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Throne of Bet
- Thread starter regulareader
- Start date
- Crossover
chapter 15
Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
/////////////////////////////////////
Well, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
I mean, it was still a shit show in the beginning.
They were causing as much destruction as possible to keep us occupied.
We had no trouble keeping up with the attacks, but the PRT and New Wave nearly ran themselves ragged trying to keep the city from going up in flames.
No doubt that was what the Empire wanted.
We're going to have to pick up the slack.
The situation changed in our favor once Avicebron's golems appeared all over Brockton.
They are leagues above Hydra's clones.
Hassan also assisted the golems in handling the clones. Some of her personas briefly revealed themselves to protect people throughout the city.
It won't take long before everyone realizes that Hassan is connected to Chaldea.
At first, everyone, especially the PRT, was uneasy about the fact that we could summon an army of golems at any moment.
I wonder how long it's going to take before someone wonders if Medea can't do the same with the dragon tooth warriors.
They relaxed once they saw that the golems were handling Hydra's clone, allowing them to finally take a break.
I was planning to go home, to get some sleep but the PRT called an emergency meeting and invited everyone.
//////////
Looking around the conference room I could see that everyone was here.
Even the Wards are here.
Morgan and Medea are the only ones with me right now.
I sent Barghest, Cú Chulainn, and Ushiwakamaru to help Moriarty.
I also asked Paracelsus and Asclepius to land a hand at the hospital
Now I'm just waiting for Piggot and Renick to arrive.
Where the hell are they?
"Here you go," Medea said, giving me a potion.
"Thanks," I said.
I swiftly drink the entire potion and exhale in relief.
"The director of the PRT better have a good reason to keep us waiting," Morgan said with a frown.
"She must be requesting backup or something like that," I said.
For her sake, I hope that she does have a good reason.
Morgan is not in a good mood.
"What you got there?" Shielder asked tiredly, walking to us.
"Something to keep me awake for a little longer," I said.
Shielder hummed, "Can I have one?"
"Sure," Medea shrugged, giving a potion.
Shielder drinks the potion in one big gulp, and I can already see his posture shift, becoming more attentive.
"Whoa. This works fast," Shielder said in amazement.
"Oh yeah. The stamina potion will erase your tiredness-guaranteed, or you can have your money back," I said with a small grin.
Shielder chuckled a little.
"How are you holding it up?" I asked.
"I'm going to sleep the rest of the week. What about you guys?" Shielder asked.
"I'm so damn hungry right now, after I get some sleep I'm going to stuff my face," I said.
"After all of this is over I'm going to ask Saber(Barghest) to make a banquet," Morgan said.
That sounds amazing.
"It would be nice if Archer(Emiya) was here. His food is delicious," Medea said.
I need to stop thinking about food.
I'm getting even more hungry.
I notice that everyone else is now looking at us.
Medea rolled her eyes and put enough potions for everyone on the table.
In a few seconds, they were all gone.
"You're a lifesaver," Assault said.
"I take that this is a stamina potion?" Lady Photon asked.
"You're correct," Medea said.
"How long does the effects last?" Armsmaster asked.
"You got about four to five hours before you feel tired again," I said.
Armsmaster hums thoughtfully, gazing at the empty potion bottle in his hand.
"If you guys also sold this potion, it would be a big success, right alongside the healing potion," Velocity remarked.
"That isn't a good idea," I said.
"Why is that?" Manpower asked.
"This potion will restore your stamina for a few hours, but the drawback is that it forces your body to work past its limits," Medea explained.
"What if someone were to drink the potion for a long period?" Brandish asked.
"You wouldn't need to sleep," Medea said.
"And what happens if you stop drinking it?" Battery asked.
"Your body crashes down hard," Medea said.
"It would be like coming down from the worst sugar rush of your life," Laserdream said.
"That's not a bad comparison," I said amused.
"What if you don't need to sleep?" Miss Militia asked.
Don't need to sleep?
Oh right, Miss Militia is a noctis cape.
Medea raised an eyebrow, "In that case, the drawbacks wouldn't be so severe but I still don't recommend consuming the potion for long periods."
Miss Militia hums, "Could I place an order for the stamina potions?"
"I will think about it," Medea said.
I didn't even think of selling the stamina potion.
There shouldn't be any problems if we sell small quantities and be very clear about the drawbacks of the stamina potion.
And if you still abuse the stamina potions, that's on you.
"Thank you Cas-"
"My name is Medea. This way it's easier for us to talk," Medea said.
"I see. Thank you, Medea," Miss Militia said.
"You sure about this?" I asked.
"It's fine. Even if they do recognize my name, no one's going to think I'm the 'Medea'," Medea said.
Yeah, that's true.
Hiding their names was a must in our adventures but is there really any point doing that here?
Some of the servants are going to be hesitant to reveal their names, as the legends surrounding them often hint at their weakness. But only a handful of them have to worry about that.
In the end, it's up to the servants if they want to reveal their names or not.
"Besides, when everyone else shows up, the heroes will have to call some of us things like 'the blonde-haired Saber' or 'the dark-haired Lancer' to tell us apart. I don't want to be part of that," Medea said.
Oh, I can see that, and I already hate it.
I glanced at Morgan but she made no move to reveal her name.
Piggot and Renick enter the room.
"I'm sorry for being late. I had a meeting with the Chief Director," Piggot said, taking a seat at the head of the table.
Renick takes a sit to her right.
The Chief Director?
"As you all know Gesellschaft is in Brockton Bay and causing all kinds of havoc. This is unacceptable and Chief Director Costa-Brown thinks the same," Piggot said.
Everyone glanced at each other.
"What does that mean, director?" Velocity asked.
"For helping a foreign criminal organization invade American soil, the Empire is now considered a terrorist group and must be dealt with immediately. Lethal force is authorized," Piggot said.
That caught everyone by surprise.
It makes sense when you think about it.
The PRT needs to make an example of the Empire; otherwise, they risk appearing dangerously incompetent, which could lead to a significant loss of public confidence.
Sure, they were never able to deal with the Empire before but they were a local problem.
Now that Gesellschaft is here, this is an entirely different picture.
This will also serve as a warning to deter other foreigners power from doing the same that Gesellschaft is doing.
"Oh? So the kid's gloves are coming off. Interesting," Medea said.
Morgan scoffs, "They let this problem fester for years, and now they finally decide to deal with it. Their incompetence is unbelievable."
The PRT certainly didn't appreciate Morgan's comment.
"You seem to have forgotten that all of this is your fault. I told you to lay low and let us handle the Empire, but you didn't listen, and look where we're now," Armsmaster said.
"Let you handle them? If we did do that, you would have failed as you always do," Morgan said.
Armsmaster grits his teeth in anger.
"And we're already doing a better job than you. I mean, it didn't even take a month for us to deal with the ABB. Now, it's only a matter of time before their territory is ours," Medea said with a smirk.
Wow, I can see Armsmaster's blood pressure rising.
"That doesn't change the fact that your recklessness led to thousands being injured, or worse, and it will cost millions to the city to fix all the damaged infrastructure!" Armsmaster said with a growl.
"Okay. Let's all take a step back and breathe," Assault said, trying to mediate the situation. "We're all tired and stressed. I know things loo-"
"He's right," I said.
The PRT and New Wave looked at me in surprise.
Armsmaster nods pleased, "Good, you understand your mistake."
"Our attacks against the Empire weren't a mistake. I said that you're right about this entire situation being my mess. And I'm going to clean it," I said determined.
I turned to Piggot.
"Can we also use lethal force?" I asked.
"Until the Empire and Gesellschaft are dealt with, Chaldea is also permitted to use lethal force," Piggot said with a frown.
That just made things a lot easier.
Now we don't have to worry about the PRT annoying us.
"Director, I'm against giving Chaldea such permission," Armsmaster said.
"Your complaint is noted but my decision is final," Piggot said.
Armsmaster frowns heavily but doesn't say anything else.
"Does anyone else have any questions?" Piggot asked.
"Are we going to get backup?" Dauntless asked.
"Yes, we are. Myrddin, Chevalier, and Rime are confirmed to be coming here. Dragon will also be sending some of her suits to help," Piggot said.
Some big names are coming.
"When are they arriving?" Battery asked.
"Strider's been hired to transport them. They will be here within the hour," Piggot said.
"When are you planning to attack?" Medea asked.
"It depends on how many of Hydra's clones are still out there," Piggot turns to me. "Those things-"
"Golems," I said.
"....those golems, how many do you have?" Piggot asked.
"As many as I need," I said.
Piggot looks at me with an unreadable expression for a few seconds.
Oh yeah, she didn't like what I said.
Renick coughs, "I take that the one that is controlling the golems isn't here."
"You would be correct, he is somewhere else. If you want we can talk to him right now," I said.
"That would be a good idea," Renick said.
"Medea, if you would," I said.
Medea snaps her finger and a magical circle appears on the middle of the table. Avicebron images appeared after a second.
"Yes?" Avicebron asked.
"How is it looking?" I asked.
"I dealt with the clones that were causing havoc throughout the city. Now they are all contained in the Empire territory," Avicebron said.
"How much of the city was damaged?" Piggot asked.
"While much of the city suffered damage, none of the critical infrastructure was affected," Avicebron said.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Avicebron spoke first.
"I'm already working on cleaning the streets of debris and repairing the damaged buildings," Avicebron said, anticipating my thoughts.
I gave him a thumbs up.
"What about the hospital?" Glory Girl asked, with a worried face.
Many in the room tensed at Glory Girl's question, turning their attention to Avicebron.
"They attempted an attack, but Paracelsus and Asclepius took care of them. I also placed a few of my golems there for added protection," Avicebron said.
Glory Girl lets out a sigh of relief, and leans head on Gallant shoulder.
"Did any more of Gesellschaft capes appear?" I asked.
"Yes, three more capes have appeared. Let me show you," Avicebron said.
The image switches to the street where a fight is currently happening.
A man is fighting the golems singlehanded, and destroying a few of the golems.
He's dressed like a Greek soldier, and his upper body muscles are grotesquely huge.
It's as if someone inflated only half his body.
And yet, he moves with a grace that should be impossible for such a disproportionate body.
There are clones helping him in stopping the golems from advancing but it will be only a matter of time before he's overwhelmed.
Another image appears.
A group of golems relentlessly strike against an energy shield conjured by a young woman clad in full-body armor. Besides her, another woman is locked in combat with the golems, battling fiercely to keep them at bay.
Unlike her partner, she's in a grey sleeveless combat suit, and brown boots, draped with a dark cloak, and wears a mask obscuring the lower part of her face. She is wielding a sword that is slicing through the golems effortlessly as if they're made of paper.
The golems are unable to harm her; whenever they come near, her body contorts itself, almost as if it were made of water, allowing her to evade their attacks before striking back.
"Who're they?" Miss Militia asked.
"The man is known as 'Spartan', a Brute capable of enhancing his physical strength," Armsmaster said while reviewing the PRT database. "...but I can't find any information on the other two," he added with a frown.
"They're giving any trouble?" I asked Avicebron.
"Besides being annoyances, they're only a temporary setback," Avicebron said.
Avicebron looks to his side and shakes his head.
"What?" I asked.
"It's just another wave of clones that are trying to attack me," Avicebron said casually.
I let out a hum, "Is that so."
"With the numbers of clones they have, it can't be helped that some of them slip past my golems," Avicebron shrugs.
There doesn't seem to be a limit to how many clones Hydra can create.
Well, sooner or later he has to go to sleep.
I can feel everyone's eyes on me, filled with disbelief.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"Aren't you two acting a little too calm!?" Clockblocker and Vista exclaimed at the same time.
Am I?
I mean, if there was any problem Avicebron would have said something.
"Tell us where you are, so we can send backup!" Brandish said.
"There's n-" Avicebron is interrupted by Kid Win.
"He's the boat graveyard," Kid Win said, looking at his phone.
"Oh? Someone already posted on PHO, huh," Medea commented.
"Facebook, actually," Kid Win said.
Ah, good old social media.
"Anyways, we got it under control. So you don't have to worry about anything," I said.
But no one seemed to have heard me, too caught up in deciding who would go to the boat graveyard to help Avicebron secure the area.
"New Wave can get there quicker and secure the area," Battery said.
"We're running on fumes. I don't know how much of a help we would be," Lady Photon frowned.
"Hey," I said louder.
"Can we send any of the troopers with New Wave?" Miss Militia asked.
"All of the troopers are occupied," Piggot said.
I let out a tired sigh.
"Morgan," I said.
Morgan gently taps her demonic spear on the ground, and instantly, silence falls over the room. Every sound vanishes, leaving everyone startled. They glance around, wide-eyed, trying to understand what just happened.
Their attention shifts to us as I let out a chuckle.
"While I do appreciate the help all of you are offering it isn't necessary," I said.
Oh, I didn't realize that this room had some echo.
Assault waves to grab my attention and point at his mouth.
Morgan taps her demonic spear on the ground once again, and the room is filled with sound once more.
"What was that?" Assault asked.
The magecraft equivalent of the 'mute button'.
"Something to grab everyone's attention," I said.
"Don't do that again," Piggot said with a glare.
I'm never going to be on her good side, am I?
"Are you certain that he doesn't need help?" Manpower asked, glancing at Avicebron.
"I don't need help. The clones aren't getting anywhere close to me. They might have more numbers but they're all weak," Avicebron said.
"There you have it," I said.
They still didn't seem convinced, but they didn't say anything more about it.
"So, about the time of the attack?" Medea asked.
"We still need to plan our attack, but considering how tired everyone is, it will likely take place later this evening. We will reach out to everyone later with more details. In the meantime, I strongly recommend that you all get as much rest as possible," Piggot said.
Murmurs of relief spread across the room.
Piggot turns to me.
"Can I assume that Chaldea will wait until tonight and join us in our attack against the Empire and Gesellschaft?" Piggot asked.
"Huh, well, I was thinking-" Morgan interrupts me.
"Your terms are acceptable. We will meet with you tonight," Morgan said.
Hold on, what?
"I know that look, master and it can wait until tonight. Right now, you're going to get some sleep," Medea said.
Medea puts her hands on my shoulders and starts to push me to the door.
As I was being pushed, something caught my attention in the corner of my eyes, prompting me to turn and see what it was.
"Is that the sun?" I asked with wide eyes.
"It appears so," Morgan said, looking at the sun that is emerging on the horizon.
Oh fuck.
//////////////////////
I enter my room through the window.
"They better cancel school today," I muttered.
I let out a tired sigh and took off my mask.
Suddenly the lights in my room turned on and someone gasped behind me.
I quickly turned around and came to face my parents looking at me with wide eyes.
We stared at each other in silence for a few moments.
"I can explain," I said, breaking the silence.
///////////
Short chapter this time.
I have been wanting to start another story but I'm still working on it.
So next update will either be the next chapter of Throne of Bet or a new story.
//////////
Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
//////////////////////////
If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
/////////////////////////////////////
Well, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
I mean, it was still a shit show in the beginning.
They were causing as much destruction as possible to keep us occupied.
We had no trouble keeping up with the attacks, but the PRT and New Wave nearly ran themselves ragged trying to keep the city from going up in flames.
No doubt that was what the Empire wanted.
We're going to have to pick up the slack.
The situation changed in our favor once Avicebron's golems appeared all over Brockton.
They are leagues above Hydra's clones.
Hassan also assisted the golems in handling the clones. Some of her personas briefly revealed themselves to protect people throughout the city.
It won't take long before everyone realizes that Hassan is connected to Chaldea.
At first, everyone, especially the PRT, was uneasy about the fact that we could summon an army of golems at any moment.
I wonder how long it's going to take before someone wonders if Medea can't do the same with the dragon tooth warriors.
They relaxed once they saw that the golems were handling Hydra's clone, allowing them to finally take a break.
I was planning to go home, to get some sleep but the PRT called an emergency meeting and invited everyone.
//////////
Looking around the conference room I could see that everyone was here.
Even the Wards are here.
Morgan and Medea are the only ones with me right now.
I sent Barghest, Cú Chulainn, and Ushiwakamaru to help Moriarty.
I also asked Paracelsus and Asclepius to land a hand at the hospital
Now I'm just waiting for Piggot and Renick to arrive.
Where the hell are they?
"Here you go," Medea said, giving me a potion.
"Thanks," I said.
I swiftly drink the entire potion and exhale in relief.
"The director of the PRT better have a good reason to keep us waiting," Morgan said with a frown.
"She must be requesting backup or something like that," I said.
For her sake, I hope that she does have a good reason.
Morgan is not in a good mood.
"What you got there?" Shielder asked tiredly, walking to us.
"Something to keep me awake for a little longer," I said.
Shielder hummed, "Can I have one?"
"Sure," Medea shrugged, giving a potion.
Shielder drinks the potion in one big gulp, and I can already see his posture shift, becoming more attentive.
"Whoa. This works fast," Shielder said in amazement.
"Oh yeah. The stamina potion will erase your tiredness-guaranteed, or you can have your money back," I said with a small grin.
Shielder chuckled a little.
"How are you holding it up?" I asked.
"I'm going to sleep the rest of the week. What about you guys?" Shielder asked.
"I'm so damn hungry right now, after I get some sleep I'm going to stuff my face," I said.
"After all of this is over I'm going to ask Saber(Barghest) to make a banquet," Morgan said.
That sounds amazing.
"It would be nice if Archer(Emiya) was here. His food is delicious," Medea said.
I need to stop thinking about food.
I'm getting even more hungry.
I notice that everyone else is now looking at us.
Medea rolled her eyes and put enough potions for everyone on the table.
In a few seconds, they were all gone.
"You're a lifesaver," Assault said.
"I take that this is a stamina potion?" Lady Photon asked.
"You're correct," Medea said.
"How long does the effects last?" Armsmaster asked.
"You got about four to five hours before you feel tired again," I said.
Armsmaster hums thoughtfully, gazing at the empty potion bottle in his hand.
"If you guys also sold this potion, it would be a big success, right alongside the healing potion," Velocity remarked.
"That isn't a good idea," I said.
"Why is that?" Manpower asked.
"This potion will restore your stamina for a few hours, but the drawback is that it forces your body to work past its limits," Medea explained.
"What if someone were to drink the potion for a long period?" Brandish asked.
"You wouldn't need to sleep," Medea said.
"And what happens if you stop drinking it?" Battery asked.
"Your body crashes down hard," Medea said.
"It would be like coming down from the worst sugar rush of your life," Laserdream said.
"That's not a bad comparison," I said amused.
"What if you don't need to sleep?" Miss Militia asked.
Don't need to sleep?
Oh right, Miss Militia is a noctis cape.
Medea raised an eyebrow, "In that case, the drawbacks wouldn't be so severe but I still don't recommend consuming the potion for long periods."
Miss Militia hums, "Could I place an order for the stamina potions?"
"I will think about it," Medea said.
I didn't even think of selling the stamina potion.
There shouldn't be any problems if we sell small quantities and be very clear about the drawbacks of the stamina potion.
And if you still abuse the stamina potions, that's on you.
"Thank you Cas-"
"My name is Medea. This way it's easier for us to talk," Medea said.
"I see. Thank you, Medea," Miss Militia said.
"You sure about this?" I asked.
"It's fine. Even if they do recognize my name, no one's going to think I'm the 'Medea'," Medea said.
Yeah, that's true.
Hiding their names was a must in our adventures but is there really any point doing that here?
Some of the servants are going to be hesitant to reveal their names, as the legends surrounding them often hint at their weakness. But only a handful of them have to worry about that.
In the end, it's up to the servants if they want to reveal their names or not.
"Besides, when everyone else shows up, the heroes will have to call some of us things like 'the blonde-haired Saber' or 'the dark-haired Lancer' to tell us apart. I don't want to be part of that," Medea said.
Oh, I can see that, and I already hate it.
I glanced at Morgan but she made no move to reveal her name.
Piggot and Renick enter the room.
"I'm sorry for being late. I had a meeting with the Chief Director," Piggot said, taking a seat at the head of the table.
Renick takes a sit to her right.
The Chief Director?
"As you all know Gesellschaft is in Brockton Bay and causing all kinds of havoc. This is unacceptable and Chief Director Costa-Brown thinks the same," Piggot said.
Everyone glanced at each other.
"What does that mean, director?" Velocity asked.
"For helping a foreign criminal organization invade American soil, the Empire is now considered a terrorist group and must be dealt with immediately. Lethal force is authorized," Piggot said.
That caught everyone by surprise.
It makes sense when you think about it.
The PRT needs to make an example of the Empire; otherwise, they risk appearing dangerously incompetent, which could lead to a significant loss of public confidence.
Sure, they were never able to deal with the Empire before but they were a local problem.
Now that Gesellschaft is here, this is an entirely different picture.
This will also serve as a warning to deter other foreigners power from doing the same that Gesellschaft is doing.
"Oh? So the kid's gloves are coming off. Interesting," Medea said.
Morgan scoffs, "They let this problem fester for years, and now they finally decide to deal with it. Their incompetence is unbelievable."
The PRT certainly didn't appreciate Morgan's comment.
"You seem to have forgotten that all of this is your fault. I told you to lay low and let us handle the Empire, but you didn't listen, and look where we're now," Armsmaster said.
"Let you handle them? If we did do that, you would have failed as you always do," Morgan said.
Armsmaster grits his teeth in anger.
"And we're already doing a better job than you. I mean, it didn't even take a month for us to deal with the ABB. Now, it's only a matter of time before their territory is ours," Medea said with a smirk.
Wow, I can see Armsmaster's blood pressure rising.
"That doesn't change the fact that your recklessness led to thousands being injured, or worse, and it will cost millions to the city to fix all the damaged infrastructure!" Armsmaster said with a growl.
"Okay. Let's all take a step back and breathe," Assault said, trying to mediate the situation. "We're all tired and stressed. I know things loo-"
"He's right," I said.
The PRT and New Wave looked at me in surprise.
Armsmaster nods pleased, "Good, you understand your mistake."
"Our attacks against the Empire weren't a mistake. I said that you're right about this entire situation being my mess. And I'm going to clean it," I said determined.
I turned to Piggot.
"Can we also use lethal force?" I asked.
"Until the Empire and Gesellschaft are dealt with, Chaldea is also permitted to use lethal force," Piggot said with a frown.
That just made things a lot easier.
Now we don't have to worry about the PRT annoying us.
"Director, I'm against giving Chaldea such permission," Armsmaster said.
"Your complaint is noted but my decision is final," Piggot said.
Armsmaster frowns heavily but doesn't say anything else.
"Does anyone else have any questions?" Piggot asked.
"Are we going to get backup?" Dauntless asked.
"Yes, we are. Myrddin, Chevalier, and Rime are confirmed to be coming here. Dragon will also be sending some of her suits to help," Piggot said.
Some big names are coming.
"When are they arriving?" Battery asked.
"Strider's been hired to transport them. They will be here within the hour," Piggot said.
"When are you planning to attack?" Medea asked.
"It depends on how many of Hydra's clones are still out there," Piggot turns to me. "Those things-"
"Golems," I said.
"....those golems, how many do you have?" Piggot asked.
"As many as I need," I said.
Piggot looks at me with an unreadable expression for a few seconds.
Oh yeah, she didn't like what I said.
Renick coughs, "I take that the one that is controlling the golems isn't here."
"You would be correct, he is somewhere else. If you want we can talk to him right now," I said.
"That would be a good idea," Renick said.
"Medea, if you would," I said.
Medea snaps her finger and a magical circle appears on the middle of the table. Avicebron images appeared after a second.
"Yes?" Avicebron asked.
"How is it looking?" I asked.
"I dealt with the clones that were causing havoc throughout the city. Now they are all contained in the Empire territory," Avicebron said.
"How much of the city was damaged?" Piggot asked.
"While much of the city suffered damage, none of the critical infrastructure was affected," Avicebron said.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Avicebron spoke first.
"I'm already working on cleaning the streets of debris and repairing the damaged buildings," Avicebron said, anticipating my thoughts.
I gave him a thumbs up.
"What about the hospital?" Glory Girl asked, with a worried face.
Many in the room tensed at Glory Girl's question, turning their attention to Avicebron.
"They attempted an attack, but Paracelsus and Asclepius took care of them. I also placed a few of my golems there for added protection," Avicebron said.
Glory Girl lets out a sigh of relief, and leans head on Gallant shoulder.
"Did any more of Gesellschaft capes appear?" I asked.
"Yes, three more capes have appeared. Let me show you," Avicebron said.
The image switches to the street where a fight is currently happening.
A man is fighting the golems singlehanded, and destroying a few of the golems.
He's dressed like a Greek soldier, and his upper body muscles are grotesquely huge.
It's as if someone inflated only half his body.
And yet, he moves with a grace that should be impossible for such a disproportionate body.
There are clones helping him in stopping the golems from advancing but it will be only a matter of time before he's overwhelmed.
Another image appears.
A group of golems relentlessly strike against an energy shield conjured by a young woman clad in full-body armor. Besides her, another woman is locked in combat with the golems, battling fiercely to keep them at bay.
Unlike her partner, she's in a grey sleeveless combat suit, and brown boots, draped with a dark cloak, and wears a mask obscuring the lower part of her face. She is wielding a sword that is slicing through the golems effortlessly as if they're made of paper.
The golems are unable to harm her; whenever they come near, her body contorts itself, almost as if it were made of water, allowing her to evade their attacks before striking back.
"Who're they?" Miss Militia asked.
"The man is known as 'Spartan', a Brute capable of enhancing his physical strength," Armsmaster said while reviewing the PRT database. "...but I can't find any information on the other two," he added with a frown.
"They're giving any trouble?" I asked Avicebron.
"Besides being annoyances, they're only a temporary setback," Avicebron said.
Avicebron looks to his side and shakes his head.
"What?" I asked.
"It's just another wave of clones that are trying to attack me," Avicebron said casually.
I let out a hum, "Is that so."
"With the numbers of clones they have, it can't be helped that some of them slip past my golems," Avicebron shrugs.
There doesn't seem to be a limit to how many clones Hydra can create.
Well, sooner or later he has to go to sleep.
I can feel everyone's eyes on me, filled with disbelief.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"Aren't you two acting a little too calm!?" Clockblocker and Vista exclaimed at the same time.
Am I?
I mean, if there was any problem Avicebron would have said something.
"Tell us where you are, so we can send backup!" Brandish said.
"There's n-" Avicebron is interrupted by Kid Win.
"He's the boat graveyard," Kid Win said, looking at his phone.
"Oh? Someone already posted on PHO, huh," Medea commented.
"Facebook, actually," Kid Win said.
Ah, good old social media.
"Anyways, we got it under control. So you don't have to worry about anything," I said.
But no one seemed to have heard me, too caught up in deciding who would go to the boat graveyard to help Avicebron secure the area.
"New Wave can get there quicker and secure the area," Battery said.
"We're running on fumes. I don't know how much of a help we would be," Lady Photon frowned.
"Hey," I said louder.
"Can we send any of the troopers with New Wave?" Miss Militia asked.
"All of the troopers are occupied," Piggot said.
I let out a tired sigh.
"Morgan," I said.
Morgan gently taps her demonic spear on the ground, and instantly, silence falls over the room. Every sound vanishes, leaving everyone startled. They glance around, wide-eyed, trying to understand what just happened.
Their attention shifts to us as I let out a chuckle.
"While I do appreciate the help all of you are offering it isn't necessary," I said.
Oh, I didn't realize that this room had some echo.
Assault waves to grab my attention and point at his mouth.
Morgan taps her demonic spear on the ground once again, and the room is filled with sound once more.
"What was that?" Assault asked.
The magecraft equivalent of the 'mute button'.
"Something to grab everyone's attention," I said.
"Don't do that again," Piggot said with a glare.
I'm never going to be on her good side, am I?
"Are you certain that he doesn't need help?" Manpower asked, glancing at Avicebron.
"I don't need help. The clones aren't getting anywhere close to me. They might have more numbers but they're all weak," Avicebron said.
"There you have it," I said.
They still didn't seem convinced, but they didn't say anything more about it.
"So, about the time of the attack?" Medea asked.
"We still need to plan our attack, but considering how tired everyone is, it will likely take place later this evening. We will reach out to everyone later with more details. In the meantime, I strongly recommend that you all get as much rest as possible," Piggot said.
Murmurs of relief spread across the room.
Piggot turns to me.
"Can I assume that Chaldea will wait until tonight and join us in our attack against the Empire and Gesellschaft?" Piggot asked.
"Huh, well, I was thinking-" Morgan interrupts me.
"Your terms are acceptable. We will meet with you tonight," Morgan said.
Hold on, what?
"I know that look, master and it can wait until tonight. Right now, you're going to get some sleep," Medea said.
Medea puts her hands on my shoulders and starts to push me to the door.
As I was being pushed, something caught my attention in the corner of my eyes, prompting me to turn and see what it was.
"Is that the sun?" I asked with wide eyes.
"It appears so," Morgan said, looking at the sun that is emerging on the horizon.
Oh fuck.
//////////////////////
I enter my room through the window.
"They better cancel school today," I muttered.
I let out a tired sigh and took off my mask.
Suddenly the lights in my room turned on and someone gasped behind me.
I quickly turned around and came to face my parents looking at me with wide eyes.
We stared at each other in silence for a few moments.
"I can explain," I said, breaking the silence.
///////////
Short chapter this time.
I have been wanting to start another story but I'm still working on it.
So next update will either be the next chapter of Throne of Bet or a new story.
//////////
Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
//////////////////////////
If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
chapter 16
Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
I tried to finish this before Christmas but it is what it is.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone!
I will see you all back in January.
/////////////////////////////////////
Well, I was going to have this talk sooner or later.
I wish that it wasn't when I was exhausted.
I can't catch a break, can I?
"Henry, what is that?" Nora asked, looking at the mystic code that I was wearing.
How do I explain this?
"It's my cape costume," I said.
Let's start small.
Mom blinks rapidly at my answer.
"Where did-no, that isn't important right now. How long?" Isaac asked.
"How long I have been a cape or have powers?" I asked.
The second one is harder to explain.
Mom and Dad glanced at each other confused.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Isaac asked.
"Not in my case," I said, rubbing my neck.
"Wha-what does that even mean?" Nora asked, slightly agitated.
"It's hard to explain," I said.
"Then start from the beginning," Isaac said.
That doesn't help.
"Okay, so the whole cape thing started the day that I came out of the coma. I waited first for everyone to fall asleep before I sneaked out. Then I looked for a quiet place so I could summon a friend. And, well, you know about the fight I had with the Empire," I said, explaining my first night as a cape.
"You shouldn't have fought them. That was incredibly irresponsible," Isaac said with a frown.
"I had to do something, the fight was only going to get worse and Morgan was more than enough to deal with the Empire capes," I argued back.
"Morgan?" Isaac asked.
Crap.
"You mean that woman with white hair?" Nora asked.
"Isn't she a projection?" Isaac asked.
"Yes and no," I said.
"What does that mean?" Nora asked.
"Wait a second. What do you mean: you had to summon her?" Isaac asked.
Oh boy.
"Here the thing about my 'power', I can summon legendary heroes to help me in battle," I said.
Oversimplified, but it's enough for now.
"When you say 'summon', is that just something you say to add a bit of flair to your power, or do you actually mean it? Because if it's the latter, then they must be coming from somewhere," Isaac said with a grim frown.
I pressed my lips in a thin line.
Mom let out a gasp at my silence.
"Henry....did you kidnap them?" Nora asked hesitantly.
"No!" I nearly shouted, making my parents lean back in surprise. "That isn't even close to what's happening. Yes, they are coming from somewhere but there is no kidnapping or mastering involved in this whatsoever."
My parents seemed relieved at that.
"What even made you ask that question?" I asked.
Isaac shrugs, "I keep hearing how sentient your projections are, now you say she has a name and this whole summoning thing. I couldn't help but think that it's like those stories of a mage summoning heroes from distant lands," Isaac said.
Holy crap Dad, you have no idea how right you are.
"You know, like those cheese novels that your mom likes to read," Isaac said.
"And what's wrong with them?" Nora asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Honey, those novels are so packed with cliches that I could hardly bring myself to finish one of them," Isaac said drily.
Damn.
Mom lightly slaps Dad's shoulder with a huff.
I let out a small laugh at this.
"Young man, you aren't off the hook yet," Nora said sternly. "So, where're they coming from?" she crossed her arms.
"....from another world," I said rubbing my neck.
"Explain," Isaac raised an eyebrow.
I let out a sigh, "They come from a Chaldea that exists in another world. And we're in the process of transferring the entire organization to here."
"Why would they do that? They would be abandoning their homes," Nora said.
No, they wouldn't since their home is Chaldea.
"Okay, I'm going to need-" I'm interrupted by Daisy walking into the room
"What's going on?" Daisy asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes.
She suddenly stops when she sees me, her eyes going wide in surprise.
"YOU AR-" I quickly got close to her and covered her mouth.
"For the love of god don't scream that," I said, creating a bound field that covers my room.
I should have done that earlier.
I remove my hand from Daisy's mouth.
"You're Magus," Daisy said with an excited grin.
"Yes I'm," I said with a tired smile.
"Awesome," Daisy whispered.
A thought crosses my mind.
"Hey, give me a hand here, and later I can introduce you to everyone at Chaldea," I whispered to Daisy.
Her eyes light up and nods her head quickly.
"We can hear you," Isaac deadpanned.
Oh well.
I shrug my shoulders in response and Daisy laughs nervously.
I frowned as Daisy tensed at the distant sound of explosions.
I gently place a hand on her head, guiding her gaze to mine. "Everything is going to be okay," I said softly, offering her reassurance.
Daisy grabs my hand firmly and nods.
I glance at my parents and see that they are also tense.
That is it, we aren't staying here.
"We're going to the hotel," I said.
"Hotel?" Nora asked.
"We needed space since Chaldea has a lot of members," I explained.
"Where did you get the money?" Isaac asked.
"We robbed the gangs," I said with a shrug.
Dad raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything.
More explosions echoed in the distance.
"We can finish this talk when we're there. Now go change clothes," I said.
Isaac frowns, "We can't just-"
"This isn't up for discussion, the hotel is the safest place in the city and we're going there," I said with a tone of finality.
Mom and Dad and Daisy exchange glances.
"What are you guys waiting for? Go change," I said, pushing them out of my room.
God, what a headache.
"Da Vinci, I'm bringing my family to the hotel. My parents found out," I said.
"Oh boy. How did that happen?" Da Vinci asked.
"They walked on me a little after I entered my room," I said. "I think they were waiting for me," I rubbed my chin in thought.
The timing was too perfect.
"I'm not surprised. With all the commotion happening, they must have gone to check on you and your sister-"
"And they didn't find me," I said, pinching my nose in frustration.
Yeah, they were waiting for me.
"So, how did the talk go?" Da Vinci asked.
"Still going. I only told them a little about what I had been doing as a cape but Daisy interrupted me when I was going to talk about my 'power'. I'm going to need help to explain that," I said.
"I'm at your disposal," Da Vinci said immediately.
"Thanks," I said with a smile. "Seriously, how the hell do I explain everything to them?"
"I have an idea," Da Vinci said.
"What's it?" I asked.
"We show them your memories," Da Vinci said.
I froze at her suggestion.
My....memories?
"I can't," I whispered.
"Henry," Da Vinci said.
"They will see everything that I have done. I killed so many," I said.
They will think I'm a monster.
They will be scared of me.
I can't go through that.
"HENRY!" Da Vinci exclaimed.
I let out a gasp and shook my head to clear my mind.
Remember Xuanzang's meditation lessons.
"Clear your mind and focus only on your breathing. Breath in....breath out," Xuanzang lesson echoed in my mind.
Breathe in.....breath out.
Breathe in.....breath out.
Taking one more deep breath I was finally able to calm down.
Opening my eyes, I notice Hassan beside me, her hand gently resting on my back. Trying to help me calm down.
"Thanks," I said tired smile.
Hassan nods, she doesn't move from my side.
"You okay?" Da Vinci asked concerned.
"Not really," I said.
".....we don't have to do this, you know. I know that you don't want to hear but we could make them for- "
"No. That is never going to be an option with my family," I said firmly. "Besides, if I start now when would the lies end? They will just keep piling up until whatever chance I had to reconnect is completely gone."
I clench my fist in determination.
"We're doing this," I said.
"Okay. Whatever happens, we're with you. I'm going to get things ready for your arrival," Da Vinci said.
I have a weary sigh, running my hand through my hair in frustration.
"Another long day of work," I comment.
"Indeed. Would you like to eat or drink something?" Hassan asked.
"Got no appetite right now," I said, shaking my head.
We still have to exterminate the Empire later.
Man, I'm not going to get much sleep today.
"Oh yeah, do you got eyes on the Empire capes?" I asked.
"Yes. They have retreated to Medhall to catch their breath. Kaiser is arguing with Victor on what do to about Avicebron's golems. They are scared," Hassan said.
Well, they won't be scared for long.
"What about Hydra?" I asked.
"He's also at Medhall creating more clones. He's an odd one," Hassan said.
I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"I've been watching him for the past two hours. Other than creating clones, all he does is stare into space," Hassan said.
That is odd.
"Is there anything else worth noticing?" I asked.
Hassan nods, "There's a tunnel that leads to outside of the city."
An escape route?
We can't have that.
"Cape made?" I asked.
"Yes. The walls have no sign of being made using machines or tools. There are also two unknown capes waiting at the end of the tunnel," Hassan said.
One of them must have created the tunnel.
"Take Ushiwakamaru and Cú Chulainn to deal with them and anyone that comes out of it. No prisoners," I said seriously.
My parents and Daisy step inside my room, only to freeze in shock at Hassan standing next to me.
"It's okay, she's with me," I reassured them.
Looks like they are ready.
"Master, the hotel is still being watched," Hassan reminded me.
Oh right.
"We need to cover your faces before we leave," I said.
"I'm sorry, who's watching the hotel?" Nora asked concerned.
"People that want me under their thumbs," I said casually.
Maybe I could use the masks from Daisy's old Halloween costume, I think she might have kept a few of them.
"Master," Hassan said, holding three spares of her mask.
Oh, that's much better.
////////////////////
The trip to the hotel was made in silence, my family is still coming in terms of me being a cape.
Daisy informed me that I was already considered the most powerful cape in the city.
Not much of an achievement when the bar is low around here. At least in Brockton Bay, the S-call threats and Endbringers are another story.
Upon entering the hotel, we found Da Vinci already waiting for us in the lobby.
"Hey," Da Vinci said with a tired smile.
"Hey. Is everything ready?" I asked.
"Not yet. Morgan and Medea need a few more minutes to finish the spell," Da Vinci said.
"Spell?" Daisy asked, taking off her mask.
I let out a sigh, "It will all be explained. Just be patient for now."
"So this is your family. Hey there, I'm Da Vinci," Da Vinci introduces herself to my family.
"You're so young," Isaac said with a frown.
Da Vinci shakes her head, "I only look young. Trust me, I'm actually older than you," she said with a wink.
Dad glances at me confused and I shrug in response.
"Da Vinci? Isn't that the same name from that movie from 2006?" Daisy asked, scratching her head.
Da Vinci's smile turned stiff, and I quickly covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.
Oh god, this is amazing.
She is one of the greatest minds in history and Daisy remembers her from a movie about some over complicated conspiracy about the holy grail or something like that.
"Anyway, let's go to the meeting room. I'm sure you all have many questions," Da Vinci said.
I walk next to her, my family quickly following us.
"You had anything to eat yet?" Da Vinci asked.
"Nope. And don't bother asking Barghest to make something, I got no appetite right now," I said.
Da Vinci glances at me with a concerned frown.
"Don't give me that look. Besides, it's not like this is the first that I'm working nonstop," I said.
"After this is over you're going to eat something and sleep for eight hours," Da Vinci said, leaving no room for argument.
"All right," I said.
"....you know, I was hoping things were going to be different here," Da Vinci let out a sigh.
Yeah, different world, same problems.
Well, on a smaller scale this time.
"We just have to deal with the S-class threats and the Endbringers. After that the heroes can handle the rest," I said.
"Already planning your retirement?" Da Vinci asked amused.
"Oh yeah. I'm thinking about traveling around the world," I said.
"Hm, that does sound good," Da Vinci said.
We reached our destination and entered the meeting room.
It's a simple room featuring a rectangular table surrounded by chairs.
I sit at the table with Da Vinci on one side, while my family sits opposite us.
"Get comfortable, we got some time before the preparations are ready," I said, leaning back on my chair.
"What're we waiting for?" Nora asked.
"And what was that about a 'spell'?" Daisy asked.
Oh, fuck it.
"We're waiting for a spell that is going to show my memories to all of you," I said.
One, two, three...
"What're you talking about?" Mom, Dad, and Daisy said at the same time.
"I know that sounds weird but Henry is speaking the truth. Just wait a few minutes," Da Vinci said.
"You mean, wait for this so-called 'spell'," Isaac said annoyed.
"Honey," Nora said with a frown.
"No. We aren't going along with whatever is happening. Henry, what the hell is going on!?" Isaac said impatiently.
"It's complicated," I said.
"So simplify," Isaac demanded.
"I can't do that," I said with slightly gritted teeth.
"Why not?" Isaac pressed.
"Because you will never believe me!" I exclaimed in anger, slamming my hands on the table.
Dad blinks in surprise at my outburst.
Mom and Daisy look at me with concern.
"The truth is far too ridiculous for any of you to believe without proof. Hell, there are still parts of it I can't believe myself that it happened, and I was there!" I said.
The Clock Tower didn't believe us when we told them about the singularities. They thought that such things were too fantastic to be true.
Too fantastic.
A freaking secret society of mages didn't believe us.
"Let's all calm down first. The last few hours have been stressful for everyone," Da Vinci said, mediating the situation.
Mom sends a grateful nod to Da Vinci and turns her attention to me. Her expression was a mix of confusion and concern.
"We want to understand but you aren't making any sense. I mean, what memories do you even want to show us?" Nora asked.
"I'm going to need all of you to keep an open mind. And I do mean open," I said, staring intensely at my family.
Mom, Dad, and Daisy nod their heads after a moment of hesitation.
"I'm going to show memories of how I became the last master of humanity and everything I did to restore proper human history," I said seriously.
My family stays silent for a minute.
"I'm calling the PRT," Dad breaks the silence and grabs his phone.
I let out a groan.
"Please don't. That isn't going to help," I said, pinching my nose.
"Mr. Karn, I understand your skepticism but I assure you that Henry is speaking the truth," Da Vinci said, trying to help me.
"I can't get a signal," Isaac said, ignoring Da Vinci.
"Dad, please put the phone away. The PRT isn't going to help, all they are going to do is put a leash on me," I said.
"Why would they do that?" Nora asked.
"To control Chaldea. By now they must have realized that they can't defeat us, so their only choice would be to control Henry," Da Vinci explained.
"You guys are that strong?" Daisy asked curiously.
"Yes," Da Vinci said.
Dad kept messing with his phone.
"Dad put the phone away!" I said angrily.
"No!" Isaac exclaimed just as angrily.
We stared each other down until Mom rested her hand on Dad's shoulder. She turned to me and, after a brief pause, began to speak.
"Sweetie, something isn't right with you," Nora said.
I lean back in surprise.
"At first I thought it was because you're a cape but now....I don't even know what to say," Nora shakes her head.
It's going to be worse after they see my memories.
"Maybe it's his powers," Daisy said.
She began fidgeting nervously as all eyes shifted towards her.
"What do you mean?" Da Vinci raised an eyebrow.
"I read how some powers affect the parahuman's minds. Making them act different from how they were before," Daisy said uncomfortably.
Damn it Daisy. I know that you're trying to help but you're making it worse!
"Ah, that," Da Vinci said with a grimace. "It's more common with 'Thinkers' as their powers are related to their minds, so it's expected for them to see the world in a different light. But that has nothing to do with this conversation."
Da Vinci fixes an intense gaze on my Dad, silencing him before he can launch another rant.
Da Vinci sighed, "I didn't want to resort to this."
I don't like the sound of that.
Da Vinci looks me in the eyes and then at my chest.
It takes a second before I understand what she wants.
Yep, I was right.
I take off my shirt and my family gasped at the state of my body.
The contrast between how I looked before and after the coma is undeniable. I certainly didn't have such well-defined muscles and, most strikingly, wasn't covered in scars before.
Old scars.
Most of them are faded by now, thanks to Nightingale, but you can easily that I didn't get any of them recently.
My family kept looking at me in horror, too stunned to say anything.
I need a drink.
The door swings open as Medea and Morgan step into the room. They halt abruptly, their eyes scanning the space, instantly aware of the palpated tension gripping everyone present.
"Should we come back later?" Medea raised an eyebrow.
"Won't make a difference," I put back my shirt. "Let's get this over with."
Medea and Morgan quickly move to my side. Morgan places her hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
I took her hand and offered a grateful smile.
A magical circle appears under me.
"Before we go through with this, I need to warm all of you," I said, locking eyes with my family. "This is going to be awful. At first, it isn't so bad but later it is when things get, honestly, downright cruel."
They exchanged a glance, their eyes reflecting a mix of fear and uncertainty. After a brief pause, they nodded to each other and then turned toward me.
"We want to know," Isaac said determined.
Mom and Daisy also nod in determination.
"Begin," I said.
Medea and Morgan start the spell.
Down the memory lane, we go.
//////////
Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
//////////////////////////
If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
I tried to finish this before Christmas but it is what it is.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone!
I will see you all back in January.
/////////////////////////////////////
Well, I was going to have this talk sooner or later.
I wish that it wasn't when I was exhausted.
I can't catch a break, can I?
"Henry, what is that?" Nora asked, looking at the mystic code that I was wearing.
How do I explain this?
"It's my cape costume," I said.
Let's start small.
Mom blinks rapidly at my answer.
"Where did-no, that isn't important right now. How long?" Isaac asked.
"How long I have been a cape or have powers?" I asked.
The second one is harder to explain.
Mom and Dad glanced at each other confused.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Isaac asked.
"Not in my case," I said, rubbing my neck.
"Wha-what does that even mean?" Nora asked, slightly agitated.
"It's hard to explain," I said.
"Then start from the beginning," Isaac said.
That doesn't help.
"Okay, so the whole cape thing started the day that I came out of the coma. I waited first for everyone to fall asleep before I sneaked out. Then I looked for a quiet place so I could summon a friend. And, well, you know about the fight I had with the Empire," I said, explaining my first night as a cape.
"You shouldn't have fought them. That was incredibly irresponsible," Isaac said with a frown.
"I had to do something, the fight was only going to get worse and Morgan was more than enough to deal with the Empire capes," I argued back.
"Morgan?" Isaac asked.
Crap.
"You mean that woman with white hair?" Nora asked.
"Isn't she a projection?" Isaac asked.
"Yes and no," I said.
"What does that mean?" Nora asked.
"Wait a second. What do you mean: you had to summon her?" Isaac asked.
Oh boy.
"Here the thing about my 'power', I can summon legendary heroes to help me in battle," I said.
Oversimplified, but it's enough for now.
"When you say 'summon', is that just something you say to add a bit of flair to your power, or do you actually mean it? Because if it's the latter, then they must be coming from somewhere," Isaac said with a grim frown.
I pressed my lips in a thin line.
Mom let out a gasp at my silence.
"Henry....did you kidnap them?" Nora asked hesitantly.
"No!" I nearly shouted, making my parents lean back in surprise. "That isn't even close to what's happening. Yes, they are coming from somewhere but there is no kidnapping or mastering involved in this whatsoever."
My parents seemed relieved at that.
"What even made you ask that question?" I asked.
Isaac shrugs, "I keep hearing how sentient your projections are, now you say she has a name and this whole summoning thing. I couldn't help but think that it's like those stories of a mage summoning heroes from distant lands," Isaac said.
Holy crap Dad, you have no idea how right you are.
"You know, like those cheese novels that your mom likes to read," Isaac said.
"And what's wrong with them?" Nora asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Honey, those novels are so packed with cliches that I could hardly bring myself to finish one of them," Isaac said drily.
Damn.
Mom lightly slaps Dad's shoulder with a huff.
I let out a small laugh at this.
"Young man, you aren't off the hook yet," Nora said sternly. "So, where're they coming from?" she crossed her arms.
"....from another world," I said rubbing my neck.
"Explain," Isaac raised an eyebrow.
I let out a sigh, "They come from a Chaldea that exists in another world. And we're in the process of transferring the entire organization to here."
"Why would they do that? They would be abandoning their homes," Nora said.
No, they wouldn't since their home is Chaldea.
"Okay, I'm going to need-" I'm interrupted by Daisy walking into the room
"What's going on?" Daisy asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes.
She suddenly stops when she sees me, her eyes going wide in surprise.
"YOU AR-" I quickly got close to her and covered her mouth.
"For the love of god don't scream that," I said, creating a bound field that covers my room.
I should have done that earlier.
I remove my hand from Daisy's mouth.
"You're Magus," Daisy said with an excited grin.
"Yes I'm," I said with a tired smile.
"Awesome," Daisy whispered.
A thought crosses my mind.
"Hey, give me a hand here, and later I can introduce you to everyone at Chaldea," I whispered to Daisy.
Her eyes light up and nods her head quickly.
"We can hear you," Isaac deadpanned.
Oh well.
I shrug my shoulders in response and Daisy laughs nervously.
I frowned as Daisy tensed at the distant sound of explosions.
I gently place a hand on her head, guiding her gaze to mine. "Everything is going to be okay," I said softly, offering her reassurance.
Daisy grabs my hand firmly and nods.
I glance at my parents and see that they are also tense.
That is it, we aren't staying here.
"We're going to the hotel," I said.
"Hotel?" Nora asked.
"We needed space since Chaldea has a lot of members," I explained.
"Where did you get the money?" Isaac asked.
"We robbed the gangs," I said with a shrug.
Dad raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything.
More explosions echoed in the distance.
"We can finish this talk when we're there. Now go change clothes," I said.
Isaac frowns, "We can't just-"
"This isn't up for discussion, the hotel is the safest place in the city and we're going there," I said with a tone of finality.
Mom and Dad and Daisy exchange glances.
"What are you guys waiting for? Go change," I said, pushing them out of my room.
God, what a headache.
"Da Vinci, I'm bringing my family to the hotel. My parents found out," I said.
"Oh boy. How did that happen?" Da Vinci asked.
"They walked on me a little after I entered my room," I said. "I think they were waiting for me," I rubbed my chin in thought.
The timing was too perfect.
"I'm not surprised. With all the commotion happening, they must have gone to check on you and your sister-"
"And they didn't find me," I said, pinching my nose in frustration.
Yeah, they were waiting for me.
"So, how did the talk go?" Da Vinci asked.
"Still going. I only told them a little about what I had been doing as a cape but Daisy interrupted me when I was going to talk about my 'power'. I'm going to need help to explain that," I said.
"I'm at your disposal," Da Vinci said immediately.
"Thanks," I said with a smile. "Seriously, how the hell do I explain everything to them?"
"I have an idea," Da Vinci said.
"What's it?" I asked.
"We show them your memories," Da Vinci said.
I froze at her suggestion.
My....memories?
"I can't," I whispered.
"Henry," Da Vinci said.
"They will see everything that I have done. I killed so many," I said.
They will think I'm a monster.
They will be scared of me.
I can't go through that.
"HENRY!" Da Vinci exclaimed.
I let out a gasp and shook my head to clear my mind.
Remember Xuanzang's meditation lessons.
"Clear your mind and focus only on your breathing. Breath in....breath out," Xuanzang lesson echoed in my mind.
Breathe in.....breath out.
Breathe in.....breath out.
Taking one more deep breath I was finally able to calm down.
Opening my eyes, I notice Hassan beside me, her hand gently resting on my back. Trying to help me calm down.
"Thanks," I said tired smile.
Hassan nods, she doesn't move from my side.
"You okay?" Da Vinci asked concerned.
"Not really," I said.
".....we don't have to do this, you know. I know that you don't want to hear but we could make them for- "
"No. That is never going to be an option with my family," I said firmly. "Besides, if I start now when would the lies end? They will just keep piling up until whatever chance I had to reconnect is completely gone."
I clench my fist in determination.
"We're doing this," I said.
"Okay. Whatever happens, we're with you. I'm going to get things ready for your arrival," Da Vinci said.
I have a weary sigh, running my hand through my hair in frustration.
"Another long day of work," I comment.
"Indeed. Would you like to eat or drink something?" Hassan asked.
"Got no appetite right now," I said, shaking my head.
We still have to exterminate the Empire later.
Man, I'm not going to get much sleep today.
"Oh yeah, do you got eyes on the Empire capes?" I asked.
"Yes. They have retreated to Medhall to catch their breath. Kaiser is arguing with Victor on what do to about Avicebron's golems. They are scared," Hassan said.
Well, they won't be scared for long.
"What about Hydra?" I asked.
"He's also at Medhall creating more clones. He's an odd one," Hassan said.
I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"I've been watching him for the past two hours. Other than creating clones, all he does is stare into space," Hassan said.
That is odd.
"Is there anything else worth noticing?" I asked.
Hassan nods, "There's a tunnel that leads to outside of the city."
An escape route?
We can't have that.
"Cape made?" I asked.
"Yes. The walls have no sign of being made using machines or tools. There are also two unknown capes waiting at the end of the tunnel," Hassan said.
One of them must have created the tunnel.
"Take Ushiwakamaru and Cú Chulainn to deal with them and anyone that comes out of it. No prisoners," I said seriously.
My parents and Daisy step inside my room, only to freeze in shock at Hassan standing next to me.
"It's okay, she's with me," I reassured them.
Looks like they are ready.
"Master, the hotel is still being watched," Hassan reminded me.
Oh right.
"We need to cover your faces before we leave," I said.
"I'm sorry, who's watching the hotel?" Nora asked concerned.
"People that want me under their thumbs," I said casually.
Maybe I could use the masks from Daisy's old Halloween costume, I think she might have kept a few of them.
"Master," Hassan said, holding three spares of her mask.
Oh, that's much better.
////////////////////
The trip to the hotel was made in silence, my family is still coming in terms of me being a cape.
Daisy informed me that I was already considered the most powerful cape in the city.
Not much of an achievement when the bar is low around here. At least in Brockton Bay, the S-call threats and Endbringers are another story.
Upon entering the hotel, we found Da Vinci already waiting for us in the lobby.
"Hey," Da Vinci said with a tired smile.
"Hey. Is everything ready?" I asked.
"Not yet. Morgan and Medea need a few more minutes to finish the spell," Da Vinci said.
"Spell?" Daisy asked, taking off her mask.
I let out a sigh, "It will all be explained. Just be patient for now."
"So this is your family. Hey there, I'm Da Vinci," Da Vinci introduces herself to my family.
"You're so young," Isaac said with a frown.
Da Vinci shakes her head, "I only look young. Trust me, I'm actually older than you," she said with a wink.
Dad glances at me confused and I shrug in response.
"Da Vinci? Isn't that the same name from that movie from 2006?" Daisy asked, scratching her head.
Da Vinci's smile turned stiff, and I quickly covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.
Oh god, this is amazing.
She is one of the greatest minds in history and Daisy remembers her from a movie about some over complicated conspiracy about the holy grail or something like that.
"Anyway, let's go to the meeting room. I'm sure you all have many questions," Da Vinci said.
I walk next to her, my family quickly following us.
"You had anything to eat yet?" Da Vinci asked.
"Nope. And don't bother asking Barghest to make something, I got no appetite right now," I said.
Da Vinci glances at me with a concerned frown.
"Don't give me that look. Besides, it's not like this is the first that I'm working nonstop," I said.
"After this is over you're going to eat something and sleep for eight hours," Da Vinci said, leaving no room for argument.
"All right," I said.
"....you know, I was hoping things were going to be different here," Da Vinci let out a sigh.
Yeah, different world, same problems.
Well, on a smaller scale this time.
"We just have to deal with the S-class threats and the Endbringers. After that the heroes can handle the rest," I said.
"Already planning your retirement?" Da Vinci asked amused.
"Oh yeah. I'm thinking about traveling around the world," I said.
"Hm, that does sound good," Da Vinci said.
We reached our destination and entered the meeting room.
It's a simple room featuring a rectangular table surrounded by chairs.
I sit at the table with Da Vinci on one side, while my family sits opposite us.
"Get comfortable, we got some time before the preparations are ready," I said, leaning back on my chair.
"What're we waiting for?" Nora asked.
"And what was that about a 'spell'?" Daisy asked.
Oh, fuck it.
"We're waiting for a spell that is going to show my memories to all of you," I said.
One, two, three...
"What're you talking about?" Mom, Dad, and Daisy said at the same time.
"I know that sounds weird but Henry is speaking the truth. Just wait a few minutes," Da Vinci said.
"You mean, wait for this so-called 'spell'," Isaac said annoyed.
"Honey," Nora said with a frown.
"No. We aren't going along with whatever is happening. Henry, what the hell is going on!?" Isaac said impatiently.
"It's complicated," I said.
"So simplify," Isaac demanded.
"I can't do that," I said with slightly gritted teeth.
"Why not?" Isaac pressed.
"Because you will never believe me!" I exclaimed in anger, slamming my hands on the table.
Dad blinks in surprise at my outburst.
Mom and Daisy look at me with concern.
"The truth is far too ridiculous for any of you to believe without proof. Hell, there are still parts of it I can't believe myself that it happened, and I was there!" I said.
The Clock Tower didn't believe us when we told them about the singularities. They thought that such things were too fantastic to be true.
Too fantastic.
A freaking secret society of mages didn't believe us.
"Let's all calm down first. The last few hours have been stressful for everyone," Da Vinci said, mediating the situation.
Mom sends a grateful nod to Da Vinci and turns her attention to me. Her expression was a mix of confusion and concern.
"We want to understand but you aren't making any sense. I mean, what memories do you even want to show us?" Nora asked.
"I'm going to need all of you to keep an open mind. And I do mean open," I said, staring intensely at my family.
Mom, Dad, and Daisy nod their heads after a moment of hesitation.
"I'm going to show memories of how I became the last master of humanity and everything I did to restore proper human history," I said seriously.
My family stays silent for a minute.
"I'm calling the PRT," Dad breaks the silence and grabs his phone.
I let out a groan.
"Please don't. That isn't going to help," I said, pinching my nose.
"Mr. Karn, I understand your skepticism but I assure you that Henry is speaking the truth," Da Vinci said, trying to help me.
"I can't get a signal," Isaac said, ignoring Da Vinci.
"Dad, please put the phone away. The PRT isn't going to help, all they are going to do is put a leash on me," I said.
"Why would they do that?" Nora asked.
"To control Chaldea. By now they must have realized that they can't defeat us, so their only choice would be to control Henry," Da Vinci explained.
"You guys are that strong?" Daisy asked curiously.
"Yes," Da Vinci said.
Dad kept messing with his phone.
"Dad put the phone away!" I said angrily.
"No!" Isaac exclaimed just as angrily.
We stared each other down until Mom rested her hand on Dad's shoulder. She turned to me and, after a brief pause, began to speak.
"Sweetie, something isn't right with you," Nora said.
I lean back in surprise.
"At first I thought it was because you're a cape but now....I don't even know what to say," Nora shakes her head.
It's going to be worse after they see my memories.
"Maybe it's his powers," Daisy said.
She began fidgeting nervously as all eyes shifted towards her.
"What do you mean?" Da Vinci raised an eyebrow.
"I read how some powers affect the parahuman's minds. Making them act different from how they were before," Daisy said uncomfortably.
Damn it Daisy. I know that you're trying to help but you're making it worse!
"Ah, that," Da Vinci said with a grimace. "It's more common with 'Thinkers' as their powers are related to their minds, so it's expected for them to see the world in a different light. But that has nothing to do with this conversation."
Da Vinci fixes an intense gaze on my Dad, silencing him before he can launch another rant.
Da Vinci sighed, "I didn't want to resort to this."
I don't like the sound of that.
Da Vinci looks me in the eyes and then at my chest.
It takes a second before I understand what she wants.
Yep, I was right.
I take off my shirt and my family gasped at the state of my body.
The contrast between how I looked before and after the coma is undeniable. I certainly didn't have such well-defined muscles and, most strikingly, wasn't covered in scars before.
Old scars.
Most of them are faded by now, thanks to Nightingale, but you can easily that I didn't get any of them recently.
My family kept looking at me in horror, too stunned to say anything.
I need a drink.
The door swings open as Medea and Morgan step into the room. They halt abruptly, their eyes scanning the space, instantly aware of the palpated tension gripping everyone present.
"Should we come back later?" Medea raised an eyebrow.
"Won't make a difference," I put back my shirt. "Let's get this over with."
Medea and Morgan quickly move to my side. Morgan places her hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
I took her hand and offered a grateful smile.
A magical circle appears under me.
"Before we go through with this, I need to warm all of you," I said, locking eyes with my family. "This is going to be awful. At first, it isn't so bad but later it is when things get, honestly, downright cruel."
They exchanged a glance, their eyes reflecting a mix of fear and uncertainty. After a brief pause, they nodded to each other and then turned toward me.
"We want to know," Isaac said determined.
Mom and Daisy also nod in determination.
"Begin," I said.
Medea and Morgan start the spell.
Down the memory lane, we go.
//////////
Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
Think it's a little weird how dumb Issac comes off and I'm not sure it's such a great idea to traumatize his little sister but good chapter.
chapter 17
Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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"Where are we?" Isaac asked, looking around the place.
"Are we inside my head?" I asked curiously.
Mom glances around nervously, while Daisy's eyes wander, her face glowing with curiosity.
Morgan shakes her head, "It's a temporary 'room' we have created to better show your memories."
It looks like a movie theater.
"Time moves faster inside this 'room' than the outside. So we can take our time and answer all the questions that you all are going to have," Morgan said.
"Cool, is that your power....what was your name again?" Daisy asked embarrassed.
Oh right, I didn't introduce them before.
"I'm Morgan Le Fay's child and no, this isn't my 'power'. This is just a simple spell, there isn't any reason to be impressed about it," Morgan said.
"Yeah, I'm not satisfied either with how it turned out," Medea said, looking around the place with a displeased face. "Oh, by the way, I'm Medea. It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said with a beautiful smile.
Well, they are both geniuses when it comes to magecraft, so it's easy to see why they think that. However, I'm sure others would disagree with their opinion on the matter.
"How long is this going to take?" Nora asked.
I hum thoughtfully, "I'd say about a day and a half, give or take. Right?" I look at Medea for confirmation.
Medea nods, "Oh yeah, this is going to easily take that long to show everything."
"Day and a half?! We can't stay that long here!" Isaac exclaimed.
"It's fine. Only a few minutes will have passed when this is over. And before you ask, no we won't get hungry or need to sleep in here," Medea waves of Isaac's concerns.
Dad glances at me, silently asking me if Medea is telling the truth.
"She knows what she is talking about," I said.
Dad turns to Mom, who simply shrugs in response.
Da Vinci clapes her hands, "Ok. Let's all sit down so we can get this started."
We all sit down and face the screen. My family is seated to my right, while Da Vinci, Medea, and Morgan are seated to my left.
The first thing that my family sees is me meeting Mash.
"Who is th-"
"Shhhh!" I silenced my family. "Watch first, questions later."
My family returned their attention to the screen.
"God, it feels like it was a lifetime ago that I walked those halls," I said, looking sadly at my second home.
"It really does, doesn't it," Da Vinci said with a touch of melancholy.
A majority of the place was destroyed in our last fight against the Alien God. That bastard was throwing attacks left and right without a care in the world.
I'm pretty sure that was a last 'fuck you' from that son of a bitch.
"Did you rebuild it?" I asked.
"Not everything, since we were short on materials thanks to the Mage Association," Da Vinci said, her tone sharp with frustration. "But we don't have to worry about that anymore. All we need to do now is fix the place enough for Goredolf to come and go as he pleases."
The last bastion of humanity and we aren't even allowed to rebuild it because of some stuck-up nobles.
"I hate the Mage Association," I said bitterly.
"....me too," Da Vinci said.
"So that is Romani Archaman," Morgan commented.
I blink rapidly and return my attention to the screen.
"Yeah," I said softly.
"You two always spoke highly of him. I'm curious though, what is he doing in your room?"Morgan asked.
"Usually he didn't have much work since the medical procedures were done by machines, so he would go to my room to relax," I said.
"He used to go to my workshop, we would spend the afternoon chatting about anything that came to our minds," Da Vinci said with a small smile. "He changed to your room when Olga caught him there and scolded him."
"Do you remember Magi Mari?" I asked.
"Yes! I was so confused about how that was possible. I mean, the world was gone but somehow this 'idol' was still able to stream!" Da Vinci said with a huff.
"He asked me to make models of her," Medea said amused.
"I watched with him once. It was surprisingly very good," I said.
"Who was this idol? To be able to protect herself from Goetia's machinations, she must have been a powerful sorceress," Morgan remarks, tilting her head in curiosity.
"It was Merlin," of all the explanations I never expected that one.
"...I see," Morgan said with a small frown, dropping the matter.
Yeah, Merlin will do what he does best, and for your peace of mind, it's best not to question it.
"You two hold Romani in high regard," Morgan said.
"He was a pessimist most of the time, making so many of his decisions based on the 'advice' from Magi Mari, he would run away or not do anything if ever caught in a dilemma," Da Vinci said, listing many of Romani's flaws. "But at the same time he was someone that you could rely on," she finishes with a beautiful smile.
Yes, you could.
I would spend hours talking with him about the singularities, the pressure, the fear. Whenever I needed to talk about those things, he was always there for me.
"What about Olga? You never talked much about her," Morgan said.
Right, Morgan met 'her' when she was already the vessel of the Alien God.
I hum softly as the screen replays the moment Olga explained to me what it means to be a magus and the fundamentals of magecraft.
"Well, I tried to evade thinking about her as much as possible since the first thing that would pop into my head would be....her death," I said, my grip on the armrest tightening. "I had nightmares about that for quite a while."
Morgan grabs my hand and squeezes trying to comfort me.
"You never told me that," Da Vinci said with a worried frown.
"I told Romani and asked him to keep it a secret. Back then I wasn't comfortable talking about this kind of stuff with you and I didn't think you would want to given how busy you were," I said apologetically.
Da Vinci sighs, "That's fair."
"Anyway, during the brief time I worked under her, I can say that Olga was a stern yet fair director. Even though she was appalled by my complete lack of skills as a master and magus, she still took the time to explain everything to me," I said.
"That girl carried too much weight on her shoulders," Da Vinci said sadly. "She constantly doubted her ability to lead Chaldea but pushed forward anyway because it was her responsibility as the Animusphere heir. It certainly didn't help that the only person she completely trusted was Lev."
"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies; it comes from those you trust the most," Medea said with a faraway gaze.
"....she was afraid of Mash, you know," Da Vinci said suddenly. "She was convinced that Mash would seek revenge against her and nothing would convince her otherwise. And trust me, Romani and I tried. That was the most tragic aspect of Olga, she was the heir of a prestigious family and a talented magus but didn't have the mentality of one."
"The world of mystics is a merciless one. Even the most hardened of mages can fall into despair. I take her life was full of hardships?" Morgan asked.
"Yep. We found her diary and it painted a rather ugly picture of what she was going through as she tried to command Chaldea," Da Vinci said grimly.
Well, this conversation took a depressing turn.
Huh, we're already at the end of my memory of Fuyuki.
Wait, what in the world?
"You change my memories," I raised an eyebrow.
Olga died when she was absorbed by CHALDEAS; however, my memory shows Lev snapping his fingers, causing Olga to be engulfed by a bright light, seemingly killing her instantly.
"I asked them to do that. Just because we're going to show your memories doesn't mean we also need to traumatize your family, especially your little sister," Da Vinci explained.
Oh god, I didn't even think what this would do to Daisy.
"What exactly did you do?" I asked.
"We placed a filter on your memories to tone down the gruesome deaths. We're seeing the same thing your parents are, your little sister on the other hand is seeing a more edited version," Morgan said.
Good, this could have been very bad.
"The memory ended," Medea said suddenly.
Time to face the music.
My family are all looking at me with wide eyes.
"So....questions?" I asked with a smile. "And one at a time please!" I quickly added before they had the chance to even speak a word.
"When did this happen!?" Issac asked.
"Are you okay!?" Nora asked.
"Can I also do magic!?" Daisy asked.
Everyone turns their attention to Daisy.
"What?" Daisy tilts her head innocently.
"I'm going to start with Daisy's question: if you have magical circuits then yeah, you can learn magecraft. We would just need to find you a teacher," I said.
Medea would be a good choice.
"I'm better now, but during my adventures, there were times I got seriously hurt. You all saw my scars," I said.
Mom and Dad grimaced at the reminder.
"And from your perspective, all of this took place while I was in a coma. But don't be mistaken, I was gone for years," I said gravely.
"But....you were only in a coma for two months," Isaac said stunned.
"Time moves differently between worlds. What was two months for you were years for us," Da Vinci said.
My family is stunned into silence.
I clap my hands, bringing their attention back.
"None of that! You wanted to know and here we are! Ask all the questions you want!" I said.
"Uhm, okay. How did you end up there?" Isaac asked.
"The wizard marshall Kirschur Zelretch Schweinorg summoned me to save his world. He took my soul and placed it in another body. That's how I ended up in a coma and why the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me," I said.
"....what?" Isaac blinks rapidly.
"Told you wouldn't believe me," I said.
"Why it had to be you?" Nora asked.
"I have no idea. I only found out from Morgan after I summoned her," I said.
"Zelretch didn't provide many details about the spell he used to summon you to us either. He just mentioned that it would find the right person for the job," Da Vinci said with a shrug.
Isaac narrowed his eyes, "Wait a second, did he just dump all of this on your shoulders without even explaining?"
"....yes," I said.
Dad opens his mouth to curse but Mom shoots him a glare, stopping him.
Dad takes a deep breath to calm down.
"Where is he?" Isaac asks angrily.
"Somewhere that you are never going to reach. Trust me, that is a good thing," Da Vinci said.
Dad falters for a moment.
"Don't worry, I'm going to punch that son of a bitch when I see him," I said, giving a thumbs up.
Isaac nods, "Break his teeth."
Oh, I'm going to try.
"What else do you want to know?" Da Vinci asked.
"The memory showed you as an adult. Why are you a little girl?" Nora asked.
"That will be explained later," Da Vinci said with a strained smile.
"I still don't get what a servant is," Daisy said.
"Servants, also called Heroic Spirits, are familiars of the highest rank. They are individuals who have left a mark in history one way or another. Normally, you could only summon a servant to participate in a Holy Grail War but we were able to create a new system that would allow us to summon them whenever we wanted. We call it the Fate System and it was crucial to our endeavors in saving the world," Da Vinci said in a lecturing tone.
"Holy grail war?" Isaac, Nora, and Daisy asked at the same time.
"A Holy Grail War is a battle royale among seven masters, each summoning a servant to fight on their behalf. And the winner will have their wish granted by the Holy Grail," Morgan said.
"And to make something clear, the Holy Grail that we're talking about isn't the Cup of Christ. They are essentially giant mana batteries that are used to create and maintain singularities. There aren't many of them since they demand an obscene amount of magical energy to create one," Da Vinci said.
She says that and yet we came to possess an absurd number of Holy Grails.
"Who is behind this incineration thing?" Isaac asked.
"At first we thought it was Solomon but then we found out that it wasn't him but something connected to him," Da Vinci said.
"What does that mean? And who's Solomon?" Nora asked.
"Solomon was the third king of Israel, he was also considered the king of magecraft for his mastery over it. He was a crucial figure in the world of mystics and his death caused the decline in mysteries to accelerate," Da Vinci said, giving a brief summary. "As for the second part, it's better for you to see it."
Dad raises an eyebrow at Da Vinci's answer.
"How many servants are there?" Nora asked.
"Almost four hundred," Da Vinci said casually.
My family's eyes widen in surprise.
"That many!" Nora exclaimed in surprise.
"Are all of them coming here?" Daisy asks excitedly.
"That is the idea," I said.
The PRT/Protectorate will have a heart attack when everyone is here.
"Why is Chaldea moving to Brockton Bay?" Isaac asks before his eyes widen in panic. "Is that also going to happen to us!?"
Mom and Daisy tense in fear.
"No! That isn't what is happening!" I said quickly."You have nothing to worry about...I mean, besides the normal stuff like villains or endbringers."
Mom, Dad, and Daisy give stare at me deadpan.
"As for the reason why we're moving to Brockton is quite simple. Our job is done and we want to be together with master," Medea explained.
"But you are abandoning your home," Nora said with a frown.
Medea giggled, "No I'm not, since Chaldea is my home now. That is a sentiment that many servants share as well. Besides, there is nothing for me to return to anyway."
"It's also could be considered a second chance for us. The Mage Association would never leave us alone, they would try their very best to destroy us," Morgan said.
"Why would they do that? You guys saved the world!" Daisy said in disbelief.
Oh Daisy, you sweet innocent child.
"Because the majority of magus aren't good people, monstrous is even a good description to many of them. Magus are the kind of people who can look at a burning home and will only lift a hand to help if there is some kind of reward for them. All they care about is how they are going to further their goals," Medea said.
Morgan hums, "The lords of the Mage Association are also notoriously paranoid and don't accept anything that can be a threat to their power. Which in their eyes was what Chaldea represented."
There is also the whole sealing designation they would place on me.
"Anything else or we can continue?" I asked.
"Isn't King Arthur supposed to be a man?" Daisy asked.
I was wondering when they would ask about that.
"Artoria was forced to hide her gender otherwise she wouldn't have been able to rule over Camelot. By the way, there are a lot of servants that history got their genders wrong or they were summoned as women for one reason or another," I said.
"And that is normal?" Daisy raises an eyebrow.
"There was a point that I just stopped questioning about that and just accepted as a fact," I shrug.
Artoria is one thing, but how the hell do you mess up with Nero!?
How do you look at her and go: Yeah, that is definitely a man.
What the hell were the guys that were making her statues drinking?
"Anything else?" I asked.
My family shakes their heads, satisfied for now.
The screen lights up, showing my next memories.
We spend the next few hours seeing the singularities of Orlean, Septem, and Okeanos.
My family had a few questions, mostly just explanations about some minor things but most of the time they were quietly watching. I could see by their faces that they were enthralled by my adventures.
It was in the London singularity that they saw for the first time Goetia.
"Dear lord, there are so many of them," Isaac whispered stunned.
The screen just showed our fight against 'Solomon' and his Demon God Pillars, and how we barely survived the fight against him.
Dad, Mom, and Daisy are looking at the screen with expressions of fear.
"That is the perpetrator behind the Human Order Incineration Incident. The Grand Caster and King of Mages 'Solomon'," I said grimly.
"Why is he doing this?" Daisy asked.
"He wants to create a world where the concept of death doesn't exist. In his eyes, the incineration was the only way to 'save' humanity and secure a better future for them," Da Vinci said sadly.
Isaac rubs his temples, struggling to understand what Da Vinci just said.
"Hold on, what're you-" I interrupt Dad.
"Be patient and you will see what we're talking about," I said tiredly.
That was one of the hardest moments in our adventures.
Realizing that your enemy deems you so insignificant that they don't even find it worth the effort to eliminate you can be utterly demoralizing.
"How about we see something more lighthearted?" Medea offers.
Lighthearted?
"Oh, you mean the 'events'," I said.
I could use a laugh right now.
"What is that?" Nora raised an eyebrow.
"Every Summer, Valentine's Days, Halloween, and Christmas, a temporary singularity would emerge. These events were the perfect opportunities to gather and, most importantly, to unwind," Da Vinci explained.
"Well, there were also some irregular singularities. Histories from other worlds that manifested in our timeline and we need to take care of them otherwise it would spiral out of control," I said, rubbing my neck. "Than there's GUDAGUDA."
I swear, that only got more unhinged with time.
"GUDA-what now?" Daisy asked.
I rub my chin in thought, "It's unique... every time it was....hold on, give me-"
"It's an insult to common sense," Morgan said frustrated, explaining to my family. "With every instance being more bizarre than the last. That event does as it pleases. To this day I'm shocked that Nobunaga's existence never has become a threat to the Human Order."
Morgan once tried to understand the insanity of GUDAGUDA.
That didn't end well.
"Okay, now I'm curious. Ridiculous like what?" Isaac asked.
Medea hums, "There was one time that Nobunaga literally lost her head, somehow she didn't die from that, and it was used as one of the components to power an artificial god."
"I'm sorry?" Nora asked dumbfounded.
"Or that time we had to go back to Yamatai-koku to stop the ancestral beast from destroying the world with curses. To have a chance to defeat him we had to use tea to weaken him first. Lots of tea," I said.
I don't know what I said with a straight face.
Dad is staring at us as if we've completely lost it.
Daisy, on the other hand, has stars in her eyes.
"There is also the Saber Wars. I always found them to be very entertaining," Medea said amused.
"It's basically Star Wars, just with servants instead of Jedi and Siths," I explained to my family.
"That sounds fun," Daisy said, vibrating with excitement.
Da Vinci nods, "Indeed, Chaldea was always more lively whenever the 'events' happened. Let's watch a few of them before returning to the singularities."
Everyone nods and the screen lights up.
We spent the next five hours laughing at how silly each event was.
It was a good way to distract my family since they were going to see the worst singularities next.
Camelot was bad enough but Babylonia was a bloodbath. And Tiamat.....I'm not looking forward.
"Just to be clear, these events happen every holiday, yes?" Isaac asked.
"That is correct," Da Vinci nods.
"And they all needed a Holy Grail?" Isaac asked.
"They may be temporary but they are still singularities. They need massive amounts of magical energy to manifest, which is where the Holy Grail comes into the picture," Da Vinci said, curious to see where Isaac is going with these questions.
"This is a plot from that Solomon guy to distract Chaldea, isn't it?" Isaac asked.
"What?" Da Vinci, Morgan, Medea and I said at the same time.
"You said before that there weren't many Holy Grails but now there's all these extra ones that you get at these events. I get it that you primarily use these events to gather resources but this whole thing feels too convenient," Isaac shrugs.
Mom nods in agreement.
"It's so suspicious!" Daisy exclaims.
"Okay, yeah, I can see why you all think that but there's a glaring flaw in your logic. Go-Solomon didn't see Chaldea as a threat. To him, all of our efforts were pointless and we were just delaying the inevitable conclusion. In his eyes, we weren't worth the effort. It was only after we solved the Babylonia singularity that he started to pay attention to Chaldea," Da Vinci said with a frown.
As infuriating as that was, it was the only thing stopping Goetia from just wiping out Chaldea whenever he felt like it.
"I see," Isaac said quietly.
"We-Well, those were very entertaining to see!" Nora quickly said, hoping to keep the conversation going.
"When Christmas comes around, which Santa should I ask for presents?" Daisy tilts her head in thought.
"Huh, I will tell you later," I said.
Oh boy, there's going to be a fight on who gets to be Santa in Brockton Bay this year.
Daisy raises her hand, "About the GUDAGUDA-"
"It's best for your and everyone's sanity if you don't ask any questions about that. That's a rabbit hole that you don't want to see how far it goes," Morgan said.
Medea, Da Vinci and I nod in agreement.
"....Okay," Daisy said uncertainly.
"This was a good break. It's about time we end the singularities since there's still a lot to go over," Da Vinci said.
"How much more is there?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.
"This is just the first part," I said simply. "There's two more parts."
"What!" Isaac said.
"Oh my god, how many singularities are there?" Nora asked shocked.
"The singularities are only in the first part. What comes next is completely different," Da Vinci said.
"I'm going to give you guys a little spoiler: the first part was the easiest one," I said seriously.
My family glanced at each other, shocked by this piece of information.
The screen starts to play the remaining of the singularities.
E Pluribus Unum wasn't a bad one.
Besides Medb summoning twenty-eight Demon God Pillars, my focus there was to stop Nightingale from amputating one of my limbs.
She eased on that. Now she just uses enough bandages that I always end up looking like a mummy.
When Edison first appeared, my family was skeptical about his identity. And who can blame them?
He looks like the mix between a bodybuilder and a lion.
What can I say?
The Throne of Heroes is weird sometimes.
Look at Babbage. He is a steam-powered robot.
Was it ever explained why he was summoned like that?
I grimaced at seeing Mash collapse in my arms.
"What happened to her?" Nora asked concerned.
My memories didn't show anything about the Demi-Servant experiments that Mash went through. They think that she made a contract with a servant and used her body as a vessel.
"Unfortunately, Mash's servant's abilities would push her body beyond its limits. To put it simply: her body was slowly falling apart," Da Vinci said grimly.
Mom and Daisy let out a gasp while Dad tensed.
"She is fine now, we were able to stabilize her body. She can now safely use the full potential of her servant's abilities," Da Vinci said.
"How did you do that?" Daisy asked curious.
Fou had to give up his position as one of the Evil of Humanity to bring Mash back to life and give her a normal life span.
To this day I still can't believe that Fou was a Beast.
"Sorry but that is a secret," Da Vinci said with a wink.
Daisy pouts in response.
Camelot came next and that one was a nasty surprise.
The Knights of the Round Table were all formidable opponents but they didn't come close to their leader.
The Lion King.
Rhongomyniad turned Artoria's existence closer to a Divine Spirit. She was already powerful as a 'normal' servant, which made her unstoppable.
"What kind of plan is that?" Isaac said, not believing the Lion King's plan.
"She is dooming so many to death," Nora said.
"Couldn't she help you guys in beating Solomon? She's so strong!" Daisy said.
"You're misunderstanding something critical. The Lion King's thought process is of a Divine Spirit. There is no point in trying to understand her plan using the morality of a human," Morgan said.
"In her eyes, this is the best way to 'save' humanity," I said.
It doesn't take long before our final fight against the Lion King and Bedivere's sacrifice.
"I don't get it. Why does he have Excalibur?" Daisy asked.
"Bedivere was supposed to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He spent the next five hundred years looking for Artoria to fix that mistake and return Excalibur to its rightful owner," Da Vinci explained.
It's also what helped us win the fight.
Now the seventh singularity.
Babylonia.
"She doesn't get paid enough to deal with that golden bastard," Medea said.
"It's not that bad. Siduri was one of the few people that Gilgamesh would listen to," I said.
Gilgamesh is also a lot more tolerable when he isn't in his adult archer variant.
My family let out a gasp at our fight against Quetzalcoatl.
My parents turned to me with wide eyes.
"What?" I asked.
"What the hell was that!?" Isaac exclaims in disbelief.
"You freefall into a literal goddess that could kill you with a finger! What were you thinking!?" Nora exclaims in a mix of worry and anger.
"Okay, I admit that it was more of a spur-of-the-moment plan," I rub my neck.
"Why!?" Isaac and Nora demanded.
"....it made sense at the time," I said weakly
My father pinchs his nose and Mom keeps looking at me in disbelief.
Yeah, looking back I have no idea where that idea came from.
The memory continues with us rescuing Gilgamesh from the underworld and recruiting Ereshkigal.
Gorgon's defeat is where things went to hell.
Tiamat unleashed her authority, the chaos tides, and the destruction of Uruk by the Lahmu.
The beautiful land of Mesopotamia quickly became a hellscape.
Even after all this time, seeing the true form of Tiamat emerging from the ocean still sends a shiver down my spine. And by the looks of it, my family feels the same way.
"You fought that?" Isaac said in disbelief.
"Yes," I said.
"This is just a memory and yet there's this voice in my head that is saying that I need to run away," Nora said, her voice tinged with fear but still looking at the memory.
That is the appropriate reaction when facing a Beast.
"Tiamat is the first Beast that we fought," I said.
Isaac swallows heavily, "There are others?"
"Yes," I said grimly.
Mom and Dad stay quiet at my answer.
"She is like an Endbringer," Daisy whispered.
You're wrong Daisy.
Tiamat is so much worse. Unlike the Endbringers, she would have destroyed the world a long time ago.
I don't know why is taking the Endbringers so long to do that.
The battles reached their peak when we were able to throw Tiamat into the underworld and King Hassan joined the fight.
"Look! It's that skull guy from Camelot!" Daisy said.
....skull guy.
Only you Daisy.
Even in the underworld, the only place that could weaken her authority, it was a gruesome battle that we won by the skin of our teeth.
Finally, we reach the final battle to reclaim humanity's future.
The Temple of Time.
"How can such a place exist?" Nora asked.
My family is looking at the temple with wide eyes, shocked at the image in front of them.
"The second noble phantasm of Solomon, Ars Paulina. It's a reality marble that exists outside of the universe and outside of time, located in the space of imaginary numbers," Da Vinci explains.
Here comes Flauros to mock us.
Asshole.
"Didn't he die?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.
"He did, and Solomon summoned him back. That isn't the worst part, he and the other Demon God Pillars are immortals as long as they are inside the temple," I said.
"That's cheating!" Daisy exclaims.
Yes, it is.
In the beginning, it was a hopeless fight since no matter how many Demon God Pillars Mash and I defeated, they would quickly return.
Everything changed when every servant that I came across, both enemies and friends, in the singularities summoned themselves to help us.
It was a sight to behold as they arrived like shooting stars, lighting up the sky.
Daisy certainly enjoyed that as she was cheering loudly.
The servants opened a path for Mash and me to go to the throne room and confront Solomon. That is when he revealed who he really was.
Beast I - Goetia.
I grip my armchair tightly at seeing once again Mash sacrificing herself to block Ars Almadel Salomonis.
"She survived," I said suddenly. "We can't reveal how but she is fine," I stressed the last part.
I'm not sure if I said that before my family could say anything or if I needed to reassure myself.
Romani appears shortly, reveals himself to be the real Solomon, and uses his noble phantasm, Ars Nova, to give us a chance to defeat Goetia.
Fucking hell, I hate this part.
Even weakened it was still a harsh fight against Goetia, eventually, we did come on top. That bastard decided to be a sore loser and tried to stop me from leaving the Temple of Time.
I do regret not punching him harder before he disintegrated.
The memory comes to an end when Mash and I leave Chaldea to see the sky.
The screen turns off and the room stays silent for a few seconds.
"That was awesome!" Daisy cheers, breaking the silence.
"I still can't believe what I just watched," Isaac said shaking his head.
"I can't believe that was just the first part," Nora said.
I glance at Da Vinci and notice her gaze remains fixed on the screen, her expression tinged with melancholy.
"You okay?" I asked softly.
"Yeah, I just need a moment," Da Vinci said with a sad smile.
I think we could use a short break.
"Okay! We are going to have a short break before we see the 'Epic of Remnant', then we are going to see the second part," I said.
"What is that?" Nora asked.
"Some of the Demon God Pillars managed to escape the Temple of Time. They created singularities to lure master so that they could get their revenge," Medea said.
Isaac chuckles, "They kept saying how superior they were compared to humanity and now they are acting so petty."
Nora nodded, "Yes, these Demon God Pillars should have just accepted their defeat. Instead they decided to humiliate themselves. How shameful," she said with a vicious smile.
I raise an eyebrow at what my parents said.
"Okay, let's begin," I said.
The screen lights up.
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Sorry it took so long to post this.
For some reason this chapter was kicking my ass, what the hell.
I thought that I could tell the story of FGO in one chapter but I was very wrong.
Next chapter I'm going to speed up things so that we may move to the end of the Empire.
Here is a little spoiler about Henry family.
His family will appear more in the story but the focus will be on Daisy as she does have magical circuits.
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Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.
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"Where are we?" Isaac asked, looking around the place.
"Are we inside my head?" I asked curiously.
Mom glances around nervously, while Daisy's eyes wander, her face glowing with curiosity.
Morgan shakes her head, "It's a temporary 'room' we have created to better show your memories."
It looks like a movie theater.
"Time moves faster inside this 'room' than the outside. So we can take our time and answer all the questions that you all are going to have," Morgan said.
"Cool, is that your power....what was your name again?" Daisy asked embarrassed.
Oh right, I didn't introduce them before.
"I'm Morgan Le Fay's child and no, this isn't my 'power'. This is just a simple spell, there isn't any reason to be impressed about it," Morgan said.
"Yeah, I'm not satisfied either with how it turned out," Medea said, looking around the place with a displeased face. "Oh, by the way, I'm Medea. It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said with a beautiful smile.
Well, they are both geniuses when it comes to magecraft, so it's easy to see why they think that. However, I'm sure others would disagree with their opinion on the matter.
"How long is this going to take?" Nora asked.
I hum thoughtfully, "I'd say about a day and a half, give or take. Right?" I look at Medea for confirmation.
Medea nods, "Oh yeah, this is going to easily take that long to show everything."
"Day and a half?! We can't stay that long here!" Isaac exclaimed.
"It's fine. Only a few minutes will have passed when this is over. And before you ask, no we won't get hungry or need to sleep in here," Medea waves of Isaac's concerns.
Dad glances at me, silently asking me if Medea is telling the truth.
"She knows what she is talking about," I said.
Dad turns to Mom, who simply shrugs in response.
Da Vinci clapes her hands, "Ok. Let's all sit down so we can get this started."
We all sit down and face the screen. My family is seated to my right, while Da Vinci, Medea, and Morgan are seated to my left.
The first thing that my family sees is me meeting Mash.
"Who is th-"
"Shhhh!" I silenced my family. "Watch first, questions later."
My family returned their attention to the screen.
"God, it feels like it was a lifetime ago that I walked those halls," I said, looking sadly at my second home.
"It really does, doesn't it," Da Vinci said with a touch of melancholy.
A majority of the place was destroyed in our last fight against the Alien God. That bastard was throwing attacks left and right without a care in the world.
I'm pretty sure that was a last 'fuck you' from that son of a bitch.
"Did you rebuild it?" I asked.
"Not everything, since we were short on materials thanks to the Mage Association," Da Vinci said, her tone sharp with frustration. "But we don't have to worry about that anymore. All we need to do now is fix the place enough for Goredolf to come and go as he pleases."
The last bastion of humanity and we aren't even allowed to rebuild it because of some stuck-up nobles.
"I hate the Mage Association," I said bitterly.
"....me too," Da Vinci said.
"So that is Romani Archaman," Morgan commented.
I blink rapidly and return my attention to the screen.
"Yeah," I said softly.
"You two always spoke highly of him. I'm curious though, what is he doing in your room?"Morgan asked.
"Usually he didn't have much work since the medical procedures were done by machines, so he would go to my room to relax," I said.
"He used to go to my workshop, we would spend the afternoon chatting about anything that came to our minds," Da Vinci said with a small smile. "He changed to your room when Olga caught him there and scolded him."
"Do you remember Magi Mari?" I asked.
"Yes! I was so confused about how that was possible. I mean, the world was gone but somehow this 'idol' was still able to stream!" Da Vinci said with a huff.
"He asked me to make models of her," Medea said amused.
"I watched with him once. It was surprisingly very good," I said.
"Who was this idol? To be able to protect herself from Goetia's machinations, she must have been a powerful sorceress," Morgan remarks, tilting her head in curiosity.
"It was Merlin," of all the explanations I never expected that one.
"...I see," Morgan said with a small frown, dropping the matter.
Yeah, Merlin will do what he does best, and for your peace of mind, it's best not to question it.
"You two hold Romani in high regard," Morgan said.
"He was a pessimist most of the time, making so many of his decisions based on the 'advice' from Magi Mari, he would run away or not do anything if ever caught in a dilemma," Da Vinci said, listing many of Romani's flaws. "But at the same time he was someone that you could rely on," she finishes with a beautiful smile.
Yes, you could.
I would spend hours talking with him about the singularities, the pressure, the fear. Whenever I needed to talk about those things, he was always there for me.
"What about Olga? You never talked much about her," Morgan said.
Right, Morgan met 'her' when she was already the vessel of the Alien God.
I hum softly as the screen replays the moment Olga explained to me what it means to be a magus and the fundamentals of magecraft.
"Well, I tried to evade thinking about her as much as possible since the first thing that would pop into my head would be....her death," I said, my grip on the armrest tightening. "I had nightmares about that for quite a while."
Morgan grabs my hand and squeezes trying to comfort me.
"You never told me that," Da Vinci said with a worried frown.
"I told Romani and asked him to keep it a secret. Back then I wasn't comfortable talking about this kind of stuff with you and I didn't think you would want to given how busy you were," I said apologetically.
Da Vinci sighs, "That's fair."
"Anyway, during the brief time I worked under her, I can say that Olga was a stern yet fair director. Even though she was appalled by my complete lack of skills as a master and magus, she still took the time to explain everything to me," I said.
"That girl carried too much weight on her shoulders," Da Vinci said sadly. "She constantly doubted her ability to lead Chaldea but pushed forward anyway because it was her responsibility as the Animusphere heir. It certainly didn't help that the only person she completely trusted was Lev."
"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies; it comes from those you trust the most," Medea said with a faraway gaze.
"....she was afraid of Mash, you know," Da Vinci said suddenly. "She was convinced that Mash would seek revenge against her and nothing would convince her otherwise. And trust me, Romani and I tried. That was the most tragic aspect of Olga, she was the heir of a prestigious family and a talented magus but didn't have the mentality of one."
"The world of mystics is a merciless one. Even the most hardened of mages can fall into despair. I take her life was full of hardships?" Morgan asked.
"Yep. We found her diary and it painted a rather ugly picture of what she was going through as she tried to command Chaldea," Da Vinci said grimly.
Well, this conversation took a depressing turn.
Huh, we're already at the end of my memory of Fuyuki.
Wait, what in the world?
"You change my memories," I raised an eyebrow.
Olga died when she was absorbed by CHALDEAS; however, my memory shows Lev snapping his fingers, causing Olga to be engulfed by a bright light, seemingly killing her instantly.
"I asked them to do that. Just because we're going to show your memories doesn't mean we also need to traumatize your family, especially your little sister," Da Vinci explained.
Oh god, I didn't even think what this would do to Daisy.
"What exactly did you do?" I asked.
"We placed a filter on your memories to tone down the gruesome deaths. We're seeing the same thing your parents are, your little sister on the other hand is seeing a more edited version," Morgan said.
Good, this could have been very bad.
"The memory ended," Medea said suddenly.
Time to face the music.
My family are all looking at me with wide eyes.
"So....questions?" I asked with a smile. "And one at a time please!" I quickly added before they had the chance to even speak a word.
"When did this happen!?" Issac asked.
"Are you okay!?" Nora asked.
"Can I also do magic!?" Daisy asked.
Everyone turns their attention to Daisy.
"What?" Daisy tilts her head innocently.
"I'm going to start with Daisy's question: if you have magical circuits then yeah, you can learn magecraft. We would just need to find you a teacher," I said.
Medea would be a good choice.
"I'm better now, but during my adventures, there were times I got seriously hurt. You all saw my scars," I said.
Mom and Dad grimaced at the reminder.
"And from your perspective, all of this took place while I was in a coma. But don't be mistaken, I was gone for years," I said gravely.
"But....you were only in a coma for two months," Isaac said stunned.
"Time moves differently between worlds. What was two months for you were years for us," Da Vinci said.
My family is stunned into silence.
I clap my hands, bringing their attention back.
"None of that! You wanted to know and here we are! Ask all the questions you want!" I said.
"Uhm, okay. How did you end up there?" Isaac asked.
"The wizard marshall Kirschur Zelretch Schweinorg summoned me to save his world. He took my soul and placed it in another body. That's how I ended up in a coma and why the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me," I said.
"....what?" Isaac blinks rapidly.
"Told you wouldn't believe me," I said.
"Why it had to be you?" Nora asked.
"I have no idea. I only found out from Morgan after I summoned her," I said.
"Zelretch didn't provide many details about the spell he used to summon you to us either. He just mentioned that it would find the right person for the job," Da Vinci said with a shrug.
Isaac narrowed his eyes, "Wait a second, did he just dump all of this on your shoulders without even explaining?"
"....yes," I said.
Dad opens his mouth to curse but Mom shoots him a glare, stopping him.
Dad takes a deep breath to calm down.
"Where is he?" Isaac asks angrily.
"Somewhere that you are never going to reach. Trust me, that is a good thing," Da Vinci said.
Dad falters for a moment.
"Don't worry, I'm going to punch that son of a bitch when I see him," I said, giving a thumbs up.
Isaac nods, "Break his teeth."
Oh, I'm going to try.
"What else do you want to know?" Da Vinci asked.
"The memory showed you as an adult. Why are you a little girl?" Nora asked.
"That will be explained later," Da Vinci said with a strained smile.
"I still don't get what a servant is," Daisy said.
"Servants, also called Heroic Spirits, are familiars of the highest rank. They are individuals who have left a mark in history one way or another. Normally, you could only summon a servant to participate in a Holy Grail War but we were able to create a new system that would allow us to summon them whenever we wanted. We call it the Fate System and it was crucial to our endeavors in saving the world," Da Vinci said in a lecturing tone.
"Holy grail war?" Isaac, Nora, and Daisy asked at the same time.
"A Holy Grail War is a battle royale among seven masters, each summoning a servant to fight on their behalf. And the winner will have their wish granted by the Holy Grail," Morgan said.
"And to make something clear, the Holy Grail that we're talking about isn't the Cup of Christ. They are essentially giant mana batteries that are used to create and maintain singularities. There aren't many of them since they demand an obscene amount of magical energy to create one," Da Vinci said.
She says that and yet we came to possess an absurd number of Holy Grails.
"Who is behind this incineration thing?" Isaac asked.
"At first we thought it was Solomon but then we found out that it wasn't him but something connected to him," Da Vinci said.
"What does that mean? And who's Solomon?" Nora asked.
"Solomon was the third king of Israel, he was also considered the king of magecraft for his mastery over it. He was a crucial figure in the world of mystics and his death caused the decline in mysteries to accelerate," Da Vinci said, giving a brief summary. "As for the second part, it's better for you to see it."
Dad raises an eyebrow at Da Vinci's answer.
"How many servants are there?" Nora asked.
"Almost four hundred," Da Vinci said casually.
My family's eyes widen in surprise.
"That many!" Nora exclaimed in surprise.
"Are all of them coming here?" Daisy asks excitedly.
"That is the idea," I said.
The PRT/Protectorate will have a heart attack when everyone is here.
"Why is Chaldea moving to Brockton Bay?" Isaac asks before his eyes widen in panic. "Is that also going to happen to us!?"
Mom and Daisy tense in fear.
"No! That isn't what is happening!" I said quickly."You have nothing to worry about...I mean, besides the normal stuff like villains or endbringers."
Mom, Dad, and Daisy give stare at me deadpan.
"As for the reason why we're moving to Brockton is quite simple. Our job is done and we want to be together with master," Medea explained.
"But you are abandoning your home," Nora said with a frown.
Medea giggled, "No I'm not, since Chaldea is my home now. That is a sentiment that many servants share as well. Besides, there is nothing for me to return to anyway."
"It's also could be considered a second chance for us. The Mage Association would never leave us alone, they would try their very best to destroy us," Morgan said.
"Why would they do that? You guys saved the world!" Daisy said in disbelief.
Oh Daisy, you sweet innocent child.
"Because the majority of magus aren't good people, monstrous is even a good description to many of them. Magus are the kind of people who can look at a burning home and will only lift a hand to help if there is some kind of reward for them. All they care about is how they are going to further their goals," Medea said.
Morgan hums, "The lords of the Mage Association are also notoriously paranoid and don't accept anything that can be a threat to their power. Which in their eyes was what Chaldea represented."
There is also the whole sealing designation they would place on me.
"Anything else or we can continue?" I asked.
"Isn't King Arthur supposed to be a man?" Daisy asked.
I was wondering when they would ask about that.
"Artoria was forced to hide her gender otherwise she wouldn't have been able to rule over Camelot. By the way, there are a lot of servants that history got their genders wrong or they were summoned as women for one reason or another," I said.
"And that is normal?" Daisy raises an eyebrow.
"There was a point that I just stopped questioning about that and just accepted as a fact," I shrug.
Artoria is one thing, but how the hell do you mess up with Nero!?
How do you look at her and go: Yeah, that is definitely a man.
What the hell were the guys that were making her statues drinking?
"Anything else?" I asked.
My family shakes their heads, satisfied for now.
The screen lights up, showing my next memories.
We spend the next few hours seeing the singularities of Orlean, Septem, and Okeanos.
My family had a few questions, mostly just explanations about some minor things but most of the time they were quietly watching. I could see by their faces that they were enthralled by my adventures.
It was in the London singularity that they saw for the first time Goetia.
"Dear lord, there are so many of them," Isaac whispered stunned.
The screen just showed our fight against 'Solomon' and his Demon God Pillars, and how we barely survived the fight against him.
Dad, Mom, and Daisy are looking at the screen with expressions of fear.
"That is the perpetrator behind the Human Order Incineration Incident. The Grand Caster and King of Mages 'Solomon'," I said grimly.
"Why is he doing this?" Daisy asked.
"He wants to create a world where the concept of death doesn't exist. In his eyes, the incineration was the only way to 'save' humanity and secure a better future for them," Da Vinci said sadly.
Isaac rubs his temples, struggling to understand what Da Vinci just said.
"Hold on, what're you-" I interrupt Dad.
"Be patient and you will see what we're talking about," I said tiredly.
That was one of the hardest moments in our adventures.
Realizing that your enemy deems you so insignificant that they don't even find it worth the effort to eliminate you can be utterly demoralizing.
"How about we see something more lighthearted?" Medea offers.
Lighthearted?
"Oh, you mean the 'events'," I said.
I could use a laugh right now.
"What is that?" Nora raised an eyebrow.
"Every Summer, Valentine's Days, Halloween, and Christmas, a temporary singularity would emerge. These events were the perfect opportunities to gather and, most importantly, to unwind," Da Vinci explained.
"Well, there were also some irregular singularities. Histories from other worlds that manifested in our timeline and we need to take care of them otherwise it would spiral out of control," I said, rubbing my neck. "Than there's GUDAGUDA."
I swear, that only got more unhinged with time.
"GUDA-what now?" Daisy asked.
I rub my chin in thought, "It's unique... every time it was....hold on, give me-"
"It's an insult to common sense," Morgan said frustrated, explaining to my family. "With every instance being more bizarre than the last. That event does as it pleases. To this day I'm shocked that Nobunaga's existence never has become a threat to the Human Order."
Morgan once tried to understand the insanity of GUDAGUDA.
That didn't end well.
"Okay, now I'm curious. Ridiculous like what?" Isaac asked.
Medea hums, "There was one time that Nobunaga literally lost her head, somehow she didn't die from that, and it was used as one of the components to power an artificial god."
"I'm sorry?" Nora asked dumbfounded.
"Or that time we had to go back to Yamatai-koku to stop the ancestral beast from destroying the world with curses. To have a chance to defeat him we had to use tea to weaken him first. Lots of tea," I said.
I don't know what I said with a straight face.
Dad is staring at us as if we've completely lost it.
Daisy, on the other hand, has stars in her eyes.
"There is also the Saber Wars. I always found them to be very entertaining," Medea said amused.
"It's basically Star Wars, just with servants instead of Jedi and Siths," I explained to my family.
"That sounds fun," Daisy said, vibrating with excitement.
Da Vinci nods, "Indeed, Chaldea was always more lively whenever the 'events' happened. Let's watch a few of them before returning to the singularities."
Everyone nods and the screen lights up.
We spent the next five hours laughing at how silly each event was.
It was a good way to distract my family since they were going to see the worst singularities next.
Camelot was bad enough but Babylonia was a bloodbath. And Tiamat.....I'm not looking forward.
"Just to be clear, these events happen every holiday, yes?" Isaac asked.
"That is correct," Da Vinci nods.
"And they all needed a Holy Grail?" Isaac asked.
"They may be temporary but they are still singularities. They need massive amounts of magical energy to manifest, which is where the Holy Grail comes into the picture," Da Vinci said, curious to see where Isaac is going with these questions.
"This is a plot from that Solomon guy to distract Chaldea, isn't it?" Isaac asked.
"What?" Da Vinci, Morgan, Medea and I said at the same time.
"You said before that there weren't many Holy Grails but now there's all these extra ones that you get at these events. I get it that you primarily use these events to gather resources but this whole thing feels too convenient," Isaac shrugs.
Mom nods in agreement.
"It's so suspicious!" Daisy exclaims.
"Okay, yeah, I can see why you all think that but there's a glaring flaw in your logic. Go-Solomon didn't see Chaldea as a threat. To him, all of our efforts were pointless and we were just delaying the inevitable conclusion. In his eyes, we weren't worth the effort. It was only after we solved the Babylonia singularity that he started to pay attention to Chaldea," Da Vinci said with a frown.
As infuriating as that was, it was the only thing stopping Goetia from just wiping out Chaldea whenever he felt like it.
"I see," Isaac said quietly.
"We-Well, those were very entertaining to see!" Nora quickly said, hoping to keep the conversation going.
"When Christmas comes around, which Santa should I ask for presents?" Daisy tilts her head in thought.
"Huh, I will tell you later," I said.
Oh boy, there's going to be a fight on who gets to be Santa in Brockton Bay this year.
Daisy raises her hand, "About the GUDAGUDA-"
"It's best for your and everyone's sanity if you don't ask any questions about that. That's a rabbit hole that you don't want to see how far it goes," Morgan said.
Medea, Da Vinci and I nod in agreement.
"....Okay," Daisy said uncertainly.
"This was a good break. It's about time we end the singularities since there's still a lot to go over," Da Vinci said.
"How much more is there?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.
"This is just the first part," I said simply. "There's two more parts."
"What!" Isaac said.
"Oh my god, how many singularities are there?" Nora asked shocked.
"The singularities are only in the first part. What comes next is completely different," Da Vinci said.
"I'm going to give you guys a little spoiler: the first part was the easiest one," I said seriously.
My family glanced at each other, shocked by this piece of information.
The screen starts to play the remaining of the singularities.
E Pluribus Unum wasn't a bad one.
Besides Medb summoning twenty-eight Demon God Pillars, my focus there was to stop Nightingale from amputating one of my limbs.
She eased on that. Now she just uses enough bandages that I always end up looking like a mummy.
When Edison first appeared, my family was skeptical about his identity. And who can blame them?
He looks like the mix between a bodybuilder and a lion.
What can I say?
The Throne of Heroes is weird sometimes.
Look at Babbage. He is a steam-powered robot.
Was it ever explained why he was summoned like that?
I grimaced at seeing Mash collapse in my arms.
"What happened to her?" Nora asked concerned.
My memories didn't show anything about the Demi-Servant experiments that Mash went through. They think that she made a contract with a servant and used her body as a vessel.
"Unfortunately, Mash's servant's abilities would push her body beyond its limits. To put it simply: her body was slowly falling apart," Da Vinci said grimly.
Mom and Daisy let out a gasp while Dad tensed.
"She is fine now, we were able to stabilize her body. She can now safely use the full potential of her servant's abilities," Da Vinci said.
"How did you do that?" Daisy asked curious.
Fou had to give up his position as one of the Evil of Humanity to bring Mash back to life and give her a normal life span.
To this day I still can't believe that Fou was a Beast.
"Sorry but that is a secret," Da Vinci said with a wink.
Daisy pouts in response.
Camelot came next and that one was a nasty surprise.
The Knights of the Round Table were all formidable opponents but they didn't come close to their leader.
The Lion King.
Rhongomyniad turned Artoria's existence closer to a Divine Spirit. She was already powerful as a 'normal' servant, which made her unstoppable.
"What kind of plan is that?" Isaac said, not believing the Lion King's plan.
"She is dooming so many to death," Nora said.
"Couldn't she help you guys in beating Solomon? She's so strong!" Daisy said.
"You're misunderstanding something critical. The Lion King's thought process is of a Divine Spirit. There is no point in trying to understand her plan using the morality of a human," Morgan said.
"In her eyes, this is the best way to 'save' humanity," I said.
It doesn't take long before our final fight against the Lion King and Bedivere's sacrifice.
"I don't get it. Why does he have Excalibur?" Daisy asked.
"Bedivere was supposed to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He spent the next five hundred years looking for Artoria to fix that mistake and return Excalibur to its rightful owner," Da Vinci explained.
It's also what helped us win the fight.
Now the seventh singularity.
Babylonia.
"She doesn't get paid enough to deal with that golden bastard," Medea said.
"It's not that bad. Siduri was one of the few people that Gilgamesh would listen to," I said.
Gilgamesh is also a lot more tolerable when he isn't in his adult archer variant.
My family let out a gasp at our fight against Quetzalcoatl.
My parents turned to me with wide eyes.
"What?" I asked.
"What the hell was that!?" Isaac exclaims in disbelief.
"You freefall into a literal goddess that could kill you with a finger! What were you thinking!?" Nora exclaims in a mix of worry and anger.
"Okay, I admit that it was more of a spur-of-the-moment plan," I rub my neck.
"Why!?" Isaac and Nora demanded.
"....it made sense at the time," I said weakly
My father pinchs his nose and Mom keeps looking at me in disbelief.
Yeah, looking back I have no idea where that idea came from.
The memory continues with us rescuing Gilgamesh from the underworld and recruiting Ereshkigal.
Gorgon's defeat is where things went to hell.
Tiamat unleashed her authority, the chaos tides, and the destruction of Uruk by the Lahmu.
The beautiful land of Mesopotamia quickly became a hellscape.
Even after all this time, seeing the true form of Tiamat emerging from the ocean still sends a shiver down my spine. And by the looks of it, my family feels the same way.
"You fought that?" Isaac said in disbelief.
"Yes," I said.
"This is just a memory and yet there's this voice in my head that is saying that I need to run away," Nora said, her voice tinged with fear but still looking at the memory.
That is the appropriate reaction when facing a Beast.
"Tiamat is the first Beast that we fought," I said.
Isaac swallows heavily, "There are others?"
"Yes," I said grimly.
Mom and Dad stay quiet at my answer.
"She is like an Endbringer," Daisy whispered.
You're wrong Daisy.
Tiamat is so much worse. Unlike the Endbringers, she would have destroyed the world a long time ago.
I don't know why is taking the Endbringers so long to do that.
The battles reached their peak when we were able to throw Tiamat into the underworld and King Hassan joined the fight.
"Look! It's that skull guy from Camelot!" Daisy said.
....skull guy.
Only you Daisy.
Even in the underworld, the only place that could weaken her authority, it was a gruesome battle that we won by the skin of our teeth.
Finally, we reach the final battle to reclaim humanity's future.
The Temple of Time.
"How can such a place exist?" Nora asked.
My family is looking at the temple with wide eyes, shocked at the image in front of them.
"The second noble phantasm of Solomon, Ars Paulina. It's a reality marble that exists outside of the universe and outside of time, located in the space of imaginary numbers," Da Vinci explains.
Here comes Flauros to mock us.
Asshole.
"Didn't he die?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.
"He did, and Solomon summoned him back. That isn't the worst part, he and the other Demon God Pillars are immortals as long as they are inside the temple," I said.
"That's cheating!" Daisy exclaims.
Yes, it is.
In the beginning, it was a hopeless fight since no matter how many Demon God Pillars Mash and I defeated, they would quickly return.
Everything changed when every servant that I came across, both enemies and friends, in the singularities summoned themselves to help us.
It was a sight to behold as they arrived like shooting stars, lighting up the sky.
Daisy certainly enjoyed that as she was cheering loudly.
The servants opened a path for Mash and me to go to the throne room and confront Solomon. That is when he revealed who he really was.
Beast I - Goetia.
I grip my armchair tightly at seeing once again Mash sacrificing herself to block Ars Almadel Salomonis.
"She survived," I said suddenly. "We can't reveal how but she is fine," I stressed the last part.
I'm not sure if I said that before my family could say anything or if I needed to reassure myself.
Romani appears shortly, reveals himself to be the real Solomon, and uses his noble phantasm, Ars Nova, to give us a chance to defeat Goetia.
Fucking hell, I hate this part.
Even weakened it was still a harsh fight against Goetia, eventually, we did come on top. That bastard decided to be a sore loser and tried to stop me from leaving the Temple of Time.
I do regret not punching him harder before he disintegrated.
The memory comes to an end when Mash and I leave Chaldea to see the sky.
The screen turns off and the room stays silent for a few seconds.
"That was awesome!" Daisy cheers, breaking the silence.
"I still can't believe what I just watched," Isaac said shaking his head.
"I can't believe that was just the first part," Nora said.
I glance at Da Vinci and notice her gaze remains fixed on the screen, her expression tinged with melancholy.
"You okay?" I asked softly.
"Yeah, I just need a moment," Da Vinci said with a sad smile.
I think we could use a short break.
"Okay! We are going to have a short break before we see the 'Epic of Remnant', then we are going to see the second part," I said.
"What is that?" Nora asked.
"Some of the Demon God Pillars managed to escape the Temple of Time. They created singularities to lure master so that they could get their revenge," Medea said.
Isaac chuckles, "They kept saying how superior they were compared to humanity and now they are acting so petty."
Nora nodded, "Yes, these Demon God Pillars should have just accepted their defeat. Instead they decided to humiliate themselves. How shameful," she said with a vicious smile.
I raise an eyebrow at what my parents said.
"Okay, let's begin," I said.
The screen lights up.
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Sorry it took so long to post this.
For some reason this chapter was kicking my ass, what the hell.
I thought that I could tell the story of FGO in one chapter but I was very wrong.
Next chapter I'm going to speed up things so that we may move to the end of the Empire.
Here is a little spoiler about Henry family.
His family will appear more in the story but the focus will be on Daisy as she does have magical circuits.
//////////
Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
//////////////////////////
If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.
chapter 18
New
Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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It didn't take long to watch all of the 'Epic of Remnant'.
It took Daisy a few minutes to stop laughing at seeing me in a dress.
My family didn't have many questions about the Remnants.
Unfortunately, we finally reached the part that I was dreading the most.
The Lostbelts.
"How about another break?" Da Vinci is looking at me with a worried face.
"There's no point in delaying this. Let's just get this over with this," I said tiredly.
"Henry, what's wrong?" Nora asked concerned.
"What you're about to see is going to be awful," I said bluntly.
My family blinks in surprise.
"What does that mean?" Isaac asked, dreading the answer.
"You're going to see," Da Vinci said sadly.
The screen lights up.
After the world was restored, the Mage Association came demanding answers and then called us liars when we told them what had happened.
Assholes.
Chaldea had to be shut down so the Mage Association could investigate us.
Thankfully Goredolf bought Chaldea before they could do that. We really got lucky with Goredolf becoming the new director.
Doesn't take long for everything to go to hell as Anastasia begins her attack on Chaldea.
We were able to run away but not without losing Chaldea and Da Vinci had to sacrifice her old self to stop Rasputin from killing us.
Kirschtaria's declaration of war against Proper Human History was the last thing we heard before zero sailing into the Imaginary Number Space.
"What just happened?" Isaac asked in disbelief.
"That was the Alien God making her move," I said.
"Alien God?" Nora asked with wide eyes.
Da Vinci nods, "Cosmos in the Lostbelts is what we call the invasion of the Alien God and the bleaching of the world."
"Hold on, bleaching the world? What does that mean?" Isaac asked.
"The world was wiped clean. Everything we fought so hard to protect was gone in an instant," Da Vinci said tiredly.
My family is stunned into silence.
What can you even say to that?
The screen lights up and the memory continues.
We exit the zero sail in the first lostbelt located in Russia.
It was a harsh world that only the strong could survive.
Our meeting with Patxi was a crucial point in our time there.
The more we learned about the land we found ourselves in, the more clear it became that the entire situation was something that we had never come across.
And it only became worse as time went on.
Learning what Yaga are and how they ended that way.
Joining forces with the rebellion.
Learning the truth about what was a lostbelt and what we needed to do to restore Proper Human History.
We went from saving the world to destroying other worlds.
Our battle against Ivan the Terrible was a difficult one but it was his question that took the fight out of me.
"Are you truly going to order these Yaga to die!?" Ivan demanded.
I couldn't bring myself to.
I just...couldn't do it.
If it wasn't for Patxi, I wouldn't have had the resolve to go through all the lostbelts.
I just wish he didn't have to lose his life for it.
We cutted down the Tree of Emptiness and sealed the fate of the Russian lostbelt.
The memory came to an end with the visage of a bleached world greeting us when we left Russia.
I glance at my family and they are still looking at the screen stunned at what they have seen.
"It's all gone," Isaac whispered.
"Oh my god," Nora covers her mouth in horror.
Daisy just keeps looking at the screen with wide eyes.
About what I was expecting.
"Told you it was going to be awful," I said.
"Why did Team A betray humanity?" Isaac asked.
"They were gravely injured in the explosion that Lev caused. Even putting all of them in cryogenic sleep made no difference. It was just delaying the inevitable," I said.
"The Alien God made a deal with Team A. They would heal their wounds if every member of Team A rebelled against Proper Human History," Da Vinci said.
"I can't believe that these people were once in charge of saving humanity," Nora shakes her head.
Well, Daybit and Kirschtaria had other plans that went against the Alien God.
"This is going to appear later but I'm already going to say this. Kadoc does join our side later," I said.
"Why?" Nora asked incredulously.
"A lot of things happened. I know it doesn't look like it but Kadoc isn't a bad person," I said.
Nora frowns, "I will trust your judgment."
Speaking of Kadoc.
"How is he by the way?" I asked.
"Still healing from his injuries, besides that, he's doing fine," Da Vinci said. "Kadoc's laying low for now. The Mage Association believes that he's dead."
"Is he going to come to Brockton Bay?" I asked.
"Most definitely. He wants to be as far away as possible from the Mage Association. And what better place than another dimension," Da Vinci said.
"Nice. What do you think is going to be the PRT reaction to Chaldea having two 'Masters'?" I asked amused.
"That will confuse them even more. I'm sure they are already having a hard time trying to understand you," Da Vinci said, equally amused.
There's another person that I still haven't asked about.
"What about Sion?" I asked.
"Oh, she went back to Atlas to talk with her father," Da Vinci said.
That can't be good.
"Is she in trouble?" I asked immediately.
"Nope. She went back to report to her father about everything that had happened. And before you ask, yes Sion will also come to Brockton. She is officially transferring to Chaldea but before she can leave she has something to finish in Atlas," Da Vinci said.
"Her father is okay with that?" I asked.
I don't know how the politics of Atlas work but I do doubt they would be happy to lose someone like Sion.
"I guess he is. Sion didn't mention him when she told me about her transfer," Da Vinci shrugs.
Good enough, I guess.
I turn to my family.
"Any more questions?" I asked.
"Who is Sion?" Nora asked.
"You will see shortly," I said.
"Are all of these losbelts like the Russian one?" Isaac asked.
"If you mean that they are worlds that meet a dead end, then the answer is yes," Da Vinci said.
"My god, I can't believe that there are seven worlds like that," Isaac rubs his temples.
I let out a snort, "It isn't just seven Dad. There are countless potential worlds that all were also pruned."
"....what?" Isaac asked.
"The pruning phenomenon words like this. In theory, the universe allows the birth of infinite possibilities, but it lacks the energy to sustain them. So to not waste energy, the world culls the timelines where the prime species aren't making any advancement," Da Vinci explained.
"I'm sorry, prime specie?" Nora asked confused.
"Prime species are the dominant species of the planet. And as you saw in Russia, that doesn't mean it will always be humanity. If another species suddenly appeared and they showed more potential, then they would become the new prime species of the planet," Da Vinci said.
Isaac rubs his chin, "I see. Like the dinosaurs could have been considered the prime species before they went instinct."
Da Vinci and I glance at each other.
"What?" Isaac asked.
I rub my neck while letting out a nervous laugh, "Well, the thing-"
"One of the lostbelts is a world dominated by dinosaurs, isn't it?" Isaac asked deadpan.
Da Vinci and I nod.
Dad lets out a groan as he pinches his nose.
It's also where ORT is but I'm not going to say that.
"Sweet, what's wrong?" Nora asked.
Daisy is looking at her lap with a frown.
"It's nothing," Daisy mumbled.
I think I know what she is thinking about.
"You can ask it," I said softly.
Daisy's slight flinch.
"I get it that it was a difficult decision that all of you had to make but....was there really no way of saving them?" Daisy asked.
Mom and Dad glanced at each other briefly.
Nora hugged Daisy, "Sweet, not everyone can get a happy ending," she said gently.
"Sometimes in life, you only have awful choices," Isaac places his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "And in the end, all you can do is choose the least awful of all of them."
My parents understand why we had to destroy the lostbelts.
Daisy, on the other hand, is still a child. She still believes that heroes can save everyone.
If only the world worked like that.
I got up, walked to Daisy, and kneeled in front of her.
"There was nothing that we could have done that would have changed their fate. If there was, we would have done our best to save them," I said.
The lostbelst weren't even about good or evil.
It was about survival.
"We can be the good guys, or we can be the guys that save the world. We can't be both," I said softly.
Something that I learned the hard way.
Daisy suddenly throws her arm around my neck and hugs me tightly.
"It's not fair," Daisy said.
I hug her back, "I know. Those Yagas didn't do anything wrong."
Daisy shakes her head, "That's not it. It's not fair that you were the one that was forced to make that decision."
I froze at what she said.
Daisy....
Daisy and I are enveloped by two sets of arms.
My parents joined the hug, holding us tightly.
I let out a shaky breath, close my eyes, and enjoy this moment.
My family isn't rejecting me.
We stayed like that for a few minutes. No one said a word, it wasn't necessary.
My parents let go of me and Daisy.
"It's okay," Nora said, wiping some of my tears.
"It's still going to take some time to get accustomed to this whole thing. And, well, I don't think you're going to need much of our help," Isaac said, trying to lift the mood.
"You don't have to do anything special. Just being present is more than enough," I said.
We all return to our seats.
"You look better," Da Vinci said with a soft smile.
"I feel lighter," I said with a small smile.
Morgan and Medea smile at my answer.
"Are we going to move to the hotel?" Daisy asked.
"There's more than enough space for all of you," Da Vinci said.
"They don't have to. We could fortify their house with a few wards," Medea shrugs.
"Is it that easy?" Nora asked.
"To me it's," Medea said with a smirk.
Mom lets out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you but I think we should stay at our apartment," Nora said.
Daisy pouts at what Mom said.
"Yeah, we don't want to cause any trouble for you guys. Besides, we don't want to draw any unnecessary attention," Isaac said.
"Dad, the hotel is under surveillance. It's too late for that," I said. "Didn't I tell you before coming here?" I rub my neck.
I'm pretty sure that I did.
"...fuck, that's right," Isaac pinch his nose. "How worried should I be?"
Da Vinci shrugs, "I wouldn't worry too much. We have measures to protect your identity. One more thing, once we're finished here, I'd like to discuss with you which servants are going to protect you."
"You don't have to go so far," Nora said.
"Yes, we do. We have plans that will attract all kinds of attention. When that time comes, people will do anything to figure out Henry's identity and how to control him," Da Vinci said grimly.
My family glances nervously at each other.
"Don't worry, they will have to go through Chaldea first," I said. "No one is going to hurt any of you."
I'm going to kill anyone who tries to hurt my family.
"Okay! So, let's continue," Da Vinci said.
The screen lights up.
In the next few hours, we saw our arrival at the Wandering Sea and our meeting with Sion, the lostbelts of Gotterdammerung, SIN, and Yugakshetra.
Atlantis and Olympus shocked my family. The Greek Gods reveal that they are actually spaceships and the utopia they have created. And, let's not forget, the summoning of U-Olga Marie, who we thought was the Alien God but she was in reality another apostle.
Heian-Kyo was Limbo's attempt at becoming a Beast and it failed big time since he didn't understand the requisites in becoming one. I may also have enjoyed killing him a little too much.
Avalon Le Fae was a mistake, there is no other way that I could explain that place. It was a land literally made of the bodies of its inhabitants who had died, and the fairy-twisted nature only made it worse.
The heinous treatment that Castoria received there makes my blood boil to this day.
Morgan was the only reason this accursed place lasted for so long. And she was betrayed and killed in a gruesome way.
Fucking fairies.
That is the only lostbelt that I can say that it needed to be destroyed.
Nahui Mictlan was another nightmare to deal with it.
Not because of the Deinos, who welcomed us with open arms, or Camazotz, or Tezcatlipoca and Tenochtitlan, or the Ocelomeh, or any of the dangerous animals that existed there.
It was because of that thing that came from outer space.
The Ultimate One from the Oort Cloud.
ORT.
I have fought all kinds of beings from across all mythologies and that thing was a genuine monster.
Even through a memory, you can still sense the oppressive aura that ORT radiates.
Something that is making my family very unsettled.
"That thing isn't here, right?" Isaac asked, terrified of ORT.
Mom and Daisy turn to us, their faces filled with fear.
"Of course not. This was one of the first things we checked," I said, trying to calm down my family.
"Did you check South America?" I asked.
"It slipped my mind," Da Vinci admitted with a grimace. "I will do it once we're done here."
I hold back a frown since my family is finally calming down.
Eventually, we managed to win against ORT and bring an end to Mictlan.
After we continued with our adventures to restore Proper Human History.
The memory kept playing until it showed our fight against the Alien God.
It comes to an end when it shows me waking up in the hospital.
A bright light engulfs all of us.
/////////////
We're back at the hotel.
I let out a groan as my body
My family quickly moves to my side.
"What's wrong with him?" Nora asked concerned.
"He's exhausted and hasn't eaten anything yet," Da Vinci.
Oh yeah.
I forgot about that.
"He also hasn't stopped working since his fight against the Empire," Medea said.
"Which is why he will go to bed right now," Morgan said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Well, I-" Da Vinci interrupts me.
"You're going to bed," Da Vinci said flatly, crossing her arms.
"I agree with her," Nora said, also crossing her arms.
I glance at my father and he shrugs in response.
"Okay, okay! I'm going," I raise my hands in surrender.
Suddenly Fou lands on my shoulder.
"Fou!" Fou said, placing his paw on my cheek.
"Oh, hey Fou," I scratch his chin.
I notice that Daisy is looking at Fou.
"You want to pet him?" I asked.
Daisy nods rapidly.
Fou turned his attention to Daisy and suddenly leaped onto her shoulder. He sniffed Daisy for a moment, then licked her cheek, which made her giggle.
I smile at the scene.
Okay, time to go to bed.
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It's been a while since I had such a good sleep.
I was woken about an hour before the meeting with the PRT.
We also had a banquet that Barghest made.
It was delicious.
Da Vinci also asked for some reinforcement.
Leonidas, Bazett, Joan (Jeanne Alter), Arash and Sasaki.
Daisy is sleeping and my parents are awake.
They were told about what was going to happen to the Empire.
They had mixed feelings about my participating. In the end, they hugged me and told me to be careful.
I left the hotel with Morgan, Barghest, Leonidas, Thrud, Ortilinde, Hildr, Bazett, Joan, Arash, and Sasaki.
Ushiwakamaru and Cú Chulainn left the city, making their way to the end of the escape tunnel that the Empire has. And to deal with the two unknown capes that are there.
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We enter the PRT building.
"Well, this is certainly new," A voice said.
Huh?
Leonidas, Bazett and Barghest get in front of me.
There's a man wainting for us on the lobby.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Hold on, isn't he.....
"Now, now, we're all friends here," The man chuckled.
"He's a mage," Bazett said.
My eyes widen at the information.
"Where are my manners. Let me introduce myself: I'm Myrddin," Myrddin said, locking eyes with me.
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This last two chapter two longer that I wanted.
Swear to god, it felt like they were fighting me to not get written.
Now that is done, next chapter is the end of the Empire and, most importantly, some world building.
Now if you excuse me, I'm going to work on Records of Worm.
I have been itching to get back to that history.
//////////
Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
//////////////////////////
If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.
///////////
It didn't take long to watch all of the 'Epic of Remnant'.
It took Daisy a few minutes to stop laughing at seeing me in a dress.
My family didn't have many questions about the Remnants.
Unfortunately, we finally reached the part that I was dreading the most.
The Lostbelts.
"How about another break?" Da Vinci is looking at me with a worried face.
"There's no point in delaying this. Let's just get this over with this," I said tiredly.
"Henry, what's wrong?" Nora asked concerned.
"What you're about to see is going to be awful," I said bluntly.
My family blinks in surprise.
"What does that mean?" Isaac asked, dreading the answer.
"You're going to see," Da Vinci said sadly.
The screen lights up.
After the world was restored, the Mage Association came demanding answers and then called us liars when we told them what had happened.
Assholes.
Chaldea had to be shut down so the Mage Association could investigate us.
Thankfully Goredolf bought Chaldea before they could do that. We really got lucky with Goredolf becoming the new director.
Doesn't take long for everything to go to hell as Anastasia begins her attack on Chaldea.
We were able to run away but not without losing Chaldea and Da Vinci had to sacrifice her old self to stop Rasputin from killing us.
Kirschtaria's declaration of war against Proper Human History was the last thing we heard before zero sailing into the Imaginary Number Space.
"What just happened?" Isaac asked in disbelief.
"That was the Alien God making her move," I said.
"Alien God?" Nora asked with wide eyes.
Da Vinci nods, "Cosmos in the Lostbelts is what we call the invasion of the Alien God and the bleaching of the world."
"Hold on, bleaching the world? What does that mean?" Isaac asked.
"The world was wiped clean. Everything we fought so hard to protect was gone in an instant," Da Vinci said tiredly.
My family is stunned into silence.
What can you even say to that?
The screen lights up and the memory continues.
We exit the zero sail in the first lostbelt located in Russia.
It was a harsh world that only the strong could survive.
Our meeting with Patxi was a crucial point in our time there.
The more we learned about the land we found ourselves in, the more clear it became that the entire situation was something that we had never come across.
And it only became worse as time went on.
Learning what Yaga are and how they ended that way.
Joining forces with the rebellion.
Learning the truth about what was a lostbelt and what we needed to do to restore Proper Human History.
We went from saving the world to destroying other worlds.
Our battle against Ivan the Terrible was a difficult one but it was his question that took the fight out of me.
"Are you truly going to order these Yaga to die!?" Ivan demanded.
I couldn't bring myself to.
I just...couldn't do it.
If it wasn't for Patxi, I wouldn't have had the resolve to go through all the lostbelts.
I just wish he didn't have to lose his life for it.
We cutted down the Tree of Emptiness and sealed the fate of the Russian lostbelt.
The memory came to an end with the visage of a bleached world greeting us when we left Russia.
I glance at my family and they are still looking at the screen stunned at what they have seen.
"It's all gone," Isaac whispered.
"Oh my god," Nora covers her mouth in horror.
Daisy just keeps looking at the screen with wide eyes.
About what I was expecting.
"Told you it was going to be awful," I said.
"Why did Team A betray humanity?" Isaac asked.
"They were gravely injured in the explosion that Lev caused. Even putting all of them in cryogenic sleep made no difference. It was just delaying the inevitable," I said.
"The Alien God made a deal with Team A. They would heal their wounds if every member of Team A rebelled against Proper Human History," Da Vinci said.
"I can't believe that these people were once in charge of saving humanity," Nora shakes her head.
Well, Daybit and Kirschtaria had other plans that went against the Alien God.
"This is going to appear later but I'm already going to say this. Kadoc does join our side later," I said.
"Why?" Nora asked incredulously.
"A lot of things happened. I know it doesn't look like it but Kadoc isn't a bad person," I said.
Nora frowns, "I will trust your judgment."
Speaking of Kadoc.
"How is he by the way?" I asked.
"Still healing from his injuries, besides that, he's doing fine," Da Vinci said. "Kadoc's laying low for now. The Mage Association believes that he's dead."
"Is he going to come to Brockton Bay?" I asked.
"Most definitely. He wants to be as far away as possible from the Mage Association. And what better place than another dimension," Da Vinci said.
"Nice. What do you think is going to be the PRT reaction to Chaldea having two 'Masters'?" I asked amused.
"That will confuse them even more. I'm sure they are already having a hard time trying to understand you," Da Vinci said, equally amused.
There's another person that I still haven't asked about.
"What about Sion?" I asked.
"Oh, she went back to Atlas to talk with her father," Da Vinci said.
That can't be good.
"Is she in trouble?" I asked immediately.
"Nope. She went back to report to her father about everything that had happened. And before you ask, yes Sion will also come to Brockton. She is officially transferring to Chaldea but before she can leave she has something to finish in Atlas," Da Vinci said.
"Her father is okay with that?" I asked.
I don't know how the politics of Atlas work but I do doubt they would be happy to lose someone like Sion.
"I guess he is. Sion didn't mention him when she told me about her transfer," Da Vinci shrugs.
Good enough, I guess.
I turn to my family.
"Any more questions?" I asked.
"Who is Sion?" Nora asked.
"You will see shortly," I said.
"Are all of these losbelts like the Russian one?" Isaac asked.
"If you mean that they are worlds that meet a dead end, then the answer is yes," Da Vinci said.
"My god, I can't believe that there are seven worlds like that," Isaac rubs his temples.
I let out a snort, "It isn't just seven Dad. There are countless potential worlds that all were also pruned."
"....what?" Isaac asked.
"The pruning phenomenon words like this. In theory, the universe allows the birth of infinite possibilities, but it lacks the energy to sustain them. So to not waste energy, the world culls the timelines where the prime species aren't making any advancement," Da Vinci explained.
"I'm sorry, prime specie?" Nora asked confused.
"Prime species are the dominant species of the planet. And as you saw in Russia, that doesn't mean it will always be humanity. If another species suddenly appeared and they showed more potential, then they would become the new prime species of the planet," Da Vinci said.
Isaac rubs his chin, "I see. Like the dinosaurs could have been considered the prime species before they went instinct."
Da Vinci and I glance at each other.
"What?" Isaac asked.
I rub my neck while letting out a nervous laugh, "Well, the thing-"
"One of the lostbelts is a world dominated by dinosaurs, isn't it?" Isaac asked deadpan.
Da Vinci and I nod.
Dad lets out a groan as he pinches his nose.
It's also where ORT is but I'm not going to say that.
"Sweet, what's wrong?" Nora asked.
Daisy is looking at her lap with a frown.
"It's nothing," Daisy mumbled.
I think I know what she is thinking about.
"You can ask it," I said softly.
Daisy's slight flinch.
"I get it that it was a difficult decision that all of you had to make but....was there really no way of saving them?" Daisy asked.
Mom and Dad glanced at each other briefly.
Nora hugged Daisy, "Sweet, not everyone can get a happy ending," she said gently.
"Sometimes in life, you only have awful choices," Isaac places his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "And in the end, all you can do is choose the least awful of all of them."
My parents understand why we had to destroy the lostbelts.
Daisy, on the other hand, is still a child. She still believes that heroes can save everyone.
If only the world worked like that.
I got up, walked to Daisy, and kneeled in front of her.
"There was nothing that we could have done that would have changed their fate. If there was, we would have done our best to save them," I said.
The lostbelst weren't even about good or evil.
It was about survival.
"We can be the good guys, or we can be the guys that save the world. We can't be both," I said softly.
Something that I learned the hard way.
Daisy suddenly throws her arm around my neck and hugs me tightly.
"It's not fair," Daisy said.
I hug her back, "I know. Those Yagas didn't do anything wrong."
Daisy shakes her head, "That's not it. It's not fair that you were the one that was forced to make that decision."
I froze at what she said.
Daisy....
Daisy and I are enveloped by two sets of arms.
My parents joined the hug, holding us tightly.
I let out a shaky breath, close my eyes, and enjoy this moment.
My family isn't rejecting me.
We stayed like that for a few minutes. No one said a word, it wasn't necessary.
My parents let go of me and Daisy.
"It's okay," Nora said, wiping some of my tears.
"It's still going to take some time to get accustomed to this whole thing. And, well, I don't think you're going to need much of our help," Isaac said, trying to lift the mood.
"You don't have to do anything special. Just being present is more than enough," I said.
We all return to our seats.
"You look better," Da Vinci said with a soft smile.
"I feel lighter," I said with a small smile.
Morgan and Medea smile at my answer.
"Are we going to move to the hotel?" Daisy asked.
"There's more than enough space for all of you," Da Vinci said.
"They don't have to. We could fortify their house with a few wards," Medea shrugs.
"Is it that easy?" Nora asked.
"To me it's," Medea said with a smirk.
Mom lets out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you but I think we should stay at our apartment," Nora said.
Daisy pouts at what Mom said.
"Yeah, we don't want to cause any trouble for you guys. Besides, we don't want to draw any unnecessary attention," Isaac said.
"Dad, the hotel is under surveillance. It's too late for that," I said. "Didn't I tell you before coming here?" I rub my neck.
I'm pretty sure that I did.
"...fuck, that's right," Isaac pinch his nose. "How worried should I be?"
Da Vinci shrugs, "I wouldn't worry too much. We have measures to protect your identity. One more thing, once we're finished here, I'd like to discuss with you which servants are going to protect you."
"You don't have to go so far," Nora said.
"Yes, we do. We have plans that will attract all kinds of attention. When that time comes, people will do anything to figure out Henry's identity and how to control him," Da Vinci said grimly.
My family glances nervously at each other.
"Don't worry, they will have to go through Chaldea first," I said. "No one is going to hurt any of you."
I'm going to kill anyone who tries to hurt my family.
"Okay! So, let's continue," Da Vinci said.
The screen lights up.
In the next few hours, we saw our arrival at the Wandering Sea and our meeting with Sion, the lostbelts of Gotterdammerung, SIN, and Yugakshetra.
Atlantis and Olympus shocked my family. The Greek Gods reveal that they are actually spaceships and the utopia they have created. And, let's not forget, the summoning of U-Olga Marie, who we thought was the Alien God but she was in reality another apostle.
Heian-Kyo was Limbo's attempt at becoming a Beast and it failed big time since he didn't understand the requisites in becoming one. I may also have enjoyed killing him a little too much.
Avalon Le Fae was a mistake, there is no other way that I could explain that place. It was a land literally made of the bodies of its inhabitants who had died, and the fairy-twisted nature only made it worse.
The heinous treatment that Castoria received there makes my blood boil to this day.
Morgan was the only reason this accursed place lasted for so long. And she was betrayed and killed in a gruesome way.
Fucking fairies.
That is the only lostbelt that I can say that it needed to be destroyed.
Nahui Mictlan was another nightmare to deal with it.
Not because of the Deinos, who welcomed us with open arms, or Camazotz, or Tezcatlipoca and Tenochtitlan, or the Ocelomeh, or any of the dangerous animals that existed there.
It was because of that thing that came from outer space.
The Ultimate One from the Oort Cloud.
ORT.
I have fought all kinds of beings from across all mythologies and that thing was a genuine monster.
Even through a memory, you can still sense the oppressive aura that ORT radiates.
Something that is making my family very unsettled.
"That thing isn't here, right?" Isaac asked, terrified of ORT.
Mom and Daisy turn to us, their faces filled with fear.
"Of course not. This was one of the first things we checked," I said, trying to calm down my family.
"Did you check South America?" I asked.
"It slipped my mind," Da Vinci admitted with a grimace. "I will do it once we're done here."
I hold back a frown since my family is finally calming down.
Eventually, we managed to win against ORT and bring an end to Mictlan.
After we continued with our adventures to restore Proper Human History.
The memory kept playing until it showed our fight against the Alien God.
It comes to an end when it shows me waking up in the hospital.
A bright light engulfs all of us.
/////////////
We're back at the hotel.
I let out a groan as my body
My family quickly moves to my side.
"What's wrong with him?" Nora asked concerned.
"He's exhausted and hasn't eaten anything yet," Da Vinci.
Oh yeah.
I forgot about that.
"He also hasn't stopped working since his fight against the Empire," Medea said.
"Which is why he will go to bed right now," Morgan said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Well, I-" Da Vinci interrupts me.
"You're going to bed," Da Vinci said flatly, crossing her arms.
"I agree with her," Nora said, also crossing her arms.
I glance at my father and he shrugs in response.
"Okay, okay! I'm going," I raise my hands in surrender.
Suddenly Fou lands on my shoulder.
"Fou!" Fou said, placing his paw on my cheek.
"Oh, hey Fou," I scratch his chin.
I notice that Daisy is looking at Fou.
"You want to pet him?" I asked.
Daisy nods rapidly.
Fou turned his attention to Daisy and suddenly leaped onto her shoulder. He sniffed Daisy for a moment, then licked her cheek, which made her giggle.
I smile at the scene.
Okay, time to go to bed.
///////////
It's been a while since I had such a good sleep.
I was woken about an hour before the meeting with the PRT.
We also had a banquet that Barghest made.
It was delicious.
Da Vinci also asked for some reinforcement.
Leonidas, Bazett, Joan (Jeanne Alter), Arash and Sasaki.
Daisy is sleeping and my parents are awake.
They were told about what was going to happen to the Empire.
They had mixed feelings about my participating. In the end, they hugged me and told me to be careful.
I left the hotel with Morgan, Barghest, Leonidas, Thrud, Ortilinde, Hildr, Bazett, Joan, Arash, and Sasaki.
Ushiwakamaru and Cú Chulainn left the city, making their way to the end of the escape tunnel that the Empire has. And to deal with the two unknown capes that are there.
////////
We enter the PRT building.
"Well, this is certainly new," A voice said.
Huh?
Leonidas, Bazett and Barghest get in front of me.
There's a man wainting for us on the lobby.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Hold on, isn't he.....
"Now, now, we're all friends here," The man chuckled.
"He's a mage," Bazett said.
My eyes widen at the information.
"Where are my manners. Let me introduce myself: I'm Myrddin," Myrddin said, locking eyes with me.
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This last two chapter two longer that I wanted.
Swear to god, it felt like they were fighting me to not get written.
Now that is done, next chapter is the end of the Empire and, most importantly, some world building.
Now if you excuse me, I'm going to work on Records of Worm.
I have been itching to get back to that history.
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Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.
Thank you for this wonderful story. Can't wait to see how Chaldea plan comes to fruition