Prologue: Glorious Days

"Die like the trash you are!"

His booming voice cast down his judgement upon us. The ultimate culmination of his deed laid bare to all of our sight. The Noble Phantasm, made by the incinerated history of mankind, fell upon us like a rain of hell.

"ARS ARMADEL SALOMONIS!"

Unwavering, Mash chanted beneath her breath, "That which heals all our wounds and all our grudges... our glorious homeland." The figure of the great castle of Camelot appeared from the Noble Phantasm of Mash Kyrielight, the vessel of Galahad, Knight of the Holy Grail.

"Manifest, LORD CAMELOT!" The shield activated, creating a fortress of purity around us. Once the beam collided with it, like everything I've seen before… it was like defying God's will. The wrath of hell was in front of us, only stopped by the strength of her will.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" she screamed with all of her might, holding on against Goetia's extinction beam. There wasn't anything we could do. That all hope we had was to survive the onslaught until it was finished. And the matter of defeating him wasn't in our minds in the slightest.

As she took absorbed as much of the attack as she could handle, a thought suddenly came up to my mind. What if she couldn't sustain it? No. That was a bad thought. She's been on my side since forever. There's no way she's just going to lose here.

But what if she does?

No. Shut up.

She can't handle that much.

Shut up.

Once she does, we're both dead.

SHUT UP!

Was it the terror of death that made me think of these thoughts? It couldn't be. Death had stopped bothering me since the first Singularity. Why do these immature thoughts spring up so suddenly…? And now of all times?

CRAAAACKKKK!

What?

The outer wall of Lord Camelot was cracking.

My blood went into overdrive. Looking at Mash, her face had said it all. Scared and desperate, all because of the impossible crack in the wall. My thought couldn't have been any worse.

She will lose.

"Mash!" I lifted my left hand and commanded my final Command Seal in my bid to support her. "Hold your Noble Phantasm beyond your limits! Hold it to your very end! " Fuck, it couldn't go like this.

My Command Seal erupted, pouring Mash with my very last mana reservoir. But even with this, the shield didn't show any signs of being strengthened.

"Mash, please! " My scream echoed in our sanctuary, utterly terrified out of the prospect of failure. Mash stutters, "I won't… fail you, Senpai!" She was clenching her teeth as she held onto her crumbling shield.

The cracks were getting bigger now. I can see it. They keep on fracturing and chipping off the fortress by the seconds passed. My tears began to fall. The pride, the soul I had developed through my journey in these singularities had gone, replaced by this rising dread. I wanted Mash to back down and save ourselves, but there was no use for it. This is our last stand, and it's do or die here. Once the shield breaks, it'll be all over.

Still, I believe in that small glimmer of hope. We have to rely on luck if we can even survive this by a piece of flesh. I force my increasingly limp legs and went towards Mash and held her shoulder, as my only action that can help. For a second, Mash turned towards me. Her shocked expression changed into a serene relief. I sighed in exasperation. You're way too soft, Mash….

But there was no time for relief. Even if reality denied us our victory, we will never yield. All of the Servants who had sacrificed their everything for our journey had put all of their trust in us. If we lose here, how can I ever answer anyone there? That I failed them and let their future vanish out of my own weakness?

No, no. I want to live. She wants to live. Everyone in Chaldea. My friends. My family. This is all they wish for. And I am their only hope. That's why, that's why... I can't ever give in! For the sake of everyone's smile, we won't give in!

Nearly all of Lord Camelot had already fallen. Both of our bodies were beginning to burn. The heat of the impact boiled every blood vessel in my body. I tried, god I wanted to, but if I ever flinched an inch my struggle will be all for naught. So I kept on supporting, experiencing the same hellish torment as my precious in that moment.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I can't feel half my body anymore. My mind was shutting down one by one, abandoning my body to die on its own. As the final moment closes by, I began to reminiscent my past.

How I first came to Chaldea. On the day I first met Mash. On how I first took the responsibility for saving the world. It's weird. All of those memories, from the first recording to the forgotten memories, came back flooding my mind like a tsunami.

If this was how people experience death, then I could understand them. Cold acceptance, remarkable yet worthless, as their life force slowly fades into the afterlife. There was no fear or regret. Only a sense of unnatural calmness before my foreboding death.

In my last remains of contact on the living, Mash, who had probably reached the same conclusion, turned to face me. Her pure, untainted face, contrasted her less-than-living body and gave me her sad smile in resignation to her loss, "I wish that I could watch the sakura blooms with you, Senpai. I thought that I could be the one who protected you. But, this is how it is. Senpai… I'm sorry… I couldn't ... save you…."

No Mash, this isn't your….

Flashes of light overtake the shield, shallowing Mash in the glistening glow. What remains of my sight could only watch Mash as she was engulfed by her imminent death. I want to cry, yet my body is incapable to. I scream at my heart for my weakness, letting her to disappear within that light.

And soon, my world went blank.

.........................................................................................................

Ritsuka, look! I found a beetle!

Where? Let me take a look!

Owooo….look at this. I think it's a rhinoceros beetle.

What?! Since when there was ever one here?

Random memories from my childhood floated across my mind as I was mindlessly trapped in this primordial void. Like what people say, this place is empty. Its nothingness disturbed my soul to the core in all of its attempt to strip me away of my very last proof of existence. I would like to scream, yet I have no will to do so. The only thing I could feel in my absolute certainty is this, this... irrational sense of regret and guilt. Maybe this is the dread I have brought from my life, or maybe this was simply the side effect of the manifestation of the soul in this world.

He breathed in and out, same as his living self, and accepted this feeling. There was no point in defending something which has already died. As moments passed, he began to muster a thought to counter his boredom.

All of my Servants I summoned have already failed in their quest Mash, Da Vinci, Dr. Romani, they have done all they can to ensure our survival. Yet, I blew up that final chance for that shitty thought… screw him... He can see the dumbass, smug face from Goetia, all high and mighty from his throne as he rejoiced in his desired victory. No, his assured destiny.

All of those… It was too overwhelming for him to care. This was the sin he had to carry to the afterlife, a colossal failure he will never be able to repay. How sad. How could an average Master like me ever think to save the world? It'll be better to have someone much more competent and greater, rather than this poor, weak, incompetent-

"Save your lament for the future, human."

What?

"Your soul has no right to be reaching there."

Who are you?! Show yourself!

Impossible. None of the state the void follows could lead to something like this. A spirit noticing him was like finding a needle in the haystack. This shouldn't be possible!

"Your state decries your inability in keeping a conversation going. Here, have a seat. " With a single flick, I was instantly transported into a familiar setting. The steel white walls, the medium-sized bed on the corner left of the room with sea-themed decorations and lots of accessories ranging from Valentine gifts to personal belongings filled the surroundings. Without a doubt, this is… this was…

"This is my room!" I shouted with all my passion, confused with the turn of events. The second I wavered; I was somehow inside of my room in Chaldea. This shouldn't be possible. There had to be some kind of illusion at work here! What the hell?! Firstly, how could anything communicate with me after death, even observing me here?! Unless, it had to be….

The spirit(?) doesn't manifest here with me, so I was left alone in this replicated room. After a second passes, they spoke, its echoes ringing around the room, "Now that your arrangement has been set, we can continue with our conversation here."

"Eresh, is that you?" I questioned. If it was her, I was hoping for her to return me to life. If she could, then maybe there was a chance to get Mash back and restart this mess!

"..."

Silence followed. Even so, I replied, "Why are you silent all of a sudden?"

The goddess sighed for a couple seconds, before answering, "Ereshkigal has no connection to my authority."

Ah, shoot, I clicked my teeth, disappointed by its answer. "So, are you by any chances, another god of death?"

"Depends. If you decided my existence to be one of the gods, then so be it." It replied emptily. Really? A spirit capable of performing such miracles denies itself being a god? This goddess is good, lying with her fangs out. Maybe he had to go on with the flow for a while.

"T-Then… Could you resurrect me?" I went straight to the point. My words echo through the room. Good. Keep moving.

…

Alright, waiting. I think I can wait for a few more moments..

… …

Any moment now…

…

She might be thinking it very hard…

… … …

… …

…

"Your existence cannot guarantee that."

"Huh?" The voice I've waited for an eternity responded to me with an answer I was absolutely not expecting.

"Resurrection for you is an ability far beyond my passion, or patience, to do so." She explains plainly.

I've stored all my emotions just for a single exchange of hope. And she decided to throw it out of the window because of a passionless effort?! Then why was she even here?!

"The-Then... What can you do for me here? If you can't do even that, then…" I asked, baffled.

The voice went quiet for a while, but before I started to panic, she responded with quite a despondent answer, "I can't quite give you the opportunity to restart your life, yet I cannot leave you on a hopeless journey to The Root. "

"I'm listening."

"As a result, the best I can do for is to prepare yourself with a body that can hold itself with your Spirit Origin. Eventually, they will come back and give you a new start to your journey. "

"Hold on, hold on! What are you saying?! I'm lost here!" I shouted. I managed to understand her to begin with the Root and stuff, but she suddenly went into the confusing stuff. Barely a moment after she came back, and she spoke about The Root and Spirit Origin and stuff. What's important now is to regurgitate what she told and think hard before making a decision. Gods weren't human, after all, and that made all the difference with these contracts.

The spiritual goddess made a sound comparable to a frown, a hmm of discontent. She was dissatisfied with my answer. "What didn't you understand?"

I spoke my words, "To begin with, I want to know what kind of goddess you are exactly."

"What of it?"

"I'm sorry for mistaking you for Ereshkigal. It was improper for me to do so." I spoke politely.

Goddesses… King Gilgamesh once said to me, 'aren't human in any sense'. They were prideful, arrogant and detached from their subjects that any off-colour words could be constituted as an insult. I got off easy with since they're good-natured in heart, however. I don't have a single inkling about her or whatever she does. Better to watch my mouth for now.

"You've come to me despite the barriers of my death. I thought this was the Imaginary Number since purgatory in essence never existed. Spirits like me and you shouldn't be possible in this space. So what are you? What is your intent?"

She spoke, this time without any of the animosity that's been plaguing me, "I have predicted you might be doubtful of my origin. Very well, I shall give you the barest hint of my identity."

The distant Saviour that descended upon the terrestrial world... That much I will give you. "

Gods over Gods….? The Saviour? A cursed name? Is it the title of the Abrahamic God or something? Maybe Brahma? It seemed unlikely since she doesn't seem to be that humble or kind from what I know. From which mythological background did she come from? Grrr….! I knew I should've read more books back at the library!

Okay, calm down, Gudao. Now, let the rational mind prevail...! With a deep breath, I continued, "My second question. Why are you helping me? What do you gain from helping me? I have failed the Human Order. Humanity is dead. So there should be no more reason to revive me, right? "

A wave of tense anger resonated from her. "Does divinity require human understanding?"

"Never, but this-"

"Unrepentant, are you, human? "

GULP!

I've gotten too carried away with this one.

"S-S-S-Sorry... I didn't mean to."

The goddess quickly changed the subject, "What I will give to you is an option. A chance to restart your life after your failure. Despite failing the Human Order, your existence is fundamental to Pan-Human History. "

"Hold on. The Pan-Human History. Isn't it supposed to be the Human Order?"

"In the words of your peers, yes, it should be. But the continuation of your struggle has been the Pan-Human History you've been striving for. "

"…Yeah, I could guess it be." I have so many questions.

"Back to the point, how am I going to be reborn? If you don't want to resurrect me, how are you expecting me to save the Human Order?" The true question was raised. The nature of our encounter is surreal, but I cannot let the insanity of this situation to blind me from taking decisions here. I still don't trust this goddess completely, so it's better to stir it the way I want it to be.

"Reincarnation."

Reincarnation?!

"Your struggle for survival until now was amusing for my entertainment. Never before I have seen such a vain fight since the Harvesting Star. Unfortunately, the show ended on a somewhat anticlimactic death."

The voice went deeper and more ominous the moment she continued. "Your failure in protecting your peers leaves me on a somewhat sore situation. Therefore, I need you alive again to resume your struggle. But…

Wouldn't it be boring if you restart from the very beginning and fix everything? Where will the fun be?"

I staggered back to the bed, shaken cold from the terrifying aura the voice emitted. Ahhhhh… I-I… misjudged her. She's not some angel that descended from the heavens, but a cruel goddess that rolls everything under her eyes. Dammit… out of all people… all of my luck gambling on this...

"Then I thought to myself... wouldn't it be more interesting if you could live another life?"

Oh no… This shouldn't be what I'm thinking, is it….

" Say… Reincarnation sounds like a very viable choice. DON'T YOU THINK, RITSUKA FUJIMARU? "

Nonono, NO! I didn't ask for this! Shit, the goddess here just wanted to play with my life! All I wanted to do is to save Mash! "Wh-wh-why me?! Couldn't there be anyone else that can replace me?! Wasn't I the person that failed to save the Human Order?! What possible reason would you get from reincarnating me?!" I asked without considering any consequences. I'm scared shirtless, knowing the deep hell I'd be going into.

"The subject of reason hardly matters. You were the person who died, and it is in my interest to watch you struggle."

For once, I was truly baffled. Was she lying? There has to be a reason to go this far. Even if it's a goddess with an alien mind, she must have reasoning beyond entertainment.

I-" My words was shut off by the intense energy releasing from everywhere.

"Be silent. Our little conversation has no longer proven any worth. Be prepared for your journey. " Her voice returned to its detached and mysterious tone. My mind couldn't maintain its consciousness and as soon as my mental grip slip away, the room and my physical construct dematerialised into the haunting abyss.

No! I don't even get you yet! Nonononono--.

"The time of restoration has begun. Let my blessing be my only hint for you, Ritsuka Fujimaru. Tirelessly, continue your journey. May we meet again in the unforeseen future."

Stop! I'm not done with you yet! Don't goooooo! My soul screams to the absolute zero. The still intensifying light quickly shatters my soul as I pray to myself for my own sanity in this descending chaos. Sorry, Mash. I failed you again.

Her voice's disappearance marked the end of my time here. My soul absorbed into the fine glow, leading me to an unknown body. And for the final visage of the hallowing void, my mind went blank again.

.........................................................................................................

「She walked across the hallway, guided by the researchers each on her side, hands bound. This was supposed to be the day where she will be experimented for the Demi-Servant experiment, exactly as planned. Tuesday, 24th July, 2020. 9:30 a.m. Test #40 has already concluded as a failure. She will be the next one on the line, as per the plan the Director had made. There had never been an issue. This is why she was conceived. Her purpose. Yet, why would her hands resist? Doubt? Impossible. Fear? Inconceivable. Unknown of these feelings, she continually resists even as she was strapped to the Summoning Circle. Even as she tries, she can't help but to delay even a second from the table.」

What…? What's happening…?

「"Is that what you call a plot twist?"

A surprised voice echoed in the humongous, dark room, directed at a certain doctor. Besides her were multiple copies and collections of books and models. Most notably were ones about a certain well-known detective and sleuth from the Victorian era.

"No, no, Mash." He answered in a sing-song tone. "There is nothing to be shown as the truth. It is obvious from the subtle hints that Mrs. DeBorah had orchestrated the murder. The plot revolves around why the murder has occurred, and how it happened. That's why you have to be more perceptive, Mash."

"Is that so?" The answer rolled over her mind. She thought of it as a perceived insult to her sense. It was only some months since he'd arrived, so there was no reason for him to get too cocky. Therefore, she spoke, "I will ask. Did you plan to entertain me this night so that I will forget about our little 'encounter'?"

His face quickly glowed to a bright shade of red, "I did not! I swear I'm being genuine here!"

"Oh, really?" She smirked, "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"」

… Who is this… no, it couldn't be….

「She walked along the hallway, eager to meet the new members. The A-Team had just been assembled and with her name etched with them, it was proper to greet them. It was giving her the chance to interact with someone other than Dr. Roman and the staff.

Once she's reached the orientation room, she took a very deep breath and with a little sparkling confidence, she entered the room. What she saw was incredible and beautiful. Sat there across the room-」

This... this isn't… mine…

This... this is…

「"Fou! Where are you?!" She shouted as she chased the white creature across the hallway. She still had a little time before her first deployment, so she can bring back Fou to her room before he started making more trouble without her.

It's been quite some times before that white menace came to Chaldea. Nobody was exactly sure how he came here, probably due to the magical energy concentration in Chaldea. But since he's never caused any trouble for anyone, everyone instead let him be and roam Chaldea freely.

But that didn't mean he was no menace! "Fou! Please, I promise I'll give you more crackers if you stop for once!" she pleaded. She can't control his behaviour if she wasn't around. Who knows what he will do to everyone once she's gone?

The white creature still hasn't lost any momentum, yet still giving chase to her, " Fou! Please, stop al… ready…" A sense of deja vu kicked up her senses. 'Why does this look so familiar?' she thought to herself. The body of a young man lying down the hallway should be something that requires her attention, yet she couldn't move an inch to move to his unconscious body as she felt an unknown feeling creeping through her limbs. What had to be this feeling?

She shrugged off her doubts as she started to wake him up, as any normal person would do. Remember the instructions. "Um…Senpai. You shouldn't sleep here of all places. Please wake up." She shook his body several times.

At that moment, his eyes opened up and their intersecting eyes met-」

The soul, wanting and craving, moves endlessly towards the surface. By seconds that seemed like an eternity, the soul has finally reached its unwilling destination.

Pop.

An explosion of light unbeknownst, shook the soul as it gave form. Shock, pain, fire, hell, all come together as the soul assimilate into the body.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

And thus, the soul wakes up to the eyes of its beholder.

.....................................................................................

Fire surrounds the hellscape beyond his eyes. Ashes raised from the blazing complex chokes his lungs. No matter how far he could see, there was only fire, death, and destruction.

Transferri-... al stage of the ray… -2004 AD, January-… …Japan.

What was happening here? His thought started to reassemble after the painful conversion. And the first thing he could think was about the whole situation in general. Where is he? Why's there a fire? Who is he now? A million questions raided his mind and none were answered.

That was before his memories returned. The goddess said I will reincarnate as somebody close to Chaldea. No matter the timeframe, my destiny will always lead back to Chaldea. With the speed of a million revolutions, he came to a conclusion. That means…

His newfound breathing becomes sourer, and with the pain it follows. This place… this place had to be…!

This is Chaldea during the bombing!

He tried to move his body. I have to get out of here as fast as possible! His only response was numbness from all parts of his body, "AAAHHHHH!", he screamed. I'm stuck!

How could this be?! The goddess gave me a second chance! I haven't done anything yet! I can't die this quickly without doing anything! The sense of pain that spreads through his body and the hellish landscape only helps to fuel his terror. And with a screech, he screams for help, "Help me! Somebody, please help me! I'm stuck here!"

Never did he notice how his pitch was higher than before.

"Khh….khhhhh…!" He breaths painfully. There was no way he could survive this ordeal for so long. Little by little, his vision faded away with the amount of dust and smoke covering it. Crap, I'm losing consciousness! With all of his remaining strength, he shouted, begging for his voice to reach someone.

"HELP ME! Cough cough!"

"Who's out there?! Answer me, please!"

A voice! "I'm here! I'm here!" he shouted with all of her might, begging to be released of this suffering.

The unknown variable came closer to her.

"…! Mash!"

Mash….of course, of course. She would be here as well, But why is he finding her first?! I'm the only one screaming here!

"I'm here! Please, get me out of here!" He pleaded. He did not care for the confusion happening at the moment, all he wanted was to escape this pain as soon as possible.

Soon enough, the wandering figure finally found him and moved towards him. He did not care who was helping him, yet he cannot shake the feeling that something even more horrible was about to unravel.

The figure drew even closer and that's when his mind went into overdrive. With his black hair and those blue eyes, it's impossible to deny the naivety and innocence in the boy's demeanor.

That's...! ...THAT'S ME!

"Mash?! Mash, is that you?! Hold on, I'm coming "

Of course. She said I would reincarnate as somebody associated with Chaldea. It made perfect sense. But that doesn't matter now.

"Help me here! Please, I can't hold on anymore…" I begged.

"Hold on! I'll-I'll find a way!" He declares to her, frantically searching for an opening to save me.

Even if he could, it's already too late. She didn't know how far the injury went, but by this point, anyone would know it could be fatal. She could have thought something about her horrible luck, but the link was weakening once again. Why… Why would fate be against me every single time?

Ritsuka's eyes in front of him become more desperate, all ideas burning into ashes like the facility around them in his hope to save her.

"Ahh… Ahhhh… " This isn't good. "Please….just get out of here… Save yourself." He shouldn't be here. Mash was dying out there. I shouldn't be selfish as to let her die for myself. "Please... just let me be…."

A fit of anger surged inside of him. "Bullshit! I won't let you die here!" He shouted, stunning the incapacitated girl into silence. Have I ever been this heroic before? The ruins of this hellhole should be enough to break anyone like him. Before Mash, however… …

"... ...Why?" A single question came out of his mouth. He gave a melancholic smile to her, wiping a bead of sweat from his face.

Before Ritsuka could speak his answer, the giant globe, which hadn't been broken by the explosion, began to emit a strange sound.

"Shiva's observed near future data is being overwritten. Detecting no traces of humanity on Earth in the next hundred years." It continued to hum, data slowly building up to make its conclusion.

"Unable to confirm humanity's survival. Humanity's future is not guaranteed."

So it's come to this, then...

Ritsuka was dumbfounded. "Mash, what is… What could be happening?"

Exposition was never his thing, yet he couldn't let him to be totally ignorant for now. "The process….the Master qualification test… the purpose of your arrival. It's all for this moment."

"The Rayshift."

The sound of bulkhead closing echoes the room. He couldn't care less, because the entire event is starting in the same way he once did. He did not know on whose body he's possessing, but it feels he has to warn him before it all went to waste.

"Listen… to… me..." I whispered, catching the attention of the despairing boy.

"Don't say any more words, Mash!"

"I don't think… I can stay any longer."

"Don't say that!" He screamed at me, begging for me to stay alive.

However, it was no longer possible. "It's... important…"

"Don't say any more, don't give it up!"

"Don't… leave..."

"SHUT UP!"

"… her… ever…"

There, I said it. It's a shame I couldn't warn him more. But he can quickly catch up on that once needed. That's how I was like back then, right?

SHEBA has gotten red even after all the commotion. In a few seconds, the Rayshifting process will begin and he will disappear from here, along with Mash, god knows where she is. As long as he could decode his message, it wouldn't matter anymore. He can only hope his journey wouldn't end the same way he did. Ah, this is exactly like that time…-

I felt my outstretched hand held by somebody. I looked up to her. It was just me. It was just Ritsuka, his eyes tearing up in what seems to be sad acceptance. Why would he care so much about me?

"Hey... What… Was this… for? " I asked, with the remnant of my voice.

He didn't answer. Instead, he just smiled at me.

"Unable to access value of vitals of Masters inside coffins."

"Unable to reach minimum persons required for Rayshift. Seeking eligible masters... eligible masters discovered. "

"Reestablishing with Number 36 and Number 48 as a Master."

"Unsummon program start. Beginning Heroic Spirit conversion."

"..."

"...Could you… hold my hand… …a little longer?"

"Rayshift beginning in 3,"

"2,"

"1."

"Entire process clear. Beginning First Order demonstration."

END PROLOGUE

Author's Note: If you have any opinions regarding my writing, lore, and my story in general, you can just PM me and I will listen to yours. Also, give credits to TungstenCat for the beta-reading my story.

Time to wrap it up. Thank you for reading and enjoy your time on. Goodbye, and see you next time.

Beta's Note: Hi. Yeah, that's all I could say.