help us?" Ritsuka's voice was soft. Archer nodded.

"Of course. You are beset from all sides and there is not a lot of hope remaining." He answered. "Rider Odysseus and his great Aegis. Sakata Kintoki and that insane red machine of his. Jack the Ripper and himself as a Servant. A Caster that none of us could nail down, who shattered the very rules of the ritual." He paused. "Your true enemy, I think Zolgen would have said. He was very critical of the methodology."

"Our true enemy?" Mash spoke up. Her face was filled with trepidation, and hope. Yet-

"Yes. Caster. The Heroic Spirit Solomon." Archer answered. "Or at least, so he claims."

[ ] Travel into the depths of the Association. (Holy Grail: ????, Saber: Mordred, Beast I: Babbage, Mordred Command Spells -1)
[ ] Retreat and regroup.
-[ ] You knew where Mordred was fighting. Maybe that battle was still waging. (Rider: Odysseus, ????: ????)
-[ ] Confront Jack the Ripper. He would have to act if you did. (Decisive Battle: Jack the Ripper and Jack the Ripper)
-[ ] Return to Paracelsus. There were more answers to be had. (Beast I: Paracelsus, Saoirse)
-[ ] Ritsuka is spent. Find somewhere in this place to forge into a throne. At least then you can tend to her myriad woes. (Ristuka, Mash)
-[ ] The next most likely unknown is Berserker. Apparently he likes the word Golden. Shout it from the top of the Clocktower and see what happens. (Berserker: Kintoki, ????: ????)
-[ ] Unleash the authority of Britain. Force the enemy into the open. (Grand Battle: Beast I the Pity?)

True Name Revelation
True Name: Odysseus
Class: Rider
Skills:
Magic Resistance: B
Riding: B+
Affection of the Gods: B+
Cunning General's Epiphany: B++
Devotion (Love): A
Noble Phantasms:
Troia Hippos(Colossal Trojan Horse of Obliteration)
Aigis(Divine Body Boundary Field)
Penelope(Love's Radiant Stringless Bow)

True Name: Sakata Kintoki
Class: GOLDEN (Berserker)
Skills:
Madness Enhancement: E
Divinity: D
Animal Communication: C
Natural Body: A
Monstrous Strength: A+
Noble Phantasms:
Golden Eater(GOLDEN EATER)
Golden Spark(GOLDEN SPARK)
Settsu Armor Kumano(GOLDEN HUGE BEAR)

True Name: Nikola Tesla
Class: Archer
Skills:
Magic Resistance: C
Independent Action: B
Galvanism: A
Tesla Coil: A+
Inherent Wisdom: A
Pioneer of the Stars: EX
Noble Phantasms:
System Keraunos(Legend of Mankind - Advent of Lightning)

TRUE NAME R̷̢͓̭̲͍̰̻͉͚̱̟͑-̶̨͉̝̺̮̪̗͈̮̼̼̙̋̅̓̇̀͠Ņ̷͈̰̤͈̝̗̂̍͊̆̓̿͋̇̈́͌̒̅̈́̕H̸͇̥̺̘͎͊̔̆͜F̴̨̨̧̦̭̝͓̲̖̜̹̳͛͆̋͒̋͒̍̓ͅÁ̵̱͈̠̩̪͂̾̓̈͂̉̃́͐L̶͍̪̗̝͎̭͈̮̰̦̤̖͍̖̒̍́͆͌L̵̮̠̦̳͈͑͒̆F̴͕̣̠̞̏̾͐̀͛͆͌̕
Caster's True Name remains sealed

BlackHadou · Jul 31, 2023

The Faerie of Paradise must know Spring.

For all their faults, I love the Rain Clan dearly. Those that raised me will always possess a special place in my heart. No matter how self-serving, how self-interested they were, they granted me many happy memories for my childhood.

Even if those memories turned to ash, being able to see the lies, I will always cherish them. Tamlin always treated me well. Their daughter fell trying to protect me. They…

The loss of the Rain Clan was something I never let go. Throughout the years, throughout the centuries. When I finally lost my hope, when I adopted the name of Morgan, even then I still clung to that grudge.

I wonder if that grudge prevented me from doing everything I could. Maybe there was some little bit more I could have put forward at Londinium to save everyone. Maybe there was some little bit more I could have done. Maybe, just maybe.

"We gave it our best shot."

I said it to Mash with a smile, her consciousness fading. Then I acted.

Mash's body wasn't even cool in its crystal when I began my reign of terror. Contrary to the lies I spread to solidify my rule, the faeries did not join my kingdom gently. The ire of the Northern Faeries for me was well and truly earned.

…

There is a reason the Bells of Pilgrimage believe they are over two thousand years old. I made them that way. The Calamity did not kill Faerie Britain, but it certainly helped.

Maybe my plan was really just madness in disguise. Thinking back on it, it was cruel in the extreme.

I crushed them all underfoot. Every single one. The real murderer of Faerie Britain was I, Morgan le Fae. The new queen.

I crushed them all. Every single one. I couldn't help the overflow of my grief. In doing so, I myself joined the ranks of the Calamities of Britain.

I am not free of sin.

I chose to kill them all.

Yet… I can't remember why.

I should have been above it all. I shouldn't have cared about the Rain Clan at that point. I'd had four thousand years to get over it.

I can't remember why.

But…

I can't save you.

No. I remember why.

I can never save you.

Baobahn Sith. Dear Baobahn Sith. Broken, ruined, destroyed. Her flesh had been torn into strips. She was barely recogniseable.

I want to save you.

That was why. I chose to destroy Britain because of you. I chose to remake Britain because of you.

The world we lived in was one where you had to die. I couldn't bear that cruelty any longer.

Aesc the Saviour was really just Aesc the Witch.

I slaughtered them like cattle.

<-->

"I, seven heavens descended, so declare. I am the sword that shall slay all that is evil. I am the shield that shall protect all that is good. Garbed in three heavens, I swear, I shall keep the balance."

The binding ritual for a Servant was queer. Tesla seemed to already know it, and Ritsuka was more then willing to perform it. In an instant, our fighting power had been magnified again. Yet it did not solve the most current problem, one that became far more pronounced as Ritsuka's command spell burned.

Human beings had limits. I never really had to consider that before. None of my retinue had ever really been human. Mash was a Tam Lin and thus was more capable then any single human alive, and when I took to the field, everyone turned and ran. It was something I hadn't really thought of, and something that had become painfully obvious now.

Ritsuka's shoulders sagged. Her chest heaved. The burn of her patterns was entirely too slow to still. She was well past the limits of a human body.

Well past them.

"... This place is the Association." I noted. "If anywhere is safe, it is here, correct?"

"Master and I made it quite safe, yes." Tesla confirmed. "Or… Zolgen and I. Sorry, that will take some time to get used to. I can form a few coils if you need insurance. Why?"

"Good. We go up." I answered. "This place will make a good temporary base."

"Base? Wait, we need to keep-" Ritsuka's voice was trying to be insistent. Mash winced. My hand reached out, seized the little lump on her back, and forced her to turn.

"We aren't blind, Ritsuka." Grimr was entirely too kind. "I agree. Geri!" His wolf shifted, going from white furred to black furred. I nodded at his voice.

"Up. Somewhere I can see the area." I muttered. "Maybe that clock tower we saw?"

"Big Ben?" Mash asked. I nodded.

"That one. It's not far."

"But… the grail-" Ritsuka's voice was lame. We all just glared at her, and she fell silent.

"Is it wise to leave the Grail?" Romani asked. I just shrugged.

"Paracelsus and Zolgen have told us something important." I muttered, my brain racing. There was so much information, and so little time. "The holy grail is safe here if the museum is collapsed. I'll release the spell when we leave and it'll crumble away."

"You can open it back up?" This time it was Da Vinci. I nodded, glancing at Tesla, but he just smiled.

"There isn't another way. The Grail is trapped in a sort of mystic furnace we created under the Association. Servants can't enter in spirit form. So long as the Association isn't intact, no one can get in. Not Paracelsus, not Babbage, and not Jack the Ripper."

"Babbage?" Ritsuka's squeak brought my attention back to her, her face slightly flushed. "The steam man?"

"One and the same. You may have seen some of his creations in town. He's been trying to forge an army of machines. It wasn't the most successful with that Berserker running around." Tesla paused, crossing his arms. Ritsuka took a step, and was already faltering. "Allow me."

I felt better after he scooped Ritsuka up in his arms.

"O-oi!"

"No complaining, Senpai." Mash's voice was firm. "Da Vinci, father, are there any other life signs?"

"Just once." Romani answered. "About one hundred and forty meters beneath you. Not near where the Spirit Tomb is. That must be our forge."

"It is." Tesla nodded. "You cannot pierce the tomb either?"

"It's impossible." Da Vinci explained. "The Spirit Tomb exists at all times and at no time at all. From our perspective, it exists in real space and we are isolated from it entirely in Zero Time."

"Zero time?"

"Interesting." Tesla and I had different reactions. My lip curled slightly from the side. "I never found Zero Time useful. Is that how you maintained Ritsuka's life?"

"... Yes. Technically, we all died in the attack on Antarctica. Until we undo Human Incineration, everyone in Chaldea except Ritsuka is dead." Romani answered. Our legs started to move. That didn't surprise me at all. Chaldea had to also bear my karma. Yet-

"I'm sorry. That is my fault."

"It's no one in particulars fault, Aesc."

"No. This one is my fault." And I would make it right. "Once we're done here, I'll fix it."

Zero Time. It was another name for the imaginary timeline. Some used the imaginary number space to compress distance and enter locations that should be impossible. Zero Time was similar, but from the perspective of the tree of time. It was like the air surrounding the branches. With enough manoeuvring, you could get to anywhen.

It also allowed one to put off their death. However, that came at a cost. When Chaldea finally returned to the timeline, Chaldea would collectively expire. They were already dead, after all.

But on this matter, I could intercede.

"Aesc-"

"No, Mash. There is a limit to my burdens that I will let you bear. This one should be reserved for me." Our eyes met for a long moment. Her eyes burned with fire. Her desire was clear on every front.

She wished to save me.

I'd seen that fire once before. After all, I was not a convincing liar.

As we left the museum, I allowed it to crumble to dust. Arriving at the Big Ben was a short walk for us. Since Tesla carried Ritsuka, our movement was far faster then before. Mash's speed was incredible, something that only Grimr could match.

The top of the Big Ben was a sort of storeroom. It was a little dusty, but with the clock tower permanently silenced, it was more then sufficient. Grimr's runes burned the walls, and my enchantments joined them a few moments later. A spark of competition flickered, but with a look, we both agreed. If we competed, there was a risk we'd break the clock tower.

I wasn't willing to do that.

"Shirt off." My voice was more like a bark. Ritsuka winced.

"I'm fine."

"You can lie to me as much as you want. I see lies." Her eyes widened as I put my hands on my hips. "They call me Aesc the Saviour, Ritsuka. Let me do what my instincts scream."

… That was the truth, wasn't it? The Faerie of Paradise had an instinct to save people. I couldn't remember the last time I'd truly felt it, but for Ritsuka, damned little Ritsuka, I wished to save her. It was a sincere desire from the depths of my heart.

Ritsuka looked like she wanted to fight it. She really did. However, Mash had already unclasped her belt and start to pull open her jacket and shirt before she could actually protest.

"Oi! Mash!"

"You are pushing too hard." Mash's words were all that were needed. Ritsuka's fire died on the spot, and she let her Servant pull her jacket and shirt free. Her flesh was not pleasant to look at. Most would find the idea of a shirtless girl titillating. They were the ones who weren't unfortunate enough to see one in the middle of decomposing.

I winced. The harm Ritsuka had undergone was not some small thing. She was truly miraculous. I knew faeries who had less will to live. Her flesh had great pallor grey strips along her stomach and sides. I suspected there would be more splotches under the arm that she'd covered her chest with. Her patterns were woefully insufficient for the job, and her body had used its own vitality to compensate.

It was disgusting.

"Romani." My voice was dangerous. The doctor did not meet my gaze.

"Only the living can rayshift." He answered. "And only the living can contract with a Servant." His meaning was quite clear. Ritsuka was the only one who could actually bear this burden.

"Is her actual body like this?"

"Unfortunately. Mash needs an anchor." And with those words, I understood. Mash had not been lucky enough to escape my karma.

Human beings were meant to experience death only once. They were all technically dead, but until the world resumed, it wouldn't catch up with them.

I simply had to set them alive. But to do that, I had to be where they were.

"I will fix this." I declared. Grimr's lips twisted sadly.

"Can you?"

"I can."

I am the Faerie of Paradise.

My hands are clean of sin.

So forgive me my sins and allow me to grant salvation.

Ritsuka's back was the thing I was actually curious about. A mess of patterns and blood vessels that did not exist in human beings. As I caught sight of the twisted thing on her back, I choked, my throat refusing to cooperate.

"Wings?" Well, they weren't really wings. It was a twisted mess of feathers, lumps and clotted blood, wrapped into her spiritual organs in a tangle so messy that trying to remove it would spiritually disembowel her. Yet at the same time, I couldn't help but whistle in wonder. For a moment, I felt young again, my fingers tracing feathers as I ripped it apart in my mind.

"Stop that." Ritsuka's muscles tensed.

"Touching them, or-"

"You're deconstructing me. Stop it." I was almost surprised that she could tell I was doing it. Touching them, well, that probably wouldn't bother her. There were no actual nerves inside them, so she probably couldn't actually feel it. They were, however, a intensely powerful spiritual organ.

"This is what you consider a failure?"

"It's meant to enhance magic. It didn't." Ritsuka's voice was bitter. "It just made what little I could do worse." Of course it did. It was made out of birds. The theory was sound, but a few pigeons and crows were woefully inadequate for the task.

"You've seen this done right." I realised. Mash nodded.

"Circe."

"A Greek Goddess of Magic and Love." Grimr spoke up. "One of the descendants of the visitors."

"Visitors?"

"You'd know them as the Olympians." Grimr mused. Da Vinci's attention fell on him with renewed interest.

"The Olympians aren't of Earth?"

"Its common enough. Most deities from the eldest days were not natives." Grimr answered. "But you'd know better then me, wouldn't you, Aesc?"

"... He isn't wrong." I nodded softly. "In the days before the forging, before the Bells of Pilgrimage, our Great Mother to Us All decided to loan her functions to visiting stars." My fingers started tracing lines around Ritsuka's back, several ideas ripping through my head. Then I settled on one. "Our mother is different to most worlds, you see. She wished for her children to flourish without guidance. So she did not create a guiding principle to direct the living. Rather, she created a guardian for you and left you in the playground of her flesh."

"That guardian was Albion, wasn't it?" Romani's voice was curious. "But Albion is a dragon."

"We call her the Prime One. I believe you humans call them Ultimate Ones." I answered. "The strongest living being. The proof of a planet's existence. But Albion isn't a real Ultimate One, since she isn't the proof our mother exists." My fingers pulled back, as my magic twisted and I forged a pair of scissors on the spot. "Her job was to safeguard the event horizon. She was meant to be the safe keeper, but she wasn't able to fulfil that function. About fifteen thousand years ago they arrived."

"We call them Olympians, but they are visitors from another star. Their arrival birthed an entire alternate history in which they were always here." Grimr noted. "There are a few others. The Aztec gods are another such history, as is that snake that inhabited the far south. The world accepts they are here and leaves them be."

"Shouldn't they be pruned, then?" Da Vinci did not bother elaborating. I understood what she meant. I shook my head.

"They bring the possibility, the energy to form that history with them. So long as the history unites with that of our Great Mother at the year of their arrival, she tolerates them bringing their beliefs and culture with them." I answered. "Usually."

"Then the Olympians did not arrive peacefully?"

"I believe you call him Chaos. Albion assisted the visitors in felling him, but in the process she was badly injured and had to sleep." I answered. "The world was defenceless, then, when the Umbral Star descended."

"You refer to the Singularity in 12,000 BC."

"I believe so, yes. A titan fell and brought about the end of the world. In your history, the six Bones of Pilgrimage rang, and… your time's version of us wielded the sacred weapon and banished it." I answered. The scissors snipped twice. Once for each of the tails of my hair.

"Rhongomyniad." I blinked. Just once. That wasn't a word I expected to hear. I expected to hear little Artoria's true name, not…

"Excuse me?"

"The weapon you refer to is Rhongomyniad(The Spear of Promised Victory)." Romani repeated. "… Then the job of the Faerie of Paradise is… oh…" His face twisted in sympathy. He clearly had put the dots together.

Ritsuka's friends were smart. I appreciated that.

"You are the sacred spear. Or rather, it's immature form." I blinked as Tesla spoke up.

"You knew?"

"I suspected. The spear that saves has the systems my mystery is based on." Tesla answered. "Lightning, thunder that might exceed the gods. These things are only possible with the wishes of man. My Noble Phantasm is powered by the same thing you would have come to embody."

"... I ran away. I failed as the Faerie of Paradise." I muttered, gently tying a lock in with each of the diseased little wing lumps on Ritsuka's back. Ritsuka flinched, as if I was pressing ice to her back.

"Wait, what are yo-"

"Shush you." I probably didn't have to mix a silencing spell in with my words. I didn't want to give Ritsuka a chance to refuse. "The Faerie of Paradise is a redundant system. In the true history of the world, I would be unnecessary."

"Because the spear would be forged without a vessel." Da Vinci's eyes widened in realisation. "Then you are the backup plan."

"Yes. In the place I come from, the Bones of Pilgrimage did not ring." I bit my lip. "No. That's not true. They were worse then Grimr and played hookie on the most important day of the world."

Grimr just snickered at that.

"I'm not that bad, then, am I?"

"... That's where that Britain diverged." I glanced at Mash and nodded.

"It is." There was more to it then that, but it would be pointless to explain. Even what I'd said thus far, I wasn't sure how much would stick. My patterns lit up for a brief moment, and I patted the immature black wings on Ritsuka's back. "You'll feel better after a sleep. I promise."

One day, maybe even better then okay. Ritsuka flinched as the little things flapped impotently.

"What did you do?"

"Fix your botched experiment. Its nothing." The theory really was quite sound. However, the practice had been haphazard. Ritsuka had never been meant to be more then a proof that it could be done at all, a recreation of something long dead. If she suffered, then no one would care.

I cared.

"Thank you." It was Mash who actually said the words. I just smiled.

It felt nice. That was why I did it.

<-->

Night fell. Ritsuka slept. The rest of us, though, did not need to sleep. I was a faerie. Sleeping wasn't something I normally did anyway. Mash, though, probably should sleep.

"You are awake."

It was blunt. It was obvious. But Mash glanced over at me, and nodded. In her hands was a small wood carving. I recognised the shape.

"I couldn't sleep."

"You mean you can't sleep." I corrected. "How long?"

"... Weeks, I think? Ignoring the time in Chaldea?" Mash bit her lip, and a small drop of blood escaped her mouth. "It was after we fought Heracles that I noticed."

"Where was that?"

"In Rome. It was some time ago."

I nodded, sitting beside my knight. Her hands had a small knife in them, and while she was an amateur, watching her whittle the carving was soothing.

"You miss her."

"Of course I do? Don't you?"

"We promised to meet again. I trust Totorot." I answered. "… Are you okay with this? What I did? What I-"

"It's fine, Tonelico." I winced. My true name was something I did not hear often. But Mash's gaze lifted, full of kindness, the very thing that drew me to her when she'd first awoken. That kindness had taken a spirit on the verge of snapping in despair and given me the strength to push one last time. "It's different, but…"

"But?"

"... Romani." I blinked. Then I realised he could hear us.

"So long as it isn't a burden."

"It isn't. I am happy to bear it until you can hold it again." Mash answered. "And if you can't, well, I'll keep it off your shoulders forever." I just groaned.

"You're worse then Totorot."

"I try."

Yet I did, truly, feel better. After all…

The Faerie of Paradise must know Spring.

In the morning…
[ ] Alpha strike Odysseus. No more stuffing around. You can see him clearly from here. (Rhongobongo Maximus, Decisive Battle: The Trojan Horse, Odysseus -3 Command Spells)
[ ] Seek out the Holy Grail. There were a few last questions to be answered. (Saber: Mordred, Master: The Holy Grail, Mordred -1 Command Spell)
[ ] Hunt down Jack the Ripper. There was one exceptionally easy way to draw him out. (Decisive Battle: Jack the Ripper/Jack the Ripper/Mordred, Knight of Londinium, Mordred -1 Command Spell)
[ ] The interloper. You can feel him. You knew that presence. (????: The Chaldean)
-[ ] Go together. (Ritsuka, Mash, Pretender: Morgan le Fae)
-[ ] Go alone. (Aesc the Saviour)

BlackHadou · Aug 1, 2023

The Faerie of Paradise dreams of Spring.

I met the one known as Merlin only once in my life. Maybe he understood from the outset how troublesome a faerie I was. Myself from the True Human History had despised him, but-

"It seems you have had a bit of misfortune."

The first time we talked was in my second millennia. My body was dripping blood. My flesh had been burned and torn apart. My sword was in my hand, beautiful green crystal that reflected the power of the Rain clan.

I wonder where that sword ended up?

"Who are you?" The words ripped out of my throat with a snarl. The pain of fighting both Fang and Calamity was just too much. Merlin did not attend upon me in person, after all, but rather in the shape of a fluffy little Cath Palug. The little beast preened for only a moment, fluffing his fur, before his gaze fell on me.

"The Magus of Flowers. The Bringer of Dreams. The Granter of Wishes." He responded. "The better question, is who are you?"

"... No one important." My sword lowered, scraping the ground. My body started to shut down as I sunk to my knees. Perhaps it would have been better if I had expired. If I gave up and-

"... You and I both know that isn't true."

"Then who am I?" The response was like bile on my tongue. Merlin did not respond for a long moment. In this field of corpses, I realised, I was actually alone. Merlin did not see the place he'd come before me in.

"You are the Faerie of Paradise. The bringer of Salvation. The forgiver of-"

"Britain's destroyer, you mean?" I was tired. So tired. I didn't want to deal with him. "What a farce. The Faerie of Paradise is not meant to save Britain. She's meant to kill it."

My words were bitter. Vicious, even. The truth that I'd learned from the Bones of Pilgrimage was exactly that. My memories, my body, my being was intended to be fuel to forge the Sacred Armament. I was meant to gather the essence of the Bones of Pilgrimage and fulfil the function they were too lazy or cowardly to perform. I was a mistake. A fail safe paying for the sloth of others.

Pain. Suffering. It all boiled to the surface.

"The Britain of Faeries is a false history. The longer it lives, the more humans suffer." Merlin retorted. Rightly, mind you. So long as my Faerie Britain existed, the True Human History would suffer. If the Sacred Armament was forged, then the world could explain away the years discrepency. The weapon could be brought to when it was needed.

But even so.

"Give them back."

"Excuse me?"

"Grimr. The Rain Clan. Give them back." It was a furious, childish demand. Merlin's little maw looked almost pitiful in response.

"The departed cannot be returned. You must fight for who can still be saved."

"And who decides that? You?" The spit and blood left my mouth. There was a sharp pain in my lungs. I could feel the damaged organ trying to repair itself even as it tried to evacuate my body.

"... Do you reject your purpose so?"

"Shut up, sinner. I don't forgive your sins."

Perhaps that day I crossed the line. Merlin never did return. One day, I forged a barrier over Camelot with the same inscription that my other self had used in the True Human History, but…

…

Was I unworthy, Merlin? Was that why?

Or did you know something that I did not?

<-->

Ritsuka was still asleep as dawn was breaking. That suited me fine.

"Where are you sneaking off to?" Tesla was sharp. I had to give him credit for that. I thought my simulacrum would fool him, but like Grimr, his eyes flickered to me as I started to make my way off the clock tower. Mash hadn't noticed; she was too busy being a pillow for Ritsuka to pay us any mind.

I envied her.

"There is someone I have to see." The niggling at the back of my mind was infuriating. I was pretty sure I had a good idea who it was. A vague memory from a time that now no longer existed, but one that stuck out in my memories. "Is there a problem, Archer?"

"... And you are okay with this?" Tesla's gaze fell on Grimr, but the sage just shrugged, absently giving his wolf (Geri, I think) a piece of jerky.

"Life is like the seasons. A bitter winter. A fall of suffering. A summer where things look up. A gentle spring." He answered. It was almost cryptic, yet…

"... Grimr, which am I?" I asked. Grimr glanced at me, just once.

"Which do you think?"

"... Fall. At best." Ten thousand years of suffering. Ten thousand years with precious little to work with. Hope had been in short supply and the will to stand tall in even shorter supply. Yet…

"I don't agree." I was surprised Tesla spoke up. "Very well. I will keep watch over them."

"Like that?"

"Like that. You have a reason. I won't impede you. I merely ask you return before the Master is awake." I nodded at that, my gaze going to Grimr. However, the sage did not move.

"Sorry, Aesc." He answered. "Not this time."

"A trial for me?"

"Hardly. Your trials are almost over." Grimr's voice was gentle. "No. There isn't much pain left to experience. For you, its like day is about to break. A gentle dawn at the close."

"... You think I'll become the Sacred Spear?" It was a blunt assessment of something I bitterly did not want to do, yet Grimr shook his head.

"No. Even if you wanted to travel to the inner sea and do so, that path is now closed to you, and you know it." I blinked. Closed to me?

"But-"

"Is that your fear? That the only path forward is to make the ultimate sacrifice?" Grimr asked. "Save your sorrow and tears, Aesc. You won't need them. Even your successor had a time where she could be happy."

"... She did, did she?"

"Yes. If I were to give a direction to it, it'd be over yonder." He pointed absently into the distance. "A world where Aesc the Saviour refused to break even when a bloody stain on the wall. A world where she stood up and proved that she could do it."

"... Then-"

"Defeating Cernunnos would have been difficult." Grimr admitted. "Very difficult. But in at least one timeline you stood up and did so. The Faerie Habetrot gave you the means, and you found a way." He clasped his hands together. "Do you feel guilty?"

What a stupid question.

Of course I do.

"Don't. That version of your successor was the one that saved you. Like wishes for like. You will probably save another version of her in turn, a cycle of saving where there is at least one world you both remember where you were happy." He paused. "You and Artoria, your very existence is tied to humans. It wouldn't be wrong to call you the foundation of the Human Salvation System that Servants are based on."

"... Because we are the last Crown. The Breath of those who wish to Live."

"Yes. So don't feel guilty. You of all are free of sin." What a stupid concept. Just because the world refused to even entertain the idea of me being…

I let out a huff.

"Sure."

"And stop being grumpy! You're no fun when your grumpy, Tonelico!"

"I'll be what I want, old man."

"Stupid brat!"

I got the feeling that Grimr was really just lonely, longing for the carefree centuries we spent so long ago. I longed for those days too. Yet…

"... How did Artoria survive the forging?"

"I don't know. The big me didn't pass that along. Or maybe he couldn't pass it along. I get the feeling he wasn't there." Grimr muttered. "But… Remember, you come from a Lost World. You'll work it out."

Maybe I would. Maybe I wouldn't. I just didn't know.

That in and of itself made me nervous, but there was no turning back anymore. I was committed in their eyes anyway to make this trip and see it through.

<-->

The city of London was drowning in mist. Every step was accompanied by the shimmering of water, as I made my way through the rooftops. It'd been quite some time since I had needed to move at this speed. At the same time, though, the feeling in the back of my head was growing stronger.

He was calling me, or maybe he was just lonely.

I found him by a lake. The sand was like soot, and the surface of the water scarred with mud. The black sea of life had appeared here, but the damage had already mostly faded away. By the lake was a man, a white labcoat draped over his shoulders and his strawberry pink hair tied in a haphazard tail that blew in the wind. A brown cloak was around his waist like a sash, burned and torn and no longer long enough to serve its original function.

I starred for a very long moment.

"Romani?" My brain finally linked the two. They looked almost identical. He turned to look at me, and his eyes, burning gold, bore into mine. "No. Not Romani."

"Yes and no and everything in between." He answered. "I didn't expect to see you here." His left arm was hidden from my view. I wasn't stupid. He was injured. "Then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"... You have the eyes." I noted. He nodded.

"That see the world, yes." He let out a long breath, his gaze going out over the lake again. "I wanted to see what made this one so different. Then… well, this branch sealed and I could only laugh at it all."

"You can't go back?"

"There is a me back there already." The man, Caster, snorted. "There cannot be two crown candidates, so I… well." He spread his hands dryly. "I think the inconsistencies already built up and I am now no longer him. Maybe human order found a new explanation, or-"

"You humans do have a habit of doing that." I noted dryly. "If there is no sword, then of course there is a spear. If there is no dragon, well a dwarf turned into one. Humans are good at explaining things away."

"They are." Caster agreed. "But I think my purpose is coming to a close."

"You don't wish to see this through?"

"I don't think I need to. You'll do what I need for me, I think." Caster muttered.

"And what is that?"

"Foil the God of Humans." His gaze came to me. "If I asked you to do that, would you?"

"... That's not what you wanted to ask me." I answered. "You didn't call me here with your crying soul to ask that of me. Speak the words you wish to say, human." Caster blinked. Twice.

"... You are more powerful then I thought." He mused. "Are the eyes of the Fae truly that powerful?"

"I don't just see your lies. I see the wish you wanted to express."

"Then I need not speak."

"Oh please, humans think that staying silent is golden. Its really just annoying." I snarled. "Don't make me drag it out of your throat." The Caster shuddered, just once.

"You think you could do it?"

"Unlike you, I don't have the privilege of dying. We both know who wins this battle." I answered. "What do you seek, Romani?"

"Don't call me that name. This body might be his, but I am no longer him." The Caster shot back. I rolled my eyes.

"That is only loosely true."

"To humans, that truth is absolute."

"Well I'm not human and I think you are trying to make a distinction that doesn't exist." I retorted. "You and Romani are the same person from my perspective, just different shards."

"... I suppose that is another way of putting it." Caster muttered. "Though Kirchstaria didn't think so."

"I don't know who that is."

"You threw your spear at him."

"Believe it or not, Romani, that describes a lot of people, not all of whom I could see and even fewer of whom I've actually talked to. I don't usually use Rhongomyniad on people I want to talk to regularly." The sarcasm dripped from my voice as I spoke. Caster just chuckled.

"I suppose that is fair enough." He muttered. "You made the God of Humans mad."

"Not the Alien God anymore?"

"Well, would you like me to call him that?"

"No. It was always a gaudy was of talking about him." I muttered. "Speak your wish, Romani."

"... I want my daughter to have a future."

"Is that so?" That I had condemned Mash to death went unsaid. He knew it. I knew it. I had to undo it. How, though, was the-

I blinked. Caster lifted his right hand, and in it formed a fetish, a image of something that existed in reality. A globe, one that was on fire.

"This is CHALDEAS. It's a model of the world that Chaldea used to work out where Singularities occurred. It also is where the God of Humans is. If it is killed, then…"

"... If I do that, Chaldea will lose the ability to rayshift." I noted. But Caster just smiled.

"Not so. I've never met one so talented for humility as you. Do you think anyone else could work out rayshifting so fast? You did it in a few hours."

"... Morgan did it in a few hours. I just borrowed her notes." I retorted. "And some notes they turned out to be." I wanted to wring my hands and scream. The reminder of the kingdom of Morgan I forged was like ash in my mouth. Like-

"It wasn't a mistake." I blinked.

"Sorry?"

"The kingdom you made. It wasn't a mistake. In fact, I think it was beautiful." Caster's praise made my spine straighten. "… When I was young, I was groomed for being king. My father was… Well. He taught me the value of peace and the value of war, but at the same time, we did not see eye to eye very well. I was a peace offering, of sorts. My father had made some poor decisions that led to his marriage to my mother, and my elder brother was killed as a result by God."

"The Christian God."

"Yes. Or the Judaic God if you prefer. Its not a meaningful distinction to me." Caster let out a long breath. A very long breath. "Sometimes I wonder if I had been any better. I can't recall those days very well anymore. It's like a fog is over my mind's eye."

"Because you surrendered those days. Burned them away for something you desired."

"Aye. Then you know who I am."

"I know that Romani is Solomon playing at being a human, yes. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on your self from here." I answered. "I just didn't think it important until you brought it up. It's an impressive bit of magic."

"Why thank you. I hope my talents are enough to make you proud."

Those words made my stomach turn. Not because he was trying to suck up to me, but because of the implication behind them, one that was completely true at that. Solomon, like me, was a redundant system for the salvation of others. Yet…

My lip curled.

"The other me is a bitch." I grumbled. Caster just laughed.

"You refer to Avalon le Fae?"

"Of course. I should give the little country bumpkin some credit. She is crafty." Exceptionally crafty. She didn't just want to save me. That was a gift she could only give having walked the path with those she loved and discovering their regrets, their wants, their passions.

And yet-

"It's all about the journey." Caster muttered. "I… If you could, I'd like to see my daughter down the aisle."

"I will."

Not I'll try. Not if I can. I will. My mind was already made up on that front. Caster nodded, reaching into his pocket with his right hand and retrieving something, reaching out and depositing it in my hand.

I blinked. It was a single band of gold.

"A ring?" My eyes immediately tore it apart at the base level. It wasn't one ring. Not at all. To call it a ring would be an insult to the very existence of the man beside me, who had invented the concept of human magic.

"The last. I kept them, inside the temple. The others, you won't need." Caster answered. "The True Name is 'Ars Nova(The Time of Parting has Come, He is the One who Lets Go of the World)'. I'm sure you'll turn it into something beautiful." It was a sad name. A very sad name.

It was a name that denied the path of those who came after. A name that ended the unfinished business one left behind. The privilege of all creatures was to have their burdens shouldered by others so they could rest. Ars Nova was cruel in that regard, for it denied Caster even that. His burdens left the world with him and suffocated him in the hereafter.

My fingers curled around it.

"Romani-"

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Then there is only one thing left to do." He took three steps forward, into the water. Then he spun on his heel. The bloody and oozing left arm was free of his jacket, and in his hand was a sword. A slender thing, barely fit to be called a blade. "The Holy Grail calls and there can only be one! So-"

I'd already struck. My fist collided with the blade of his sword and shattered it apart. His eyes went wide. Very wide.

His lips twisted into a smile. His eyes closed.

And in that moment, the Chaldean knew peace.

"Rhongomyniad!(Knights Fallen in Winter, Dream of Spring)"

<-->

My presence hadn't been missed at the clock tower. Ritsuka hadn't awoken yet when I returned. Mash was aware, but as she glanced at me, she just nodded and returned to stroking Ritsuka's hair.

"Did you do what you needed to?" Tesla asked. I nodded. The ring of Solomon was still hot, imprisoned on a small chain that I'd slipped into the sleeve of my doublet as a bracelet.

"I did. Caster won't bother us now."

"Wait, you killed him? Was that-" Tesla's words were cut off, as Grimr lifted his head. His eyes stared at me, and for a moment, I had to wonder if he pitied me.

Then his lips twisted into a satisfied smile.

"You knew he was there." My voice was accusatory. Grimr did not answer for a long moment.

"Caster and I were co-conspirators." He admitted. "I went first because… well."

"It was for the best." I let him keep his secret for now. What I needed to do was clear. My mission was clear. "I'm sorry. This journey will be a long one."

"That's okay. I'm here for the long haul." He answered. "Or… do you not want me?"

"Of course I want you, Grimr." I crossed my arms with a huff. "Who else can I talk shop with?"

"Ritsuka adores it."

"Ritsuka is a hatchling who will be spending a decade learning base magical theory before she can keep up with me." I retorted. "Besides, I want to go fishing." Grimr blinked. Just once.

"I thought you hated fishing." He admitted. I just smiled.

"I've warmed up to it over the years." I admitted. "Believe it or not, I missed it."

"Well, I can think of a few nice spots on the way." Grimr admitted. "None in London, but…" He paused. Then he smiled. "Alright, Tonelico. This time I'm here to the end."

"Promise?"

"Promise. I'll strike down the titan myself if I have to."

When Ritsuka awoke, you…

[ ] Returned to Jekyl's manor. It was time for a confrontation. (Master: Jack the Ripper)
[ ] Remade the Association. It was time to visit the Holy Grail. (Master: The Holy Grail)
[ ] There was a battle. In the distance. At the bridge. The beginnings of chaos and storm. This might be a bit too big for us, but… well, she owes you a favor. (Decisive Battle: Horse Vs Bear Vs Prime)
[ ] There was a blackness in the air. Suffering. Misery. The people needed to be saved from their own mire. (Beast I: Babbage)

True Name Ŕ̴̨͖͆̄͘e̴̡̩̦̔̀̚͝v̵̫͚̞͖̬͖̒̾͂̚͝ẳ̵͉̟̘̰̙͂͋̍̿̎͌̑̆̈́̿̅̿͠l̷̦͇̻̤͖̟̼͕͇̙̞̦̰̫̥͑͆̑͐̍̈͠a̴̳͊̅͗͌͑̋̀̒͗̋t̷̝͇̟͇̦̳̺͒̈̇̃ȉ̷͙̞͍͎͈͖̙̼̒͒͂̑̕o̴̘͓̮̻͈̼̭͙̪̮͕̰͈̿͑̑͌́̂̽͑̀͛͜ṋ̷̛̒̍̾̎̔͒̀̅̋̿̈͛͑

EVIL OF HUMANITY SLAIN
True Name: Goetia=Romani=Solomon
Alias: The Chaldean
Class: Beast I/H the Hope
Skills
Indpendant Manifestation A+
Nega-Summon C
Evocation EX
Clairvoyance EX
Noble Phantasms
Ars Nova(The Time of Parting has Come, He is the One who Lets Go of the World)
Ars Paulina(The Time of Crowning has Come, He is the One who Begins All)
????

And so you start making steps towards that star you dream of.

BlackHadou · Aug 2, 2023

The Faerie of Paradise…

I wish for Spring.

The first time I met Artoria was not that day in the throne room. No. I met her before that. She was a figure that haunted my dreams in my fifth millennium. I believe it was when I rang the Fang Clan bell of pilgrimage that I first saw her.

I think it was my one hundredth pilgrimage.

She was a babe in my dreams. Wrapped in the light of the distant star that was drowning in a blizzard. So small. So innocent. Her patterns were almost completely inadequate and she possessed no inherent knowledge of her own. She was a blank slate for the purpose of fulfilling salvation.

I considered trying to find her. I considered raising her as the sister of Baobahn Sith. I considered…

I will save you.

There were so many thoughts in my head, but with the knowledge of the fact that Beryl would soon return…

I considered it so strongly. The Mirror Clan was not the only clan that could see the future. I wanted to. Perhaps it was my desire to create something worth seeing. Something that, when the day arrived and Chaldea was here, I could show them as the jewel of our existence.

But Beryl would return, and with him, I knew things would begin to burn.

My apathy was getting the better of me. It was a struggle to muster emotion.

Little Artoria would not flourish in that circumstance.

I could give only one act of clemency. I knew, from the very beginning, that the Faerie of Paradise had been reborn in the Lake District. I kept that information from my knights. Barghest was furious when she realised that, but my words on the matter were simple.

"Until she chooses to ring a bell, she is just another one of my subjects."

Subjects. That was the word I used. I wanted to take her in. If I had, maybe she could have guided Baobahn Sith onto a kinder path in my absence. Everything in my life was nothing but mistakes. Missteps. Suffering. My karma was that of the devil himself and it stretched from my back to the moon.

Yet…

I will save you.

The weight on my back is gone. Dissipating the karma of others is simple. It was always the karma poisoning my soul that weighed me down.

That determination, that was more then enough for me now.

When I close my eyes, I see the gentle rain of my childhood. The star in the distance I reach for is burning like a blue sun. A gentle xibalba containing those who fell along the way. Their dreams are reaching mine, and I can draw strength from that.

There will be no steps backwards now.

I will save you.

<-->

"I overslept, didn't I?" I wasn't actually paying much attention when Ritsuka finally woke up. She yawned, stretching her arms, and pulling her jacket back over her blouse. She looked a little brighter then she did yesterday, her eyes burning with amber light.

"You did." Mash agreed. "The sun has been up for about four hours."

"I'm sorry." Ritsuka's fingers rubbed her eyes, ripping the sleep free of her eyelids. "Can I have a bar?" Mash just nodded, passing the food bar silently. I just smiled.

"Your hair looks like a birds nest." Grimr spoke up. I just bopped him on the head.

"You don't comment about the state of a girl's hair." I retort. Grimr rolled his eyes.

"What, is this one of your witch things?"

"Let's say it is, otherwise I'll turn you into a toad." My lip curled. The sound of Ritsuka munching was actually quite loud, and her swallowing her food was almost exaggerated.

"Teach me how to do that!" I blinked. Ritsuka's voice was already enthusiastic. Infectious, even. I gave her a bop on the head too. "Oi!"

"Down, whippersnapper. No one learns anything in a day." I shot back. "You aren't learning anything in an environment like this." Ritsuka's cheeks puffed out, and I was sure her wings were wiggling under her jacket.

"But-"

"No." She was better now. To a degree. That didn't mean she was going to become an exceptional mage, or even improve overnight.

"This is silly. A battery and some electricity is more efficient." Tesla just rolled his eyes. Ritsuka glared at him.

"Excuse me, magic is cool!"

"It's tedious and inefficient." Tesla shot back. "You could do it easier with a circuit."

"But-"

"He's kind of right." I muttered under my breath, folding my arms over my chest. "Magic can be quite inefficient sometimes. It's a mystery, so it can only do specific things. If you can explain it, then its not magic anymore."

A real sorceress would not reveal how her magic works. She would pretend it just works, even if she knows exactly how it works. There is true power in performing the otherwise unexplainable.

But that was neither here nor there, really. The mystic did things you could determine but not adequately explain. Science did things you could determine and explain. Sometimes you had to mix your methods.

That was how Tesla invented electrical currents. He took his own mystery and turned it into a science. He was actually quite incredible like that.

"Your circuit is atrophied." Grimr noted. "You were a sorcerer once, weren't you, Tesla?"

"Hardly. It was just a stepping stone on my ambition." Tesla's answer made me smile. Humans were such wonderful creatures sometimes. They strove to advance no matter what. Even if the path was painful.

A piece of me tried to imitate them only to feel misery. Maybe the key was to let go of that mentality. I wasn't a human, so I shouldn't try to act like one.

Or maybe I was just bad at being human.

Mash's giggles drew my attention back to the world. Her hand went to her mouth.

"You look like you ate a lemon, Aesc."

"Just a bitter realisation." I admitted. "What do we do? We have a few options. Personally, I think the sooner Jack the Ripper dies, the-"

"I want to save him." Ritsuka's voice cut me off before I could finish. I blinked. Grimr leaned forward. Tesla's hand found his chin. We were all thinking it.

"Save who?" Mash was the only one to say it.

"Henry. I want to know what happened. I want to save him." Ritsuka answered. "I know its pointless. I know he'll just die when we leave, but-"

"What's this about dying when you leave?" I blinked. Ritsuka glanced at me for a brief moment, before her gaze went to the horizon.

"Those who die in a Singularity die in history as well." She explained. "Their lives are cut short. The flip-side is also true. Those who died in history already won't suddenly live because we saved them here." She let out a long breath. "So-"

"... That sounds like bullshit Beryl made up, I'll be honest." My voice was gentle, even if the words weren't. "Is that what… Flauros? Was that his name? Told you?"

"Forneas." Mash supplied. I just shook my head.

"A Singularity is inherently possibility. Excess possibility in one place that births a new myriad future." I answered. "When the Singularity collapses, that possibility has to go somewhere. Unless the world requires your death for the tree to continue, it tends to not care if that possibility resulted in lives continuing."

"Huh-"

"The possibility born from the incident fourteen thousand years ago was so immense that it allowed entire alternative histories to be birthed. Consider that. A Singularity is not a single point of no time. They morph into entire branches and histories. They are just the point of divergence." I continued. "Those new histories might be called a Lost Belt if they possess enough possibility to continue far into the future. A different world that might have been. Most Singularities have no such amount of possibility and collapse on themselves, taking the branch with it." I flicked Ritsuka's nose with a finger. "You want to save him. Let's save him."

I wasn't sure I saw the point. But it was Ritsuka's wish, so I would help her do so. I think that was the most important thing.

After all, Henry Jekyl had, in spite of it all, done this to himself. It was his mistake and I had others I was more concerned with. But if this is the path Ritsuka wished to follow, then I would help her.

I glanced at Tesla. He nodded.

"I have misgivings." He admitted. "I'm not sure Henry is in a state to communicate back to you."

"It doesn't matter. I have to try." I wanted to pat Ritsuka on the head. To say no she didn't. That she didn't have to try and shoulder the suffering of others. But I didn't. I knew this was what she wanted. In that way, she wasn't that different to me, was she?

She was a human being made to suffer on behalf of others. But in that suffering, she could reach a beautiful future.

I'd cut all that malicious karma away myself if I had to.

<-->

Reconstituting the museum was easy. However, as we travelled through its internal structure, I learned a simple truth. The Association of Magi had not survived either.

We had to pause twice while I adjusted my spell so that we could travel deeper, rebuilding rubble and turning back the clock. The hallways were dark and full of cobwebs, turning from wood to stone to finally creatively sculpted dirt and rock as we dove deeper.

I wasn't sure what I was actually expecting, but when we finally found pipes among the bedrock, sprouting out of the tunnel walls and running along the ceiling, little tufts of steam leaking out of poorly sealed joins, Tesla just whistled.

"The forge held together better then I thought."

"Did you think it wouldn't?" Mash asked. Tesla nodded.

"We made it in haste. The tunnels were ripped open by Babbage's machina. While useful as a labor force, I don't think I'd recommend them as a fighting force." Tesla answered dryly. "Saber cut us down by the hundreds when she was summoned."

"Then Saber was the last Servant in the war to be summoned?" Romani asked. Tesla nodded. Just once.

"Technically, the Grail should not have been able to summon the full seven." He explained. "We never intended it to, either. Saber, Lancer and Caster all arrived almost immediately after the split. Hence why they were stray servants." He gave Grimr a pointed look, the young man just chuckling at the attention.

"Well, sort of. Neither Caster nor myself were technically part of the war. We hijacked the slots as a method to arrive here." He admitted. "Normally a summoning ritual calls a hero forth in a body of magical energy and some sort of stand in flesh. What we did was more akin to reverse summoning. We actually came here from where we were previously."

"Which is what Aesc did." Romani noted. I nodded.

"Yeah. I used the Round Table as an anchor and summoned myself to you."

"It does come with handy side effects." Grimr continued. "Since as far as our Great Mother is concerned, we have continuity of existence, she doesn't try to expel us as irritants. Not that Aesc would ever be at risk of that anyway."

I winced at that.

"..." Romani said nothing for a long moment. I decided to take the plunge.

"You are using magical energy to sustain yourselves, aren't you? Like a twisted binding ritual."

"Yes. Everyone died, so we bound the spectres using our nuclear reactors and the magic furnaces." Romani sounded guilty about that. "But since we are keeping the support functions of Chaldea running, we can't spare much to help Ritsuka. Keeping Mash manifested is all we can really do."

He lied.

Not everyone died.

Solomon still lived. He must have been with Ritsuka when whatever happened, happened. Even so, his guilt at not being able to run everything in Chaldea alone so that Ritsuka could receive more support was palpable.

"It will be okay. Your ordeal will end soon."

"Sometimes the dead should stay dead."

"No offence, Romani, but over my dead body."

I even knew how I would do it. The possibility of this Singularity was immense. No one would notice if I siphoned a little of the excess off to bring back Chaldea. My concerns were really of a more mundane and simple nature.

Such as why this time period had so much possibility. It shouldn't, unle-

Unless. Oh.

"Are you okay?" Tesla's voice drew me out of my reverie. I nodded.

"Tesla. Tell me your Galvanism works on light."

"Not well, why?"

"Something was bothering me. This Singularity has a large amount of possibility. More then a Holy Grail should be able to provide. I think I know why." Of course it would be here. This was a nexus of human possibility. Why wouldn't the nail of Britain still be here, the legacy of the age of Mystics?

Excalibur(The Light that Shines at the End of our World).

If I became the Sacred Armament, then Artoria would become the nail. The reverse was also true.

Whether the nail was in its compact form or actively affixing the world, it didn't matter. What mattered is it was here and lending us its light of possibility. But the flip-side was also true, it was here and if it was here, well…

Its guardian wouldn't be far behind.

I had to consider that I would actually have to fight Artoria from the True Human History. That I would have to…

I put that thought away for later.

"What is here?" Romani's question asked for the obvious. I grit my teeth.

"The nail."

"What is that?" Ritsuka's voice was curious. Mash just sighed.

"One of the great pillars of light. They affix our world to the planets surface." She answered. "That's right, isn't it, Aesc?"

"Mostly. Its very simplified, but its mostly right." I agreed.

"Think of them like human civilisation. They are your proof of existence, nailing your achievements to the earth." Grimr spoke up. "Excalibur is one. Another you may have seen is Magna Voluisse Magnum. They aren't necessarily nail shaped, but rather, they represent human civilisation. All of the great thirteen civilisations possess one."

"Though which civilisations count as the great thirteen change." I noted. "Nails change as time moves on. They are the proof of human existence, and what proves your existence can change over time. However, Britain's nail is special and cannot be replaced."

"... Why is that?" Ritsuka sounded both curious and annoyed at the same time. "What makes Britain so special?"

"Avalon. It contains the gate to paradise." Romani guessed. I nodded.

"The path to the inner sea is here. So long as it is, Britain must be set on the Great Mother's surface. That is the edict of the Great Mother." I paused, my eyes adjusting. I could see a light at the end of the tunnel, spreading out into a… "Is that a city?"

"The instruments are starting to go haywire. I think I'm going to lose contact soon." Romani declared. Tesla's hand shifted, pulling out what looked like a small mechanical orb.

"Babbage's forge could be called a small city, yes. An empty city that had no life." Tesla mused. "We shouldn't have any enemies in the city, but just in case."

Just in case. Given the look on Mash's face, those words were the bane of her existence.

Thankfully, Tesla was right. The city was, in fact, empty, giant pipes pumping steam, great turning cogs and mechanical sort of hovels excepted. In the centre of the city was a great sort of alter or throne, burning with white light.

As we approached, my eyes caught sight of it.

A dog. That was my first thought. Except its body was covered in curved horns of ivory. Its eyes burned gold.

It looked at us, just once, whined, and turned and fled.

I winced. It was tragic. Very tragic.

"What was that?" Ritsuka sounded confused. Romani did not answer. I knew he wouldn't. There was no chance that his instruments still worked.

"I'm… not sure." Tesla looked also confused, his face twisted into a quizzical expression. "There shouldn't be anyone here but the Holy Grail."

"That's because that was the Holy Grail." I spoke up. "Wish Granters all function roughly the same way. The aethereal is made real and possibility becomes certainty. The more ridiculous the wish, the possibility to be made real, the more karma one must take on." I paused. Maybe, just maybe, putting the thought in Ritsuka's head might not be ba-

"So if one wanted to live a new life, it'd be easy." Mash noted. Smart girl. She saw where I was going immediately. "But if one wanted, say, to live forever-"

"No one can live forever." Ritsuka muttered. I nodded.

"It is impossible. Even I have an expiration date." I noted. "A time where I will sleep and remain asleep."

"So you don't die?" Ritsuka raised an eyebrow at that. I nodded.

"Faeries don't have the privilege of dying. The question is always how long it takes for us to reconstitute. Most faeries have to expend tangible things to do so. Memories, personality, usually things they can reclaim. Those that give up too much turn into corrupted grudges."

"Can they come back from that?"

That was a good question. Could a Mors turn back?

"Maybe. I don't know." I admitted. "Its not something that can happen to me, so I didn't think too hard on it." I'd have to look into that. "Still, that dog, that was him."

Henry Jekyl.

The Holy Grail.

Whatever he did must have expelled him from his living body entirely. The dog was a vessel, not unlike a Servant. The ivory, though, that was Henry himself. The dog was harbouring him, had fled from us to preserve him.

Yet…

"Tesla, put the weapon away." Grimr spoke up. "The puppy is afraid."

"I know. Can you?"

"Sure." Grimr took the lead, almost skipping along, his tongue clicking and whistling a merry tune. As we closed in, closer and closer to the bright light of the throne, we saw him. The dog bared his fangs for only a moment, his ears flattening against his head, before his maw steadily closed and he calmed down.

Simple. Grimr was so handy to ha-

In the name of Henry Jekyl, I use this Command Spell. Return to my Master.

"LOOK OUT!"

I barely caught the whiff of a miracle in time. My staff did not move anywhere near fast enough.

Blood went everywhere.

"AESC!"

I took two steps backwards. Mordred's sword burned with lightning in her hand. In her eyes was a look of terror. Her armour was scarred, torn and rent. Her helm cleaved in two.

She'd come out second best in her battle, but she kept fighting.

"GET BACK!" Mash had already dived into action. The dog's whines rang out in the air. Grimr's staff was twisting, red bone erupting from its length. My mind's eye saw what would happen. Saw…

I don't want anyone to suffer anymore.

I should have known Mordred would be panicked. Her Master wasn't supposed to be in danger. It wasn't supposed to be possible to reach him. Now that I could see the dog, I understood Mordred's game. A Dangerous Game where Mordred and Hyde were using each other.

"Around Ronmiant!(The Bones of Salvation you Pilgrimage For)

I did all I could. The Faerie of Paradise did not have the privilege of dying.

"Red Hangings!(Hilt with Strange Hangings)"

Mash's sword tore free. It exploded as it struck Mordred, shards of metal going everywhere. Wounds erupted all over my body.

Aesc the Saviour indeed. I recall being chided over this by Totorot.

"Aesc you dumbass! What are you doing!?" Grimr erupted. Tesla, on the other hand, stepped between Mordred and Mash, his arms held up in peace.

"Stop."

I coughed. There was a lot of blood. All of it mine. Yet-

"Peace, Mordred." It was hard to get the words out. Mordred's blade was pointed straight up. The hilt was open. It would take less then a second for her Noble Phantasm to deploy. Less then-

"Mordred. Stop." The voice that came out of the dog wasn't that of a canine. It was that of a man. Gentle. Sweet even. "I told you not to come back. I told you to leave me to my fate."

"I can't." Mordred snarled. "Clar-"

"In the name of Henry Jekyl, I command thee. Stay thy hand."

Mordred's lips twisted into a snarl. Then her blade lowered. I almost laughed at it all. At how stupid it all was.

"Do you always jump to conclusions?"

"Jump off a cliff, Faerie. I saw what you did. You're with them."

"With who?" Ritsuka snarled. "We aren't the ones who jumped to swinging swords!" I blinked. I could see the shadow standing behind her. An archer, arrow knocked.

She was expanding. Good.

"Solomon." Mordred answered. "Don't play stupid with me. You have one of his Servants there."

Oh.

Oh dear.

[ ] Try to negotiate. You just needed the Grail, so…
[ ] This was a lost cause. You'll have to claim the Grail by force.
[ ] "I know who Jack the Ripper is, Mordred. You don't have to pretend anymore."
[ ] Write in.

Henry Jekyl has 7 Command Spells remaining.

BlackHadou · Aug 23, 2023

The Faerie of Paradise must save the world.

The Faerie of Paradise must save Britain.

Nowhere does it say the Faerie of Paradise will save the fae. That was something that I tried to do on m own. Little Artoria will probably agree with me there, but I wanted to save the faeries of Britain. After all, that is what a hero does, and I was born intrinsically understanding what it meant to be a hero.

Perhaps that was our fatal flaw.

Avalon le Fae does not know when to let go.

"I'm taking too long." It was a cold winter's day when I finally brought it up. Grimr and I had been travelling through the mountains near the lake district. We had been hunting… something. In hindsight, I now know it to be a demon, something normally only found in human history. I'm not sure how it arrived in Britain, and really it didn't matter.

Grimr understood my words. His face shone just a little as he smashed some ice on a wall, making handholds for us to climb. Even in the bitter cold, the sweat on his face didn't seem to bother him.

"You can take as long as you have to." His response was simple. Looking back, I had to wonder if he knew I'd never fulfill my function as the Faerie of Paradise. Or maybe it simply hadn't concerned him.

"What if the planet sends another me?"

I voiced the thought that'd actually been on my mind. Grimr paused, just for a moment. Then he shrugged.

"Does it matter?"

"I don't think I want to fight her."

I was naive. In any world where a second Avalon le Fae had been sent by the world, it was inevitable that we would fight. If another Avalon le Fae entered Faerie Britain, then it would be the confirmation that the planet did not believe that I could fulfill my function. Confirmation that-

"Happens all the time. Just look at the Brunestud duo."

"The who?"

"Uh… Actually, nevermind. Maybe one day we can tell that story around a fire." Grimr backtracked immediately, turning to face me, wiping his brow with his sleeve. "Faeries tend to dislike themselves, I have found."

"Then we will fight."

"You'll probably do something to each other unbelievably offensive." Grimr corrected. "Then you'll fight. I wouldn't worry about it."

Except, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that there had been no instigating moment between us. Little Artoria and I could have gotten along quite easily if not for my station. The 'offending incident' had not been me, nor related to me, at all, but rather, Barghest had been the one to offend her so.

Even in war at Camelot, there had been no real animosity between us. From my end, it was apathy. From hers, it was like putting down an ill dog.

How strange…

Although, I must admit, it is amusing that the planet almost considered little Artoria a failure. Given how long it gave me before our Great Mother finally wrote me off, it was almost as if the planet no longer wished to take chances. A third Faerie of Paradise was already in the wings even as Artoria started her journey.

…

I wonder what little Mordred would have been like? Would she resemble the her from human history, or would she be different?

I suppose I will never know.

<-->

"Mordred! Wait, Archer doesn't serve Sol-" The words had barely left Ritsuka's mouth before Mordred's lightning crackled, a deafening sound so loud that it drowned out what she said. Yet even that made me narrow my eyes.

"Don't speak his name, you unguarded idiot!" Mordred's words cut to the core. Ritsuka flinched, but my mind raced. Do not speak his name? That implied his name had a delayed trigger spell on it. One that-

Oh.

Shit.

Negotiations, if they could be said to exist, was already breaking down, but my first concern was the information Mordred had only implied. Ritsuka had already heard Solomon's name. There was no chance she could prevent herself from saying it. In fact, I was sure she already had.

Whatever that spell was, I probably couldn't stop it. Yet my patterns lit up anyway. I had to try.

"Never speak that name again."

One of the privileges of being a Faerie was implied geasa. So long as I included myself within the geasa, I could force everyone around me to agree to them. It would not stop a Servant, a magical being strong enough to resist such compulsion. That did not matter, since the real target was Ritsuka.

I think I am too late. Far too late.

Mash's sword was in hand. She wasn't practiced with it. This was going to get messy. Very messy.

"Saber, I will use another."

"And I'll resist it, Henry." Mordred's response was simple. Her sword ignited. Enough to-

"Tesla! Declare your allegiance right now!"

I blinked.

So did Mordred.

So did Mash.

So did Grimr.

Even that dog that was Henry Jekyl blinked.

Everything stopped. The Command Spell on Ritsuka's hand burned. The upper crest then disappeared. I wasn't sure that was how Command Spell's were meant to be used. The ones I'd granted had always possessed a command phrase, one I'd completely wiped from everyone's memory to prevent it from being used in Faerie politics. Yet Ritsuka, it seemed, could bypass the activation phrase.

Perhaps that was simply the strength of her will.

Tesla attempted to resist. He attempted to resist for a very long moment. Then his mouth opened, and the words tumbled out.

"I serve lord Barbatos, the genis of the Makiri line. Earl and eighth of the Demons of ███████." Tesla answered. "My contract was renewed with Fujimura Ritsuka, and I serve her in Barbatos' place. I have thrown my lot in with the first of Beasts, Beast I the Hope. Does that satisfy you?"

"... No. Die." Mordred's answer was blunt. Her blade ignited, and it fell. A column of magical energy that would incinerate anything in its path, anything that-

"Gungnir | Gae Bolg(Victorious Declaration of the One Eyed God)!"

Grimr had already stepped forward. Victory had been declared. My heart stopped for a moment, but then our eyes met, and I knew that I shouldn't have worried.

Grimr knew what I wanted. If we worked together, we could make it real.

His staff twisted and warped into the great bone spear of the One Eyed God. He didn't even take aim with it. Instead, he dropped it and punted it immediately. It spun just once in the air.

Clarent fell. Gungnir smashed into the blades side.

The pillar of flame went wide, carving a gash in the roof of the cavern. Mordred's breath came in ragged gasps as she glared at us. Her face made clear that for the longest moment, she couldn't even believe what had just happened. She couldn't believe that-

"Tesla stop!"

Ritsuka's words went unheeded. Archer had taken that as all he needed to justify defending himself. Lightning lit up his gauntlet and he fired. It crackled and burned and bounced around Mordred's form.

Wait.

Bounced?

"... You are unreasonably prepared." Tesla grumbled, his gauntlet fading. Mordred just glared. Yet her gaze was not on Tesla anymore, but Grimr.

"I don't believe it. What kind of fucked up coalition is this?" I blinked. Of course trying to appeal to reason wouldn't work on Mordred. It wouldn't have worked on me either, in the depths of passion and apathy. Yet seeing the spear of the One Eyed God appeared to have been enough of a shock to the system that she had simply stopped. "You, who are you?"

"Grimr." Grimr, it seemed, had no issue stating his name, taking a few steps forward. "Well, I'm not in the business of wasting time. Shall we, little sea beast hunter?"

"... Like shit am I stepping forward. You can stay right there." Clarent's edge lit up red again. I just groaned.

One step forward.

Like seven steps back.

It was so-

"Mash, I swear to god if you do something stupid!" Ritsuka's voice cracked out and I realised Mash had been edging around to the side, her blade in hand. Was everyone trying to get each other killed or-

Or…

Oh.

"... Mordred, what was the taboo on the wizards name?" My voice remained even. Mordred just glared. Her hand trembled. Yet at the same time, it seemed like enough to pull her back from the brink, to think rather then act. The blade of Clarent fizzled and the red glow faltered.

"I don't know."

"But you have a guess."

"I have a guess." She agreed. Her hand trembled again. She was going to attack. She was going to attack.

Solomon had left more then one curse on his name. I lifted my staff. I was probably the only person here who could actually resist the curse in its entirety. That must be why I hadn't noticed it.

"Around Ronmiant(The Bones of Salvation you Pilgrimage For)!" The only way out I could think of was to separate us all. To dump the others inside my blizzard in layers that visually overlapped but could not interact. Otherwise, there was no way to stop everyone from attacking.

What an insidious and ridiculous curse.

"What the hell!?" Grimr sounded surprised, but I just let out an exasperated sigh.

"You worked it out, didn't you… uh…"

"Henry is fine." The dog slowly paddled forth, walking straight through Mordred's not actually there form. Now that only Ritsuka and he were technically present, he didn't feel threatened. "I'm not sure who you refer to, whether it be the Solomon or someone sharing his name, but they left a spell on their name that causes those who hear it to come into conflict. You all share bonds maybe too strong to break, but Mordred and you do not and thus you feel the urge to kill each other. Is that correct?"

"... That bastard." Ritsuka's breath left her lungs explosively. I just nodded.

"Sorry, Archer. It's looking more and more like you were a sacrificial lamb." Grimr noted. Tesla shook his head.

"The one Barbatos served was not your enemy incinerating man-kind. At least, not when I was summoned." He retorted. "You speak of another."

Denial, or-

"He's right." Mash's voice was gentle. Her sword scrapped the ground as she drew herself to her full height. "Beast I is the Pity. He did not speak of our enemy."

My lips pursed into a frown. Mash's words made it clear that there was far more to it then that, but I knew why she said no more. Even if she did, we would not remember it.

That was perhaps the most infuriating part of this.

"... I suppose that's different from the phoney detective then." Mordred grumbled. "Explain it then, faerie. Why don't I feel the urge to punch in your face right now?"

"Because technically, none of us are here." Tesla answered before I could open my mouth. "We are in several different layers of the world that just happen to visually and auditorily intersect. It is an incredible Noble Phantasm, but one with flaws."

"Close enough." I muttered. It was a bit more complicated to layer an internal world in such a way, but it wouldn't make sense to anyone here anyway. Such things related to topics they were not particularly learned in. "I'm more interested in you, Henry. Why a dog?"

"Why a girl?" I blinked at Henry's return question. I opened my mouth and realised I did not have an answer. Why had Avalon le Fae chosen the form of a girl? We had chosen it after all.

I couldn't remember why. I probably never would know why. Did it really matter?

No. It didn't. It was the same for Henry. The form had simply been what his expelled essence had settled on. Ritsuka let out a small squeak as she knelt down, reaching out a hand and running her hand through Henry's fur. Henry did not seem to react at all.

"Its a construct." She whispered. "Not really flesh and bone, but…"

"It is my materialised soul." Henry explained. "The form probably relates to my origin, but I couldn't tell you what it is even if I wanted to, and I do not wish to know. The Grail and I are one. If you broke away my soul's shell, you'd find the only thing of physical substance within me is the Grail." He paused, glancing between us all, then motioning to the throne behind him.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Good question." Henry shot back. "A throne would be the blasé answer, but-"

"No, it's father's throne." Mordred cut her Master off in an instant. "Probably the site of the Blackmore Ritual."

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow, but Mordred shook her head, looking away.

"It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing. More then that, I think I understood her a little more now. Why she was so quick to be overwhelming. Why she…

"You're alive." Damn it Ritsuka. The girl looked almost shocked, but Mordred's glare silenced her.

"I am not. I died back in the seventh cen-"

"The cat's out of the bag, Mordred. There's no point. No one believes you." Henry's canine form rolled his eyes. "Perhaps keep your mouth shut for things you shouldn't know if you don't want to be found out."

"... Bah. Whatever." Mordred's face twisted into a pout, but that was just another piece of the puzzle. A piece that was making the puzzle itself make less and less sense. Why would the Grail summon a Servant into a humans body to protect it? Why would the Grail use a living- "I know what you're thinking, faerie. I didn't lie when I said I came to save humanity."

I just frowned. My grip on my staff grew tighter.

Tighter and tighter and-

Oh. That was it. The answer was very simple. The Saber spot was hijacked by the will of man. Not because it was needed, but because it lessened the number of enemies. Mordred being Henry's Servant was actually just coincidence. The important thing was her nature as inhabiting a living human's body. That would grant her access to far more of her abilities as a Servant and stabilise her existence, allowing her to use more energy for fighting.

The Grail War itself was a red herring, in a sense. It was irrelevant to Ritsuka's goal, and Mordred didn't care about it except in how it made her job easier.

I put my fingers to my forehead.

"This sucks."

"Tell me about it." Grimr groaned, sitting on the floor. "It's like that sometimes, Aesc."

"This just got annoyingly complicated."

"It did."

"And you knew about it." I glared at him, but he just pursed his lips, putting a finger over his mouth sheepishly.

"I did, but would you have believed me?"

"I overthought it all. What the hell is the point of this war?"

"Pretty simple, actually. Your enemies servants have proven impotent. He wanted a more effective one, so he began preparations to summon one. The Grail is just a focal point." Henry answered. "Though if he can destroy humans so thoroughly, then I don't understand why he might need such a thing."

"... The Count." Mash's voice cut into my thoughts.

"Sorry?"

"He knows. About his traitor. Or traitors, I'm not sure." She muttered. "He's looking for a replacement. But how did he know unless…" Her mouth slowly turned into a frown. "No. It can't be, can it? But it's the only one that might make sense…"

"What?" Ritsuka and I spoke as one. Mash shook her head.

"I can't." Those words, I was growing to hate. "Not now. But we need to find Mr Holmes. Now." She spoke with such confidence that it made me flinch. Holmes? Who the hell was that?

"Sherlock Holmes? I believe Mordred's seen him, but-"

"No, we need to see him right now!" Mash's voice was insistent. "Please, Mordred. Tell me where he is! I have to know!"

She had to know. But at the same time… it was becoming clear this band was about to split up. I glanced at Grimr. He nodded. Just once.

[ ] Stay silent and split up. (Aesc the Savior, Lancer: Grimr, Saber: Mordred, Henry Jekyll)
-[ ] Return to Jekyll's manor. Tie up the loose end. (Jack the Ripper | Jack the Ripper)
-[ ] Talk with Henry about what happened. (Beast I: Paracelsus, Albion)
-[ ] Cut off the branches and the Beast will appear. (Beast I: Babbage)
[ ] Go with Mash. (Aesc the Savior, Shielder: Mash, █████████: Sherlock Holmes)
-[ ] Leave Ritsuka with Henry.
-[ ] Take Ritsuka with you.

Fate/Spring Tonelico (Fate/Grand Order Redux)

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