Fate/Liminality (Quest) [M]

[LardDude]

This is Canon - Rho Certified

Today's a new day! Thinking about what there is to do, you--

"Build dolls."

The Voices. -sigh-
They're always there, interrupting your own thoughts with commands of their own. At times they do agree with you, which has a similar feel to how an echo mimics your voice, but other times... you've been forced into doing something that's not quite you. You're always left feeling like one of your dolls afterwards, with somebody else pulling your strings, and that concerns you. Granted, The Voices don't go against you often, and you've even found yourself to be almost reliant on their input, but...

But why? you ponder for a moment.

From when I entered this world they've had control over almost everything I've done. This couldn't be a Servant or Master at work, could it?

No. No Servant or Master would be able spare so much to control someone in this manner. Plus, you've found The Voices to be quite handy at times, providing you with different points of view, things you wouldn't have even thought of and...

"Hug."

...hugs?
Hm. Guess that rules out malevolent intent.

Could there be somebody else trapped inside of me? Another spirit perhaps?

That would make some sense, what with the summoning ritual not going as planned.

Was it possible?

Would anybody be that knowledgeable on the subject?

You couldn't imagine being the first, but it is a possibility, and one that you don't have much time to dwell on - the Grail War is a much more pressing matter, so you'll leave The Voices out of mind for now.

[Rhomeo]

“Ah, Saber, hello,” you smile at the other Servant, even as she continues to look at you with a critical gaze.

“… Caster, hello,” she eventually responds. “Why are you carrying a woman in your arms, exactly?”

Without so much as a shred of hesitation, you put Youmu back on her feet and beam proudly.

“And now I'm not!”

“… quite.”

Youmu is blushing heavily at this point, whether from embarrassment or something else, though, you can't quite tell. Now, you totally came here for a reason.

Right, asking her about Goldy!

“So, Saber, I imagine you probably don't want to talk about it… but I need to ask you about Gilgamesh,” you start gingerly, hoping to get her talking.

She's clearly uncomfortable, but given a few moments with her thoughts she nods solemnly.

“No, I understand the situation. Gilgamesh is… well, as I said, he's the King of Heroes. It stands to reason that he's more than just show, considering what age he's from. I can't speak for all of his abilities, but he does have the capability to use multiple Noble Phantasms via some kind of portal. I'm not quite sure how it ties into his legend, but he uses it to… shoot them at enemies?”

“He shoots Noble Phantasms from a portal,” you deadpan.

“It sounds ridiculous, I know, but he's the King of Heroes for a reason.”

“So, what else do you know?”

“He has… his own Noble Phantasm, on top of the portal. I never saw it myself, but it was capable of wiping out an entire Reality Marble in one blow, considering he killed Rider by himself.”

“That's… kind of scary,” Youmu pipes up, practically interrupting both yours and Saber's train of thought.

“Yeah, it is,” Saber nods, before cocking her head to the side. “Who are you, anyway?”

“Oh, pardon my manners, this is Youmu. She's my… ah, friend,” you introduce her with a smile as the woman in question bows.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Saber,” she declares as she straightens up.

“The pleasure's all mine. How did you and Caster here meet?”

“She made me!”

Ah, of course she'd say that.

“You two must be rather close then.”

Youmu nods rather seriously, eliciting a small chuckle from yourself. Saber's smiling, which can only be a good thing. You decide you're going to leave them alone for a while, until-

-?!

A pounding headache overtakes you, and-

---

…?

What's going on?

You're in a totally white space, alone. You feel… weightless. When you try to look down at yourself, you see only more white space.

“Well, this is a problem.”

A voice?

“What problem? I can't see any problem. All I can see is white.”

“Now, you see, that's the problem,” the voice continues, sounding… tired. “I want you out of my head, but you keep forcing me to take all these ridiculous actions. I refuse to hug any more people, you understand?”

“But there's another voice- understand all these actions are based on luck- And it tells me to hug!- I'm not lucky all the time- your head...?!”

The voice sighs.

“Therein lies the problem. You all exist in my head. I'm Alice, but you – you aren't. I don't know what you think you're doing, but I'm done with it. If you won't leave, I'll just force you all into submission, one by one.”

“Good luck with that. We've done things in your favor before! I'm the real Alice! Sounds like fun. I'd like to see you try.”

The voice sighs again.

“So be it.”

---

By the time you come to, you note that… nothing's really changed. You're still standing beside Youmu as she talks to Saber.

…

… but.

[] Go home.
[] Stay.
- [] Talk to Saber.
- [] Talk to Shirou.

Spoiler: Tutorial – Resistance 

Uh oh! Due to how much we've strayed from the Servant's original personality, they've started resisting our choices! Picking any choice in italics will incur a resistance check, and then a penalty roll depending on how the check played out. Consistently choosing resistance-based choices will end up pushing the Servant's personality aside altogether…

…

But at what cost?

[Rhomeo]

A good part of you wants to stay behind and talk to Shirou, or spend time with Saber, but-

“Youmu, let's go home,” you murmur, gesturing with your hand. “I have some things to attend to.”

The artificial woman gives you a strange look before nodding, giving a farewell to Saber before falling in line behind you. Her face seems to get more and more serious as you walk in silence, as though she…

… hmm, no, unlikely.

You end up returning home rather quickly and descending straight into the basement. Youmu watches over you as you work, falling into a frenzy as strings of prana form the small wooden bodies of your puppets.

And the day passes by.

---

Now you have to figure out what to spend with your evening.

…

Hmm.

You have 2 Action Points to spend!

[] ???? (2)
[] Make dolls!
- [] Quantity!
- [] Quality!
- [] Mixed!
[] Interact with:
- [] Who?
[] Scout!
- [] Where?

[Rhomeo]

Before you can so much as make a decision, you black out.

---

Ah, the white world again. That could only mean…

“You didn't resist me, despite making all those bold claims,” the voice begins, a slight presence of anger in its tone. “Why?”

“Why not? I choose the choice that I believe is the most important. Speaking of which, I didn't choose this action for myself.”

“So, some of you make choices simply because you can, others because you want to achieve 'something'. Excuse me for sounding dubious, but why should I let a group of voices who can't even agree on how to answer me control my actions?”

“Because we know things. Like an attack that will happen on this city. Because you need a little fun and excitement in your life! Before you die, you know.”

“An attack…?”

The voice seems to trail off. You can practically hear them thinking before a long drawn out sigh echoes all around you.

“I'd always suspected you knew things you shouldn't. What's going to attack, then?”

“Something big and dangerous… it has an 80% chance of killing you… tomorrow... A giant monster that can only be destroyed if you break the core. I know you can't kill it.”

“Something a Servant is incapable of killing is indeed dangerous… but that doesn't explain your choices to this point. If we're going to be attacked by something a Servant can't harm, then why all the traipsing around the city? Why the insufferable number of hugs? Why not forging proper alliances rather than half-baked ones, and preparing? I have nowhere near enough dolls to fight a Servant, let alone a monster beyond one.”

“Because my fellow voters are idiots. Because we did not know about it right away. There's a voice that speaks to us, too.”

“Voices within voices...” the voice seems to chuckle. “Alright, I'll believe you for now. If you can agree to take the time leading up to this monster seriously, I won't resist you. I want to go home alive, after all.”

Before you can manage another response, however, the world suddenly crumbles.

---

As you re-open your eyes, the first thing you see is a transparent skull staring back at you. To your credit, you don't jump back or scream, if only because of the sharp rapier pointed at your neck. The blade reflects the dim light of your Workshop rather ominously as the man… no, the Servant, cocks its head to the side.

“U-”

As you go to speak, the Servant presses the pointed blade against the skin of your throat. Any further and you'll likely die. He hasn't killed you yet, which means… what, exactly? As you go to try and speak again, the figure presses the blade deeper into the soft flesh that is your throat. It's just enough for a rivulet of blood to trickle down and stain your shawl. You imagine you won't get another chance.

You decide to try and wait him out, then. If he hasn't killed you outright, he must want something. But… the seconds tick by, quickly turning into minutes. He makes no further moves, the blade pressed uncomfortably into your throat. No, he wants you to do something…

“George, I don't mean to alarm you, but there's a Servant in my Workshop.”

“What?! I haven't even sensed anything, are you okay?” the response is immediate, and worried.

“Minus the blade to my throat, I'm fine.”

“I'll come down, Youmu is with me, it won't take long.”

Assassin seems to notice your glazed expression, as a smile grows across the skull-face.

“George, I think the Servant wants to kill you. Make sure Youmu comes in first.”

“Don't worry, I was already planning on it.”

With a creak, the door slowly opens. Youmu makes her way in, katana at the ready. George follows closely behind, wary of his surroundings to an extent you suddenly feel the need to replicate. That practically saves your life, as the sudden flex in the Servant's arm gives you enough time to dodge to the side, avoiding a thrust from him. Without so much as a cautionary glance towards you, he turns towards Youmu, who's already shot forward in an attempt to strike at him.

With an almost subtle gesture, he brings his offhand across his torso and out – just in time to catch Youmu's blade and throw it aside. She's thrown off balance for just long enough, as the Servant steps forward and plunges his blade straight into her chest. Her eyes bulge in their sockets as he pushes her straight to the ground, but he's not looking at her.

He's staring straight at you.

Without so much as a shred of hesitation, you reach out with your prana. Blue strings form at your fingertips before exploding out in a huge net, covering the Workshop in a matter of seconds. The Servant steps back, pulling his sword free just in time for the first wave to hit him. The two full platoons are moving together, with the lances at the front making what you can only attribute as bombing runs on the ethereal figure. From behind them, the other full platoon rains down a constant barrage of magics, ranging across all four elements.

Youmu stands up to attempt to take advantage, but in the corner of your eye, you spot it.

A giant urn.

A puff of white smoke suddenly envelops it and from the darkness, a figure steps forward. Clad in armour that looks far too heavy for any normal man, a blade larger than you and a mask of metal he emits naught but an aura of power. Youmu brings up her katana in defiance, but the artificial blood leaking from her chest betrays her injury, which is more than enough for the figure to step forward and swing.

Unable to fully block it, her blade clangs aside uselessly as his behemoth of a sword tears through her chest. The smell of charred flesh reaches your nose.

She needs your help.

But you can't give it to her.

In one final push, you crisscross your hands in a splendid display of dexterity, causing your dolls to move in for a final strike. In fact, it's Marisa that leads the charge and pierces straight into his chest, along with all the other ones with lances. Blood pours forth, and a savage grin touches your lips. You hear a scream from Youmu, but the fact that she roars afterwards calms your heart, considering that she'd have to still be alive to do that.

That's about when you see it. A flicker of flame.

You don't have much time to react as Assassin's hand plunges to the floor, causing a number of columns of flame to shoot into the air. You jump to the side in an attempt to dodge, but you end up caught in a pillar anyway. It's not quite as intense as you thought it would be, but it burns hot enough for you to have to hold back a scream. If your clothes could be set on fire, you imagine they'd be burnt off.

When the flames eventually die down, you note that Assassin's body is… well, gone. Dead, then. The other one, the man Youmu was fighting, he was gone too. Somehow, you mange to breathe a sigh of relief. Your hands drop and the dolls drop with them, cluttering together in a large pile on the ground.

“That was...” George gulps, blinking in confusion.

“… pretty awesome,” Youmu grins, as though she'd already forgotten her wounds. “You're going to patch me up, right Alice?”

You can only nod stupidly in response.

Maybe you should have set up those Bounded Fields yourself a while back, eh?

---

You have 5 Action Points to spend!

[] Fix up Youmu! (3)
[] George wants to talk to you about something important… (2)
[] Illyasviel wants to talk to you… (2)
[] Build dolls!
- [] Quantity!
- [] Quality!
- [] Mixed!
[] Interact with:
- [] Who?
[] Explore the city!
- [] Take someone with you?

[Rhomeo]

You decide to start the day by working on Youmu's injuries. Most of her body is fine, but there's some specific things you need to deal with. If she'd been a doll through and through it would just involve layering her skin over with prana, but… Youmu was a bit more than that. After you'd finished with her, she'd undergone some sort of transformation.

It wasn't like you didn't know what happened, but it was… too hard to explain, really. It just 'happened'.

Still, repairing her wasn't an impossible task. Just a time consuming one.

“Can I ask you a question, Alice?” Youmu suddenly pipes up, eyes turning as far as they can to try and see you from the table you'd put her on.

“Sure,” you respond easily, turning back to her with a multitude of tools.

“I appreciate you helping me now, but… why didn't you save me before?”

You'd been expecting this line of conversation, of course. Thinking back on it, if you'd decided to go with helping Youmu it would have been child's play to mix the dolls between working on both assailants. Since you didn't make the choice, however, it never occurred to you to just do both things.

“It was… the stress at that moment didn't help me make a rational decision.”

“Well… I can't blame you for that,” she murmurs, turning her eyes away from you. “You were probably thinking about your Master, right? Maybe… maybe it would be better if I just left. It would make things easier.”

In a brief wave of clarity, you find yourself… not controlling your own body. In amazement, with no input from you, your body steps forward and takes Youmu's hand in yours.

No, Alice takes Youmu's hand in hers, staring down at her best friend. You know it's her. It has to be.

“Youmu,” she starts, the voice sound almost foreign. “You're my best friend. I made you. With my own hands. There's no one I would ever treasure more than you, but I made a choice that I thought was the best at the time. I knew you'd survive, because I put in effort to making sure you would never fall. I can't lose you. I won't. So please, don't leave. I...”

She trails off, with Youmu looking practically stunned. The doll-woman parts her lips to speak.

“If you're her best friend, abandoning her would be a bit much, don't you think?” George states from the doorway, causing the two girls to turn their eyes to him. His smile is light, but it is there. “Not to mention you do talk to me more than Alice does, after all.”

Youmu's face breaks into a smile as she turns her eyes back to you.

“You're right. Both of you. I'm… I'm sorry I even brought it up. Will you forgive me?”

You don't even answer, taking control right back from Alice to take Youmu in your arms and squeeze her tight. The cute little 'oof' sound she makes is enough to make your day.

---

After finishing up with Youmu, you decide to head up and talk to George. He mentioned he needed you a few minutes ago, so…

[] Just listen to what he has to say.
[] Bring something else up!
- [] What?

[m139]

This is Canon - Rho Certified

“Not to mention you do talk to me more than Alice does, after all.”

So, what had happened to Youmu when Alice was, well, talking to the voices in her head?

Well, after walking around Alice for a while and finding her unresponsive, Youmu decided to go find George.

It wasn't to hard, really. All she had to do was go upstairs and knock on the study door...

Except no one answered.

She tried again. Still no answer.

Cautiously, she opened the door. She peeked through the crack. No one.

She opened it a bit more and looked around. Nothing. At least, no person. All that was there were the bookcases lining the walls, a couple of chairs scattered about, and George's desk, covered with a couple of books and stacks of paper.

Finally, she opened the door all the way and let herself in. Nothing happened. She made her way to the desk cautiously. Was he hiding behind it? Under it? She checked. Nothing.

Now satisfied that she was indeed alone, she allowed curiosity to guide her. What were these fancy papers on the desk, anyway? She picked the top one up.

"The inclusive igneous rock known as granite is light colored, with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye. It is..."

Hmm. Interesting. She picked up a book and read the title: Rock Formations on the Peninsula: A Study of the 10th through 15th Layer.. Even stranger. She was not quite sure how that would help with the Grail war and whatever, but whatever George was doing...

Suddenly, she heard a shuffuling from the door. She whirled around. There was a man coming through it, carrying another huge stack of papers with a few dusty books on top.

His head peaked around from the side. "Oh hi, Youmu. Could you clear a space on that desk for me?"

Youmu picked up a couple of the books, and George moved forward and put down his load.

"There," he said, "Now what are you doing here?"

"I was just coming to see you."

"See me? Why I'm honored. Here, have a seat." He pulled up a chair and motioned to her. Once he was seated, he sat in his own chair, and continued, "Sorry I was not here earlier. I was busy collecting more materials for my research. But what is it you would like to talk about?"

"Well, it's about Alice."

"Hmm?"

"She has this glazed look and she's just standing there. I... I don't know what happened to her."

"That is it?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry too much. Alice is from another world, and her ways are quite strange. After all, if she has the ability to create life..." He got up and walked to the balcony.

She followed him, "Then what?"

"Maybe... maybe she can help me."

"With your rocks?"

George turned around and smiled. "So, you saw what I was reading, eh? Not quite with the rocks, although that may help a bit...:"

"With what then?" Youmu walked forward out onto the balcony, and grasped the rail beside him.

He looked her in the eyes. "With getting my wife back."

Youmu gasped, her eyes suddenly filled with concern. "Oh, no! What happened?"

George took a deep breath, then looked into the evening sky. "It was late that evening, on a night much like this one. The two of us had gone out of the city, and were in this little canyon, taking a break for the day. She had said I had finally done enough to deserve one, and the canyons were beautiful in the evening light.

We were just about to go back to the city, having happily spent the afternoon together, when suddenly..."

He paused, his hands gripped tightly against the rail. "There was an earthquake." She and I were tossed far apart. And then, Rocks fell between us. And that was the last time I saw her."

He sighed.

"I tried to get her out, I really did! But even with my magic, it was too much, so far away from the Leland. And so, I went back to the city, to find some help. But, that evening, the volcano erupted. They all said it was useless. Perhaps it is..."

Youmu interrupted "Unless Alice can bring her back?"

George turned to her. "Perhaps, " he said, then returned his gaze to the city, "But she may not even need to..."

"What do you mean?"

"I've had these dreams... where she's trying to contact me from under the stone. If they are really her-"

"Then what?" Youmu asked. He had suddenly gone unresponsive, and was staring forward as if looking at something beyond the city.

"Hold on." He said then, turning to Youmu, continued,"We've got to go downstairs. Alice is in trouble."

[Rhomeo]

It sounded pretty urgent, so you decide it would be best to just hear what he has to say. Confident in that, you make your way up from the basement Workshop and move towards George following your inner radar. You find him in a living room you'd never seen him in, staring at an… obnoxiously huge tv. Had George brought it here himself? Hmm, questions for another day perhaps. The first thing you notice are the fast-moving images on screen.

So fast, in fact, that you wonder if a normal human would be able to keep up.

Your eyes flit to the moving text on the bottom of the screen…

Attack on Tokyo, Japan! Some new form of technological warfare?

And in George's hand, a letter. His eyes stare at the screen blankly, as though he can't believe what he's seeing.

He asked you up here to talk, and now he isn't saying anything…

“Hello? You called?” you ask him, taking a few steps forward in worry.

George turns to you, his eyes panicked.

“What are we supposed to do against something like that?” he whispers, before turning back to the tv again. It's by now that you realise that it's in fact a recording, replaying the same thing over and over. A set of movements too fast for human eyes to track, but you can see them.

A monster.

With a subtle action, he extends the hand holding the letter back to you, signifying that you should read it. Whatever it is. You comply and take it from his hand. A letter from the fake Priest, as Rin so lovingly calls him. Calling for…

“A meeting?” you frown, looking up at George. “What about?”

“I don't know, but with this thing rampaging in Japan...”

“It must be because of this monster, huh...”

“That much is obvious,” George snorts, picking up a remote and shutting the TV off. “The real question is what they expect us to do about it.”

Well…

[] Go to the meeting. (Locks in actions for tonight)
[] Don't go to the meeting. (???)

[Rhomeo]

“I don't think you should go, Master.”

“… why not?” George frowns, turning to you.

“We don't need to go. We already know what it is about. They are going to talk about the monster. It is big, giant, and will most likely, apparently, kill me. How do I know this? Well, there is a voice that speaks to me, but only at night. I think it would be best if we stayed, both so I could find out something, and so that we can prepare for the attack. It will attack this city, just so you know.”

“So you're telling me that because we're under attack by a monster that's capable of destroying Servants that we shouldn't work together?” he exclaims, looking dumbstruck. “I took you for a smart person, Caster, but that's just ridiculous. If whatever this… thing… is, comes to Fuyuki, then we need to work together with the other Masters to deal with it. The message was from the Mediator, so whatever the case is, I'm sure everyone else will show up. As for you keeping things from me...”

George's face looks hurt at that, enough so that it looks like you punched him in the gut.

Now you feel bad.

“I don't want to lose you, George,” you murmur, tears brimming in your eyes. “I already failed once before, don't do this to me. Please.”

His face crumbles as he sees your tears. For a moment. Instead of responding, he merely walks past you and out of the room.

Master-Servant Synergy Decreased!

[] Go after him.
[] Stay here.

[MatrixOne]

This Is Canon - Rho Certified

He was there to kill the woman standing in line in front of him.

He watched her with a sadistic smile, her long, black hair that fell on her back, and each piece of jewelry that she had. Each piece of her necklace, every ring and earring containing a small gem packed to capacity with Magical Energy. The rolled-up sleeves of her light brown hoodie showed no signs of a Magic Crest on her arms. It made sense that she'd use humans for prana, when her circuits were subpar. Of course, murdering people excluded her from the community of Magi immediately, making her easy prey for the likes of him.

"First time in Tokyo?" He asked her, his smile suddenly without any traces of earlier malice.

"What, did my eyes give it away?" She sighed. Her dark skin color kept drawing attention, which wasn't desirable for a Magus on the run from the Church Executors. "...Oh. I'm sorry, Father." She added, noticing the clerical collar on his black shirt.

Yes, one look at him, and she was already nervous.

Good.

"Don't worry about it. I recommend you try anpan, it's great."

Her eyes lingered on him for another moment. "Thanks, but I'm not in the mood for sweet stuff. Need something with substance, I guess."

"Nonsense. You should reward yourself from time to time, you know." His smile only grew wider. "We'll have anpan and coffee, please." He placed the order before she could stop him.

"There are a lot of people here." She whispered, leaning in slightly so others wouldn't hear.

"That's never stopped you before." He whispered back. "Thank you." He claimed the order.

***

Later.

The two of them were sitting at a table, him casually leaned back as though he owned the place and her curled up in the seat with an expression he could only describe as pathetic, holding her cup of coffee with both hands, like she was looking for some comfort in its warmth.

"I see you haven't touched your anpan." He said, putting down the crumpled up wrapping.

"..." No answer. Again.

His eyebrow twitched. Playing with prey this boring wasn't fun at all.

"Help me understand something. A Magus with no future and no Crest, and instead of laying low, you decide to go on the run?" He continued talking, not noticing the sudden flash of recognition in her eyes. "I don't see the point in making your already short life, that much shorter."

A loud crash behind him interrupted the speech. He could sense a disturbance in the Field he had prepared beforehand. Turning around to investigate the noise, he saw...

...

"Careless morons." He muttered. The waiter had dropped some plates on the ground, and was now picking them up, apologizing to the customers.

"What's the matter, priest? You seem to be on edge." The girl mocked. Something was different about her attitude now, the way she was carelessly enjoying her anpan.

"I've set up countless Bounded Fields all across the district, looking for you, and now they're destabilizing. Of course, I don't need them anymore."

"Seems to me like you're paranoid." She laughed.

"What kind of a Magus doesn't have a single Workshop or Bounded Field? How can you expect to accomplish anything, without a Magic Crest or..."

He stopped his sentence halfway. The girl had a sip of coffee, and licked her lips.

The shiny symbols of power were already in the air.

Before he could finish manifesting the Black Keys, a dozen black feathers pulsing with dark energy of an ancient curse were flying in his direction, straight from the girl's mouth. The resulting impact hit him in the center of the chest like a cannonball, sending him crashing through the window as an enormous Magic Circle was inscribed on the floor of the restaurant, causing everyone inside to collapse.

Before he hit the ground, he already had eight Black Keys between his fingers. Rather than cushion his own landing, he took that second of flight to aim a few Keys to disrupt the three Magic Circles that were appearing on the wall, each Circle turning in his direction, ready to spit powerful spells. With all these people drained for prana, this girl could possibly fire a few B rank spells that would turn this parking lot into a steaming crater.

But there was a bigger problem.

Literally.

"So this is why my Bounded Fields were acting up." He said, eyes wide, as he jumped off the roof of the car he had landed on.

"What is that thing?!" The girl ran out of the restaurant, forgetting all about the conflict. "Wha... Weren't you supposed to make sure anything like that couldn't happen? What good is the Church if it can't protect...?!"

He gritted his teeth. "This is new. I don't think there was enough time for warnings, Mage."

"But..."

"That Magic Crest." He looked at her, his expression serious. "It's on your tongue, isn't it?"

She nodded, silent.

"Interesting." He said. "In that case, if you were connected to my Magic Circles, you could drain the whole district, am I right?"

"Why? You want to kill everyone?"

"There's a town," he explained, sealing the open wound on his stomach with a thread of prana. "It was picked out as a sacrifice for a ritual that keeps happening every sixty or so years. I expect the Supervisor of that ritual to throw every single spirit against the monster."

"So you mean to boost them with my prana..." She bit her lip. "We'll never make it there. We'll die here, in this city."

"You're wrong. You store all additional prana within your Reality Marble, am I correct? Then I'll gather energy, while you get to Fuyuki. Talk to Kotomine... No, Tohsaka Rin. Tell her that a Command Spell connected to your Magic Crest will have multiple times the strength." He unceremoniously stuck his finger in her mouth, grabbing a single string of prana and attaching it to his hand.

"It'd be smart of me just to say screw it, bail and not look back." She shook her head, bloodred lines of energy appearing all over her body, a sign of heavy reinforcement Magecraft.

"You're not smart." He patted her on the back. Without waiting, she shot off in the opposite direction of the behemoth, fast as a bullet. Her speed was... It was reckless, placing an incredible strain on the body. It would take a tremendous amount of prana to keep her going, but with access to all that spare energy, she could make it to Fuyuki fast.

Best get to work, then.

Two minutes, maybe less. The monster was making quick work of the city, district by district. Every Magic Circle connected to the priest's consciousness was now alight, working together to weave a final, huge Bounded Field across as much area as possible, every single ounce of life force fed by a tiny string of prana to the girl's Reality Marble, like a straw connected to the ocean.

And damn, she was fast.

[Rhomeo]

For once, you note that the whisper of voices in the back of your mind agree.

Go after him.

By the time you catch up, he's already by the front door, slipping a coat on over his shoulders. Without a word, you take up position beside him, a determined look on your face. The sound of shuffling feet behind you signifies Youmu's following too, which George takes as general acceptance. Together, you leave the manor and start the trek across the city towards the Church. Twilight has fallen over Fuyuki, accentuating the city's beauty.

You'd say it reminds you of home, but… where is home, anyway?

…

Without any conversation to fill the trip, it takes an awfully long time to even reach the bridge. At least here you can look out across the water, taking in the sights that go along with the final few dregs of sunlight available to you. Streetlights begin flickering on as you reach the Shinto side of the river, signalling the true beginning of the evening.

You suppose you shouldn't be surprised as you crest the Church's hill that a large number of figures are already there. Most of them you recognise, but a few… Oddly enough, you can't pinpoint either Gilgamesh or the priest. Honing in on the person you know the best, you end up next to Rin. Archer is nowhere in sight, but you suppose that's kind of expected. Minus the armoured Saber and a man in blue, you note you're the only Servant not in spirit form.

“Ah, Caster, glad you showed up,” Rin flashes you a confident smile. “You and your Master are the last, just waiting for that fake priest to show his face.”

Considering you'd come over to talk to her, it's somewhat annoying that you're interrupted by the booming sound of the church doors opening. Everyone's face turns to Father Kotomine, who slowly shuffles over towards the group. All faces are grim and silent as he opens his mouth.

But no sound comes out.

… no, that's not it.

You can tell that he's talking, but something's wrong.

With every ounce of effort, you try to hold on. To remain tethered to the body you've been stuck in for so long.

… but.

You fail.

---

The first thing you notice are the stares.

At your feet lays the prone body of Alice, clearly unconscious. No one says a thing. Just…

They just stare at you.

Unnerved, you look down and notice your body.

It's pure shadow.

[] Write-in.