Chapter 32: Interlude

Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer and DOOMRAIDER.

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-???-

It was an otherworldly feeling, wandering around the same house the boy lived in. It was getting to the point that Celestine started viewing it as her own home. For even if she was only present here as nothing but a ghost, a copy of sorts while her physical body rested in the material world.

The layout of each and every room, to the very last nook and cranny was perfectly memorized by the goddess, who frolicked around the place like a curious small child. Laying by the porch with the full moon illuminating her skin, promenading around the garden, taking a peek inside the shed, and much more.

Her presence inside the reality grew stronger each day. At first she could only pass through walls like a mere spectre, gazing into a household that originated from  a memory of someone she never met, yet she felt more familiar with him than even her own Princess Knights. Nowadays she could feel the gentle warmth from the sun, the cold wind blowing through the halls as she walked through the modest home. Even her nose started to pick up scents that were familiar and unfamiliar.

Celestine had no answers as to why this phenomenon continued to occur, nor did she wish to know in the first place.

Contentment.

That was how she felt these last few days.

One thing that flabbergasted her in the beginning, was how alien everything was. It held a resemblance to Kaguya's culture but even that couldn't explain some of the more… weird contraptions. It took her a few seconds to realize just how advanced this place was. Self-heating baths that weren't powered by crystals, light coming from a small glassware attached to the ceiling, and boxes with moving images and sounds that don't require a magic mirror or crystal globe. The technology alone gave her the impression of being thousands of years in the future. 

Though was this the future or a land beyond the continent of Eostia? It couldn't be Igg, for her people preferred to live with nature itself, so such creations would have been torn apart years ago. 

She tried to venture beyond the gates once, but she would always find herself back in that desolated land filled with swords and ash. Skies filled with giant gears that choked her with despair and sadness if she remained too long. Her fear of the corrupted voice was another reason did not want to leave.

This home acted as her shield in a way. 

"He's late." Celestine noted as she comfortably slept on the tatami mat in the living room, absentmindedly looking at the pictures in front of her. 

It was the boy whose name she learned to be Shirou Emiya, or Emiya Shirou in Kaguya's culture. 

To her embarrassment, Celestine found herself quite attached to him. But he still couldn't see her despite her best efforts… which was probably for the best given some of the things she had done in  the last few days. Actions that were unbefitting that of a Goddess Reborn, something that would have made Claudia question whether she was right in the head or not.

Cuddling him.

That was her pastime.

Her repeated presence into his reality had gradually given her a more materialized form, granting Celestine multiple occasions to cuddle with  the boy. He never reacted once to her touch, fortunately. At one point, she even joined Shirou in the bath, washing his hair, body and soaking in the hot water together for a long time. 

A part of her felt gloomy that she hadn't reached the stage where the boy could interact with   and notice her presence. The reality of it being a memory would make it unlikely to happen, so why would a piece of the past gain sentience all of a sudden? Nevertheless that still didn't explain her ability to physically interact with him.

So many questions… yet not a single answer.

"He grew up so fast…" the goddess said as she stared at the many pictures displayed in the main room. One showed him wearing a  black-colored uniform, holding some kind of paper with a smiling orange-haired lady hugging him. The next one had a more older Shirou, wearing a brown-colored uniform this time along with the presence of a blue-haired one.

She'd seen their images appear in the house in the beginning, but they were blurred, faces being nothing more than black voids with faint traces of their eyes. They would dwell here for a brief period, before dispersing into a cloud. Maybe that had to do with Shirou's memories… Did something happen to them?

Her pointed ears twitched when she heard the sound of the doors opening. Her bored face bloomed into that of pure happiness as she hurried to the entrance. However she didn't find Shirou like she wanted to—instead, the door was opened… leading to a dark empty hall.

"What?" 

This was new, she never saw such a change in her time staying here. Every other time  it would be Shirou walking inside and taking off his shoes. 

Captivated by curiosity, Celestine prudently walked through.

Swish!

The moment she walked through the door frame, the space behind her closed abruptly. Taken aback, she tried to retrace her steps but found herself unable to return. 

"What is this place?" 

The halls were white, with a row of sliding doors on one side and windows on the other. Looking outside, she saw a field, the same one she would see often in those images of Shirou's house. But just like the house, some parts were foggy and even were breaking apart bit by bit, like a memory slowly being forgotten with time.

All of a sudden, the sound of scrambling footsteps and heavy breathing emanated  from the other side of the hallway. It sounded like someone was in trouble, a familiar distorted voice.

"Shirou?"

She called out, expecting an answer. Though Celestine didn't have to wait for long as an older Shirou ran across the hall, face filled with sweat and fear. To her confusion, he ran straight through her. Her body once again phasing through like it used to do in the past. 

"How stupid of me." he spoke, hiding behind the corner of the hall. Out of breath, he lamented about his situation , "Haa, haa, haa… why did I come here at this hour of the day!?"

Her heart ached from seeing him in such a state. She rushed to his side, once again finding herself passing through his body like a ghost. Panic settled in, she could both see and feel the danger of the current situation. The boy was fleeing something, and the longer he stayed here, the more her heart trembled. There was nothing she could do to help him.

Turning around, the goddess sensed a horrifying presence approaching rapidly. 

"...A god!" 

Her divinity reacted to a being giving off the essence of the Sun itself, powerful beyond comprehension and so heavy that even she was being affected by what was supposed to be nothing but a memory. "How could this be possible? I never met such a god…" Goosebumps spread across her body as she sensed an exorbitant killing intent oozing out of  this entity.

"No, no… run… run! Shirou! Get away from here!" Celestine screamed, shouting and begging for him to flee  from the approaching god.

Yet once again, Shirou didn't react, remaining oblivious to the existence near him. "Ah… haa, haa! Man… what was that?" he said, leaning against the wall for support. His legs shaking from the fatigue, not being able to take another step.

The wind rose, and the goddess felt the looming weight of a being similar to her.

"The chase is over, right?"

The voice came from right behind her.

She hesitatingly turned towards the voice, gazing upon  a blue-haired, red-eyed man wearing deep ultramarine full body tights covered in Runic protections and gray metallic pauldrons. Sporting silver earrings and a rattail hairstyle that reached his waist — the man gave off the impression of a beast, even emiting a bestial smell that suffocated the surroundings. 

It was unlike anything she faced in the past, not even the strongest of Olga's demons, the abominations and the ancient monsters of old gave off such ferocity. This… monster, this hound was being restrained by some power, she could sense it but that didn't bring her an ounce  of comfort—for his killing intent spiked the moment his eyes focused on the boy.

"Yo, you ran pretty far." he spoke in a friendly tone could have fooled many, making them blind to the monster hiding behind that smile of his. A bloodthirsty being that exuded the stench of blood and battle.

Celestine couldn't breathe, that smile was a death trap. She unconsciously put herself in between them, wanting to use her body as a shield despite her being nothing but a phantom in this piece of memory.

"You know better than anyone that you can't escape, right? People who get killed are usually like that. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You don't have to feel ashamed."

Anger flooded her mind, it was happening again. She found herself in a position of utter helplessness, unable to do anything but watch this horrifying scene with a broken heart. Watching the life of someone else get cut off so easily by the whims of another god.

The demonic spear rose was casually raised in the air. A weapon that would forever remain ingrained in her mind for its presence and nature.

"You were just unlucky, kid. The moment you saw us, your fate was sealed."

First, it was that damnable man who cursed the boy under the moonlight with a fate filled with pain and misery. 

Now, the boy was facing death before he could even enjoy the fruits of life. 

Celestine summoned the dormant power residing in  her core. She wasn't a goddess of war nor could she flatten mountains like she used to do in the past… she was nothing but a fraction of the goddess that battled Olga. 

'I can't let him!'

But even then it was still too late, for the man wielding the spear proved to be vastly  faster than her.

Sqwelp!

The man's weapon mercilessly pierced Emiya Shirou's heart.

There wasn't enough time to dodge it.

She was too slow... Or rather, there was nothing she could have done in the first place. This was not the real world, that revelation hit her in face constantly, but she refused to aknowledge it — wanting to turn the happenings of this reality through pure stubbornness. Yet her efforts were wasted, as found herself facing another tragedy.

Unable to save the boy yet again.

The world started to break, turning distorted in Celestine's eyes.

"Gah!" Shirou coughed up blood, a small bubble forming on the floor from the hole in his chest.

His killer spoke some words, but she didn't listen, couldn't listen for it became distorted once again… finding herself lifelessly kneeling beside the dying Shirou. His amber eyes, the same ones that captivated her, were turning dull.

The blue-haired man hastily vanished into the wind, leaving her all alone beside Shirou. 

"Why…"

Her eyes turned misty, tears streaming down her face and falling onto his face.

"Why show me this…"

Was this a punishment? 

"Have I wronged the gods in any way?"

At that moment, she remembered every morning she'd seen of his life, from one hell to another damning fate, yet when things started to look bright again, death came knocking. 

"I… I can't fail again." she whispered to herself.

Faint footsteps were heard rushing towards them, but that didn't matter to Celestine as waves of golden energy radiating off her swarmed the hallway.  

"Just stay with me… please… don't leave me. Don't die!" 

The clear white clothes she wore were gradually  stained red from Shirou's blood, her tears now touching his face, no longer falling through them.

"I'll heal you," she said out of desperation.

Copious amount of magical energy amassed in her hands as she placed them onto  his chest. 

Before she even realized it, they were no longer inside the hall—but back in the world covered in smog and swords. 

What took place next befuddled her, as  she noticed numerous swords dislodging from  the ground before disappearing somewhere. From a few swords to hundreds in a matter of seconds. As if answering the call from beyond this space, shooting to the sky and teleporting in particles of light in her eyes.

"That spear…" 

The same spear that pierced the boy was pulled out of the ground before turning into motes of blue light.

Whatever was happening, it didn't feel natural. 

"Please, live." 

The world rippled, she felt an unusual amount of dark emotions brewing in the air. With every hundred swords sent out, more would follow with the intent to kill. Nevertheless, she continued to concentrate on Shirou, sending every bit of her godly energy to his wounds. 

What she didn't notice was the effect her powers were generating in this domain. Golden vein-like patterns had spread throughout the land, increasing the rate at which swords continued to be formed and disappear. 

"It's working!" 

The wound in his chest was closing up, and though his face still remained pale, a smidgen of life still shone through. This was the spark she needed to push through and flood the world with her power, further energizing it as stronger weapons started to be sent in large numbers.

Then, the sky darkened, and Celestine's heart skipped a beat. She feared the worst had  happened, as the land began to rumble, as if she was in the center of an earthquake, but that faded when she understood that it wasn't the world losing its life, but rather something blocking the light.

Slowly, she lifted her head upwards and gasped in awe.

"By the gods… how can such a thing exist?" she said listlessly, becoming weaker as her remaining energy dwindled. Her body and mind weren't used to the strain.

"Everything… will be alright… Shirou." 

Those were the last words she uttered before falling unciouncious within this field of swords, the vein-like patterns gradually retracting until  everything returned to normal.

The body of Shirou having vanished into motes of light. Showing that it wasn't even a real body to begin with, but just a simple memory she grew used to seeing.

Step

Someone stepped onto the barren soil, pausing near the disappearing Goddess's body. If Celestine were awake, she would have seen the steel colored hawk-like eyes of Archer gazing down on her. A stark contrast to his once warm amber eyes that were  filled with life and compassion — now showing nothing but cold indifference and a detached gaze. His hair was no longer pulled back , instead covering his forehead—just like his old look. His face being grazed with injuries along with  traces of blood scattered all over his body, where  the high amount of heat emanating from his body had immediately turned his sweat to steam.

"Who… are you?" 

{Break}

-Castle Discordia-

Olga, the Queen of all Dark Elves, sat on her throne, within the eerie and dark castle that she has called home for centuries.

Having returned  from her latest conquest, Olga was successful in invading  a portion of the Beastmen's lands. These were villages and settlements  belonging  to the Lycan clans that had betrayed her by ignoring the humans' constant invasions into her territory. 

Unfortunately it was yet another bloodbath. Even though her army consisted primarily of foolish Orcs who could barely think of anything else aside from eating and mating, the Dark Queen managed to create obedience spells strong enough to have even the most stubborn of demons heed her orders. If they tried to resist or force themselves on her own people, then a swift death would be her answer to such fools.

Speaking of demons, she left the Orcs and Imps back where they indulged in their carnal desires. Even though her spell helped to control these monsters, it would  impede her forces as a whole if their sexual tension became uncontrollable to the point of rebellion. Though their numbers were plentiful, they still died like  cannon fodder every day.

"My head…" Olga massaged her temples as she laid back on her throne, continuing to supply it with her own magic to keep her demons at bay. 

She found it ironic how she ended up so pathetically weak compared to her past self. She dreaded having anyone other than Chloe know of her current state, even Celestine would not hesitate to attack if the word was out that she was running on fumes. A war enduring for many centuries would take a toll on any powerful individual, even gods. 

As she started to get up to date with the latest reports, another headache came with the recent news. "Claudia Levantine and Alicia Arcturus. Ugh, these Princess Knights are the biggest thorns in my life." 

They've been unrelenting with their attacks on the western region during the last week. Pushing her forces back more and more, giving that  pathetic group of humans they called the Kuroinu a greater advantage in killing her troops.

Vault could probably stand on par with those two in terms of  nuisance. But Olga refused to acknowledge a regular human like him as a major threat. He was winning due to nothing else but luck, using tactics similar to hers and sending thousands of humans as expendables.

Fortunately, they constantly battled in a specific area around the wearer region, near fort Laudal; it created a temporary opening in their once impenetrable blockage. 

One of her guards, a Dark Elf, entered her throne room and proceeded to kneel, "Olga-sama, both general Chloe-sama, and Howler-sama have returned from their mission."

Finally, she was getting impatient.

"Good, send them in."

With another bow, the guard left the room. The Dark Queen took this moment to wave her scepter and cast a noise-dampening spell around the room for the upcoming conversation. A few seconds later, the doors opened with both Chloe and Howler entering side by side.

They offered their greetings and kneeled  just like the guard did before them. 

She had tasked Chloe to gather more information on this red mage she kept hearing so much about. Rumored to be of elven descent, highly  attuned with magic and other details she didn't pay much attention to. 

When word came back confirming  that he was indeed the one who single handedly annihilated the Orc army near Ken, she was overwhelmed. Further reports  mentioned how he  wasn't from Eostia, but from the lands beyond. 

'He can't be from Igg, no humans are allowed there, much less Dark Elves. So if he's a descendant then they must be from somewhere else.'

There was a belief  that the centuries of slavery her people suffered through had scattered  them throughout Serenus. Going far past Eostia and Igg, to lands where other gods ruled.

This all piqued her curiosity, numerous reports mentioned him summoning  meteors from the sky—a feat impossible even to someone like herself. So she tossed that possibility aside, not even the most powerful of elves could perform such a feat. Tossing another to the side, the other rumors were no better. Summoning storms raining down hellfire, freezing armies into ice statues. There were many speculations, each getting crazier than the next. Although the  most absurd one  mentioned how he could create swords, launch them with a bow and somehow make them explode.

Nevertheless, he was a gifted human who did not need to help those who did not deserve it. 

'Of course, with the lies Celestine and the Shields have fed him, he would see me as the villain'

She hated that about them, calling themselves kind but being just as twisted and corrupted as the rest of them. Why Celestine took the side of such humans still eludes her to this day. If she wasn't so stubborn and naive, then both of them would have created a golden age of peace and prosperity. Eliminating the root cause of evil and laying the groundwork for something better.

But no, she just had to pity those damnable humans and take their side.

Anyways, her goal was to get hold of that man and bring him to her side. If he was indeed a Dark Elf descendant, then it was his duty to serve her despite his human heritage. Her court needed competent mages, as she alone couldn't do everything on her own. If he tried to fight back, then she could enslave him or just end his life. It was better to get rid of a potential threat than allow it to fester. 

"Howler, I gave you control of ten thousand demons and even allowed you to use your own brethren for the mission. I hope things have proceeded as planned and that the red mage has been captured?" she asked, still feeling irked after the entire ordeal she went through to sneak in such an enormous army without emptying  her personal coffers to bribe the humans and passing traders.

"..."

"..."

Neither Chloe nor Howler responded, not daring to look her in the eyes. 

This didn't sit well with Olga.

"Speak, or else you'll all be punished severely." Olga smacked the butt of her scepter on the ground, commanding both of them to tell her the details.

Chloe was the first one to fold.

"W-Well… we m-managed to bypass the border without any i-issues…" 

Olga found her stuttering quite odd, detecting an  undertone of uncertainty and shock. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked at the ground the entire time. Howler was in a worse state of mind, she could see him shaking slightly.

Olga clenched her teeth.

"Maia and the mage managed to escape, didn't they." she stated, anger welling up within her  from this news.

"We… are not sure." Howler answered, throwing her initial claim out of the window.

"What?" Olga did not expect such a response. "What do you mean by that? Did your army not brief you?" The Orcs were infamous for their incompetency with anything related outside the battle. But surely some of the Lycans sent out would compensate for that!

"..re…o… my." 

The beastman whispered quietly, Chloe who heard her clenched her fists, fury being visible in her eyes.

"Speak up!" Olga ordered, ready to use the slave crest on him.

Feeling his chest heat up from the soon-to-come wave of pain cast upon him by the Queen, Howler shouted, "There is no army, everyone was killed!"

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Inconceivable.

Impossible.

"What did you say?" 

She thought that she heard wrong, that there had to be a mistake somewhere. Her gaze went to Chloe, urging the girl to give her a proper explanation.

The Dark Elf hesitated at first, "We… initially received reports from Crusher about them successfully crossing into one of the Princess Knight's kingdom, Geofu, in the middle of the night. They set up camp in the Silver Forest valley, to prepare  an ambush against Maia and her troops. They first discovered some of the Kuroinu men setting up an explosive trap and proceeded to eliminate them when they noticed our Orc troops."

'Typical humans', Olga remarked. She immediately gathered that they were plotting against each other. Backstabbing each other at every waking moment,  and Celestine wondered why she hated them. 

"Unfortunately, that was our last communication. We didn't get any response the next morning." 

She couldn't have… even Maia with Kin aiding her couldn't defeat ten thousand demons. Crusher was especially sent to deal with the red mage!

"Did Luu-Luu send reinforcements to aid them? Quite  plausible, that halfling can be a cunning strategist when it matters… or maybe it was Celestine's divination that saw through our plan." But she made sure to keep her troops shielded from her rival's magic.

"The entire valley is gone..." Chloe said, breaking Olga away from her musing.

"...gone?" 

Chloe took out a small crystal globe from her pocket, an artifact used to capture important moments from the user's sight.

"T-This was all we could retrieve." 

Wanting to know the truth, Olga took the crystal into her own hands and sent a tiny amount of her energy inside it—only to witness a scene beyond her imagination.

Destruction.

The entire valley and its surrounding area were flattened, covered by a sea of swords. Her entire army of demons, the orcs, ogres, goblins, and imps—all lay on the ground with dozens of weapons lodged through their bodies.

Swords, spears, halberts, axes, and weapons she couldn't recognise—no blade was left unstained by the blood of demons. It was a complete and utter annihilation. And within this sea of dead  troops, Olga spotted  a handful of Knights and mercenaries. 

But that was not what horrified her the most.

"What in the name of gods is that…?" 

In the background, grabbing all of her attention was a single sword.

Could she even call that abomination a sword?

It looked otherworldly, alien even. The size was incomprehensible to her.

She was an ancient being who lived for centuries, yet not even once had she seen anything remotely similar.

The sword was the size of a mountain, crushing the ground to such an extent that it created a crater large enough to remove the entire valley from the map. Everything had been decimated, the trees, the wildfire, not even a speck of snow was left. Not to mention the absence of clouds within the area of impact. 

A weapon which could only be wielded by giants had crushed her entire army. 

From its imposing figure she could feel the raw power emanating from the sword,even when viewing it from the crystal. She felt like it could destroy her just from gazing at it for too long.

Crash!

The crystal sphere fell from her hands to the ground, shattering into a million pieces. 

Olga no longer knew what to think, should she be fearful? Who in all of Eostia was even capable of bringing forth that… thing!?

"Has another god decided to meddle in our war?"

Or… was this the working of the red mage?

No! No human or elf could possess such a power, it must have been another god!

"Olga-sama, what are your orders?"

"..."

She had no answer.

Olga was lost on what to do next, wary of whoever was capable of using such a weapon in the first place. It had to be a god who hid in their land—there was no other possibility!

Did… did Celestine know about this?

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword and To love a sword having 3 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.