#a new tale woven by humanity's saviors || story event

[awoosmusehorde]

(♫)

“My lady, it seems your theory was correct. There are, in fact, newly-summoned Servants in the city. Four, and one unusual case, to be precise... But the stranger thing is, they all seem to be contracted to a single Master.”

Rider of Atlantis spoke candidly, kneeling before the Caster seated upon her throne. Though her expression was unreadable, her tone was that of amusement, more than concern or surprise. The red-haired young woman stood by the door, arms folded behind her back, however, briefly let the ghost of interest flash across her features - if the Caster sat at the opposite end of the opulent room noticed, she didn’t comment on it, only replying to the information her Rider had relayed to her.

“Oh...? How intriguing. I’ve not known multiple Servants to contract under a single Master at once... Even these human fools, having experimented on themselves for centuries, wouldn’t be able to handle that sheer level of drain on their prana... So the Servants themselves must be lesser for it, to avoid killing their Master from the strain on their magical circuits. Am I correct, Rider?”

The silver-haired woman nodded, still having not risen from her position.

“Yes. The unusual case has a Spirit Origin, but it’s faint; she seems to use special equipment to draw out her power. It’s possible that it’s damaged, somehow... But the other four do indeed seem to be weaker than they would be under a singular Master. They recently entered our territory and began to slay your familiars, but it takes the entire team of them to handle a small pack.”

Hearing that, the young woman by the door’s expression changed once more, but rather than a passing look, this time, her facial features stuck, silently expressing her desire to speak candidly, yet knowing it wasn’t her place to ask. This time, Caster of Atlantis seemed to take notice.

“Yes, Saber? If you have something you’d like to share, you may speak.”

The newly-christened Saber of Atlantis bowed her gratitude, only taking a few steps forward so she would have to avoid raising her voice as she spoke.

“If I might say as much, my lady, I would wager that they intend to draw out Berserker so that they can ally with the few remaining Servants still in the city. While doubtful they intend to slay her outright, weaker than a typical group of Servants as they are, it’s likely they intend to either lure her into a disadvantageous situation and weaken her before striking, or intend to force her into a gambit and learn more about her - potentially even her True Name.”

The raven-haired Caster smirked, curling a finger and resting its side against her chin.

“Oh? I take it this is your experience as a tactician talking, hm? If I recall, you were quite famed for that...”

The Saber merely nodded in response, saying nothing else unless told to do otherwise, for now. Rider, meanwhile, cast a glance over to the red-haired Servant before finally standing and looking up to her mistress.

“I’m sure they’ll move on when it’s clear we won’t give in to their efforts, my lady. Your familiars are easily-replaceable, after all; the loss of a few packs won’t be much harm.”

A few moments of silence passed before Caster finally spoke, her smirk still refusing to fade from her lips.

“No. Indulge them, and send Berserker out to greet them as they desire. She’s served her purpose, and quite frankly, I’m beginning to believe she’s starting to chafe against her chains; after all, that girl’s hatred of me is second to none other, so it’s only natural even I’d have trouble reigning her in for too long...”

For a brief moment, both Rider and Saber seemed surprised, before realization suddenly seemed to dawn over Rider’s otherwise-stoic face.

“I see... So preparations for the ritual are almost complete, then?”

Caster’s smirk formed into a rather evil, sadistic grin moments before she spoke, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing, as well.

“Indeed. By this time tomorrow, everything will be in place, and I’ll have no more need for loose ends like Berserker...~”

====================================

(♫)

“Okay, Regina said these were Phantasmal Beasts, right?! These don’t look like any Phantasmal Beasts that I’ve ever seen!”

Einstein called out in clear frustration, and who could blame him?! These “Phantasmal Beasts” were like nothing you were familiar with; it’d be more accurate to call them “monstrosities”, warped abominations of nature, science, or magecraft made to only vaguely resemble animals. They reminded you of the Lahmus from Babylonia with how alien they were, only significantly less uniform - not one of these creatures even vaguely resembled one another! 

They even differed in how their bodies acted after death - most of them vanished into magical energy, while some collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap like a typical creature. The most viable explanation seemed to be that the “living” ones were blueprints for the ones that dissipated... Not that it made it any easier to take them down.

“That’s putting it mildly, dear Caster... They’re certainly much harder to put down than your average Phantasmal.”

Even Maria was beginning to complain in her own way, and she wasn’t wrong. These things were surprisingly tough for how weird and difficult it should be just for them to stay alive with how nonsensical their bodies were, let alone fight. Still, you were slowly chipping away at them, one group at a time. And yet, there was no sign of this supposed Berserker...

“Master! We’ve got an incoming Spirit Origin headed our way from 8-o’-clock at high speed! It has to be Berserker of Atlantis!”

Well, ask, and ye shall receive. Thanking Mash for the heads-up, you turned your attention to the indicated direction, and moments later, who should land in the street before you with a loud crash but...

A young woman who looked more like a fairy tale being than any “Berserker” - fair skin, a slender, dainty figure, and blue hair that almost seemed to sway and float on its own, as if she were perpetually underwater.

“Oh! It’s just like Master said! A bunch of Servants and a Master, and they’re all super duper weak! Hmm, there’s supposed to be five of ya, aren’t there...? Oh well! It won’t be any fun to play with you guys, but if I don’t kill you first, I can’t go kill Master!”

Though the girl’s appearance caught you off-guard, there was no doubting the presence she was exuding; this was a Servant, all right, which meant that it was time to execute Plan A. With a command on your part, Mash, Maria, and Shangxiang all took up combat positions, while Einstein hung back to provide support as usual, and Annie in position elsewhere, as planned.

(♫)

As soon as your team made it apparent you intended to fight, Berserker of Atlantis rushed forward with an arm outstretched. Her path was quickly intercepted by Mash’s shield, the sheer strength of Berserker’s strike prompting the Shielder to skid back several feet, causing even Mash to struggle to hold her ground - it was clear that, despite her frame, the girl had plenty of strength. Either she was deceptively powerful, or she really was a Berserker, and with exceptionally-high ranking Madness Enhancement, to boot - if not both.

While Mash had Berserker occupied, Maria took aim with her bow and launched a small barrage of arrows at the girl. Expecting her to either disengage and let the arrows bounce harmlessly off Mash’s shield or be struck, nobody expected her hair to suddenly raise up in a motion to swat away the arrows, and even less for the arrows to embed themselves in her hair, causing nothing less than blood to splatter from them as Berserker cried out in pain. It was then that, upon closer inspection, that you realized that her “hair” wasn’t hair... They were tentacles.

Regardless, the shots were enough to give Mash enough of an opening to begin pushing Berserker back, and combined with Shangxiang, were dominating the Berserker in melee, while Maria controlled her movements with carefully-timed arrows, and Einstein provided support via his Galvanism and providing tactical insight. However, something seemed off to you as you commanded your Servants and provided assistance via your shadow summons. Within the blur of combat, you noticed something odd now and then with the Berserker, and while she was technically on the losing side, your gut told you that things were about to go south.

(♫)

And that’s when you finally caught notice of it. The Berserker was changing. And not just now, but you realized she’d been slowly changing the moment the battle started. Her hair hadn’t always been tentacles - they were the first transformation. And now you could see, her clothes were looking more aged, her mouth was filled with fangs, and her skin seemed to be growing scales... That bad feeling of yours skyrocketed in urgency, enough to cause you to command everyone to get away from Berserker.

Just in time, too, as the moment everyone disengaged to a more moderate distance, Berserker of Atlantis slumped forward as her body began to lurch. Now that she was stood still, you realized she’d grown at least two whole feet taller since she first arrived, but now she was growing even larger. Not only that, but her entire body was shifting, changing, as her lower body sprouted the heads of wolves, tentacles burst forth from various places on her frame, and her eyes became solid red orbs within her sockets. Just looking at the mish-mash of beast parts made you sick, but also filled you with a primitive terror - this wasn’t a Servant any more, your mind thought. It was the embodiment of a natural disaster.

(♫)

“Everyone, retreat! I think we’ve done all we can!”

Einstein called out, and nobody was about to disagree. Mash was swift to scoop you up into her arms as the entire team began to book it as fast as they could - whatever Berserker of Atlantis had turned into, it wasn’t something you could deal with any more, not as you currently were. However, despite how fast your retreat was, you soon realized that Berserker was not only keeping pace with you on her medley of tentacles, but was actually beginning to catch up!

However, you’d planned for this sort of thing, and with a whistle on your part, a gunshot rang out from a fair distance away, striking Berserker of Atlantis right in the head. Annie, set up on an abandoned tower approximately two kilometers away, ready to snipe and confound Berserker. Unfortunately, the shot did little but cause Berserker to pause in her tracks for a few moments as she looked for the source before resuming her chase of your group.

A few more shots rang out, striking Berserker of Atlantis in the head several more times, but they did little besides cause her to veer off to the side in the middle of her pursuit, something she had little trouble in correcting. The monster chasing you down was swiftly gaining, and soon, Mash was within reach of one of its tentacles.

SLAM!!!

The strike from the bestial Servant sent you and Mash both flying, but while Mash quickly righted herself, you didn’t find yourself so lucky. Sprawled out on the ground, your head ringing, your vision cleared just in time to see the monstrous creature bearing down on you, one of its gigantic wolf heads opening its maw...

...And then a blur and a rush of wind. You felt a pair of arms holding you from below, looking up to see a helmeted woman carrying you in her arms... and from where you could see, you were now about 30 feet from where you had been laying just moments before.

(♫)

“Come with me! Keep a lock on your Master’s magical energy signature, we’ll be safe in just a moment!”

The helmeted woman spoke with confidence before running off towards the outer rim of the city with you in tow; while you were grateful for the rescue, part of you was curious as to who this was, and why she had saved you...

[nathanjhill]

Christmas: How will you tell the story?

This evening, let’s talk about stories.

Stories shape our lives. Stories shape what we believe. What we know. What we anticipate. How we think the world works. How we make sense of our world.

Does the good guy always win? Do the couple fall in love? Can Santa deliver presents on time?

The fact that the Hallmark Channel begins showing Christmas movies at the end of October tells us that we are hungry for stories that lift our spirits, that soothe our aching souls, that offer us a break from the oft cruelty of our world.

Just remember back to the conversations and events we have endured in our world this past year - racism, inequality, bullying, sexual harassment, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, famine, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, violence… How much easier it would be to turn on one of those sweet Christmas movies and forget about it all?

Most of us are quite aware that life does not always work out like a fairy tale - but that does not stop Hallmark and the movie companies and books and TV from feeding us those stories. We are constantly told stories in our lives - stories that offer to us a chance to get rich, be successful, find happiness, and make sense of our world. Some of the stories marketed to us sound really good -

Violence will solve all of our problems and make us safe.

If someone is rich or famous, they deserved it.

If you work harder and faster and longer, you will be happy.

Everything is going to be okay.

But you don’t have to live very long to find out that many of those stories that our society, our workplaces, and sometimes even our family don’t always come true.

That’s why in our Advent series this year in church I have asked this question - how will you tell the story?

Not just any story - but the story of Jesus, of Christmas, of God coming into flesh to be with us.

The story we heard in scripture tonight doesn’t need a lot of exposition. In some ways, it is simple - a baby, born to a normal couple, Mary and Joseph, in a small village on the other side of the world. The baby wasn’t particularly remarkable at first - he didn’t clean his own diapers or know how to read from birth. His parents, despite encounters with divine messengers, were just people too. They did not have advanced degrees or great fortunes. And Bethlehem was just another quiet, sleepy farm town on the outskirts of the big city.

And yet - this baby turned out to be extraordinary - a child who as he became a man would begin to say and do the most peculiar things, standing on the tradition of his Jewish forefathers and foremothers, proclaiming a new kingdom that was breaking in, a new story that God was unfolding right there in the people’s midst.

A young man in whom people would catch a glimpse of heaven - a young man who came that the prisoners might go free, the blind might see, the lame might walk, and the poor would hear the good news.

A man called Jesus, Messiah, Savior, Lord, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace.

For the numerous people that followed Jesus or encountered him, his life spoke this new story - a story that there was something more to this existence, there was goodness able to hold back the darkness, there was hope bursting forth from dry places, the weak were loved just as much as the strong, the poor were favored, that justice for those who long suffered was on the way, healing would abound for those who felt cast out and forgotten.

On the cross and Easter Sunday, he proclaimed that even death will not have the final word.

The audacity of this Christmas story is that it speaks to a God who brought light into our darkness not with violence and fear - but in a quiet way, in the birth of a child, in the love of a family, and by walking among humanity. Like one of us.

Christmas is a story about how God partners with humanity for our own redemption. An angel invites Mary to participate in the renewal of her people by carrying this child. Joseph is tasked with fathering this little one. Shepherds and wise men are given front row seats to the big news. Family members and prophets join in the celebration. Ordinary men and women, disciples, are invited to follow him.

And tonight, we are reminded, no matter what we may be going through, no matter how angry we are at the state of the world, no matter how much we long for justice to be done among broken relationships and governments, no matter the stories we have been telling ourselves to sleep well at night ——

We are being invited to be a part of this story.

Where refugees seek deliverance that never comes,

And the heart consumes itself, if it would live,

Where little children age before their time,

And life wears down the edges of the mind,

Where the old man sits with mind grown cold

While bones and sinew, blood and cell, go slowly down to death,

Where fear companions each day’s life,

And Perfect Love seems long delayed,

Christmas is waiting to be born:

In you, in me, in all humankind.

-Howard Thurman

The child in the manger is inviting us to come and see - to hear the glad tidings - to know that for once in our life, we are not alone. We are not being sold a false bill of goods. For once, we are being woven into a story that transcends our broken lives. A story that will not let us down.

Friends, I want to say it as simple as I can - Christmas reminds us that God so loved the world - God so loved us - God so loved you - that God came to be with us, to redeem us, to heal us, to love us to heaven.

Our world, this year, in years past, and in years to come, needs this story - how will you tell the story?

[awoosmusehorde]

What Berserker of Ys had said to you not half an hour ago still bothered you. She'd spoken as if she knew you - knew everything you'd been through, even concerning the Incineration of Humanity... But what had she said about three more wars...? It sounded ridiculous. She couldn't have been referring to the Lostbelts; there were four left, yet, not three. Was that to mean there'd be three more Singularities like this one? Or three more major threats beyond the Lostbelts? It sounded almost like a prophecy - vague, and difficult to interpret, but something in the back of your head told you to disregard it - to ignore how crazy it seemed. And yet, the instinct you'd honed over the past years refused to do so. There had to be something more to it.

"Master? Are you listening?"

(♫)

You’re shaken out of your stupor by the sound of Maria’s voice. Right, you were supposed to be coming up with a plan of action before you’d spaced out and fixated on the Berserker’s cryptic words. Realizing you had nothing to gain from pondering on such an unsolvable warning right now, you shook the thoughts from your mind and apologized for getting distracted, which Mash was quick to accept.

“It’s all right, Master, we’ve been given a lot to consider in such a short amount of time, so let me reiterate.”

At the current moment, the main concern was finding a way to establish contact with Novum Chaldea. This would mean one of two things; either find a space where the mana wasn’t so prevalent and make it easier for the signal to reach, or figure out some way to make the signal strong enough to make it through the interference of the mana. From there, they could use Chaldea’s assistance to hopefully get a better read of the situation and determine an objective...

“Oh good, looks like everyone’s all settled in!”

The telltale cheerful voice of the other Master you’d met, Regina, rang out as she approached your group’s gathering in the midst of the tents you’d set up. Though the blonde’s appearance and manner of dress hinted at a noble’s upbringing, her demeanor was incredibly welcoming and friendly, with body language that made you easily feel comfortable. It seemed she was quite the friendly sort, able to get along with just about anyone, despite what was likely a wealthy upbringing - something that you had figured was a rarity among reputed magus houses. Or perhaps things were different here in Scholomance; magecraft was just a regular part of life, here, after all.

“Yes, thank you for allowing us to set up camp here. It’s very much appreciated!” Mash was quick to offer her thanks to Regina, who simply laughed and waved it off.

“If anything, we should be thanking you. You guys alone have more than tripled our fighting force, don’t forget. Olga and I can support our Servants, but in a direct fight, we have to leave it to Saber, Berserker, and Diane.”

That last mention caught your attention; did that mean that Diane was able to fight on par with even Servants?

“Well, perhaps not with particularly powerful Servants, but most enforcers of the House of Valhalla specifically learn to enhance their bodies for combat with magecraft. After all, they’re Scholomance’s police force, remember? Plus, their most elite members guard Yggdrasil itself. It’s Caster of Atlantis getting through them that shocked the Six Houses... A single Servant should’ve had no right getting through all of them, no matter how powerful.”

Einstein hummed to himself, casting a glance over to the massive tree that, even from this incredible distance, was still clearly visible to your entire group.

“Is there anything you guys can tell us about this Caster of Atlantis? Asking for her true name is probably a bit much, but even just what she looks like would be great. After all, it wouldn’t do to blindly stumble into a fight with her while traipsing around town.”

Regina’s expression grew more troubled as Einstein probed for more information, before the blonde shook her head and gave a small sigh. It was pretty clear that if she had anything, she’d be glad to tell you, but obviously, their lack of knowledge of the situation frustrated her just as much.

“Sadly, we’ve already told you everything we know. Communications have been sparse to non-existent, so the only information we can give you is things we’ve seen ourselves or what refugees we bring in have told us. But I don’t think you have to worry about coming into direct conflict with her unless you assault her base of operations at Yggdrasil; she mostly uses Phantasmal Beasts to patrol her ‘territory’. On occasion, she sends out a Servant to eliminate or capture other Servants and Masters. Often entire groups of them.”

Wait... A single Servant? So not only was Caster of Atlantis powerful enough to single-handedly capture Yggdrasil, but there’s a Servant in her employ capable of blindly going out and taking on multiple Servants at once? In response, Regina nodded grimly, her disposition having long faded, making it clear just how dire the resistance’s situation truly was, despite her earlier, chipper attitude.

“Judging from descriptions of how she fought, we think she’s a Berserker, which only makes the fact that she tries to capture her opponents intact all the more distressing. Can you imagine a monster like that, with the ability to reason and strategize?”

Many of the Berserkers you knew were certainly more intelligent than they seemed, but there was always that pervading madness below the surface that did indeed make them a bit harder to control, or work with in a more strategic sense... Lost in thought, your attention was snapped back to reality when Maria elected to speak up.

“For now, let’s simply focus on what needs to be done. Speaking of communications, we have allies that we need to contact as soon as possible, but I’m afraid our method of contacting them is... primitive, to put it kindly. I don’t suppose you can acquire a communicator that can cut through the ambient mana?”

Regina seemed a bit surprised to hear that, but luckily, seemed to take it at face value; her Servant’s earlier comment about being able to trust you seemed to make it easier for her to simply accept whatever it is you said without any questions asked, thankfully.

“Sadly, we don’t have any on hand, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to acquire one. There’s a pretty reliable supplier of items we can get into contact with, but that’ll take some time... In the meantime, there is something you can do for us to really get things moving.”

You don’t hesitate to nod in response; after all, the reason you’re here in their camp is because you agreed to help in the first place. Anything you can do to assist while they get you what you need, you’ll do. Comforted by your reaffirmation of your desire to help, Regina turned to call over to Diane, who made her way over to your group, still looking as distrustful as ever, before the blonde asked her to tell you about the thing she needed doing.

(♫)

“So, if we’re to start building up a proper fighting force to reclaim Yggdrasil, we need as many Servants and Masters on our side as possible. As many as you have, it’s no secret that, in terms of strength, your Servants suffer a bit in return - quantity over quality, you might say - so even if you have numbers, we’re still hardly what I would call a ‘fighting force’.”

You can’t help but wince a bit in response to her brutally-honest dissection of you and your Servants, in stark opposition to Olga’s prior glowing praise. You can practically feel Shangxiang from her position to the side bristle at the remarks, an inch away from challenging the enforcer, but she manages to hold herself back. Seeing your lack of response, Diane continued.

“To this end, we need to stop Caster’s primary means of taking these Servants out of the running - her own little lapdog, who we’ve taken to calling ‘Berserker of Atlantis’.”

Regina interrupted briefly to mention offhandedly that she’d already explained the situation with Berserker, to which Diane nodded, perhaps a little thankful that she didn’t have to do so, herself.

“So, you’ve probably figured by now that we simply can’t throw you at her head-on and expect to win. No, you’ll have to lure her out, try to find out as much about her as you can - the way she fights, exactly how strong she is, and preferably her True Name and any weaknesses she might have - and then book it before things get too dicey. Any information you glean is useless if you’re dead.”

You nod in response; that sounds clear enough to you. After all, you’ve dealt with similarly-dangerous odds, before. You had faith in your ability to get out of dodge when things got dicey, if nothing else. Expressing that in a half-joking manner actually managed to get a brief smirk out of Diane, before her expression returned to its original, stern look.

“So, of course, you’ll need to actually get Atlantis to send her out after you, but that’s the easy part - you’ll need to make your way out to the No Man’s Land where their Phantasmal Beasts do their patrols and just start killing them until Berserker comes out to play. From there, I’ll trust that you know what you’re doing and can get us what we need to start formulating a real plan. Sound good?”

With another nod, you stood from your seat at the little circle you and your Servants had formed. Once you learned where you were going, it was just a matter of coming up with a plan for your impending confrontation and your escape on the way there...

[awoosmusehorde]

(♫)

It all started a week ago.

For the past month, a large-scale battle between Masters and Servants had been underway - the "Ascension Trials". 42 pairs battle it out until only seven remain standing. In other words, the largest-scale Holy Grail War known to mankind as of this moment in time. And until about a week ago, there were still around three fourths of the participants had been in the fight. Sure enough, that matched up with what you'd been told before coming to this Singularity.

But that one week is all it took for things to take a drastic turn. The great tree, Yggdrasil, situated at the heart of the city, was what provided the prana for every aspect of the city's society - not least the Servant contracts for the Masters taking part in the Ascension Trials. And despite how impossible it should've been, despite the layers upon layers of defenses surrounding the tree... It'd been captured by one of the very Servants summoned to Scholomance.

Caster of Lemuria, now known as Caster of Atlantis.

All that's known of her is that she's a powerful mage from the Age of Gods. The Ruler that oversaw the Ascension Trials was likely to know more, but the various Masters and even the Six Houses who ruled over Scholomance had been thrown into chaos. It was difficult to get a more organized resistance going, as a result, and many Masters and Servants had fallen to Caster of Atlantis and the Servants she herself had summoned. And as of this moment, only a token force was actively looking for a way to get into the castle that Caster had erected at the base of the tree - that was, Olga Marie's resistance.

Olga Marie Animusphere and her Servant, Saber of Aztlan.

Regina Hidalgo and her Servant, Berserker of Ys.

Diane Lyon, an enforcer magus of the House of Valhalla.

These five, as well as a small token group of individuals from the various Houses, served as the only organized group actively working towards the reclamation of Yggdrasil. It was hard for you to wrap your head around; how was it that this single act scattered the entire ruling group's intelligence and organization so badly?

"Simply put, they never saw it coming."

That single line from Olga Marie told you everything you really needed to know, even without her clarifying as she did. To the Six Houses, a single Servant managing to claim Yggdrasil for themselves was something they had considered impossible. Utilizing that vast pool of prana, Caster was able to simply overwhelm them. The magi who didn't die in Caster's coup fled and hid out of fear for their lives. The sheer concept of someone being so overwhelmingly powerful and cunning to be able to lay claim to Yggdrasil no doubt terrified many of the magi.

And it was this fear that Caster was no doubt exploiting to keep her enemies scattered and disorganized. Masters and Servants, the biggest threat to her, were being picked off one by one, the magi who could band together and use their knowledge and skill to disable her were kept in check through fear, and even the Resistance was being hunted down in particular. All things considered, with the inability to act without great risk to themselves, things were looking bleak...

(♫)

"...But if you decide to help us, things can change!"

Olga Marie gave a confident smile in your direction, something you were still unused to. Sure enough, though, as you cast a glance about the small, makeshift camp in an alcove not too far from where you emerged from the tunnel, it really did seem like the Resistance was on their last legs. Besides Regina, Berserker, and Diane, there were no more than maybe seven or eight people, presumably making reports, consolidating information, or just simply refugees from the few assaults Caster had been making. Before you could agree to help, though, Diane stepped forward, a stern and suspicious look on her face.

"You're too quick to look to this person for aid, Olga. Who's to say they aren't working for Caster of Atlantis? For all we know - " Olga Marie didn't hesitate to interrupt, snapping back forcefully, her voice stern and powerful as always.

"For all we know, they could be a spy, yes. Or an assassin! But even if they are, what does it matter? If we don't get any help, we're as good as dead within the week, anyways. So the way I see it, we take the risk - either they can help us and actually give us a fighting chance, or they're just going to speed up the inevitable."

You couldn't help but rub the back of your neck as Diane scoffed and looked off to the side. Sure, they both had a point, but at the same time, that comeback of Olga's actually put you a little at ease. Even if she seemed kinder to you in particular - though perhaps that was born more out of desperation to get you on her side - she was still the same young woman deep down with a sharp wit and even sharper tongue...

"No, we can trust them..."

So spoke Berserker of Ys, taking everyone except Regina by surprise. The beautiful red-haired woman hadn't spoken a word since you were introduced to her, until now, and even her voice, while quiet and weary-sounding, was still very pleasant to the ears. Regina, her Master, smiled coyly at her Servants simple declaration.

"Well, it seems Berserker knows something we don't. She must know who they are, then. So if she says we can trust them, then we can, simple as that."

Hearing that admittedly surprised you. Berserker knew who you were already? She must have some sort of Skill or Noble Phantasm to give her that sort of knowledge, but that sort of thing fit a Caster more than a Berserker, didn't it...? Regardless, that certainly made things easier, as you told the group that you certainly couldn't ignore them if they needed your help - a sentiment that Mash echoed at your side eagerly. Olga Marie was certainly glad to hear that, and nodded, her hands on her hips.

"Excellent. In that case, feel free to get some rest while we figure out our first plan of action. We've got some spare tents you and your Servants can set up nearby. I'm afraid we're rather short on rations, though, so I hope you have your own that you can make use of."

Reassuring her that you'd be fine, you thanked her for allowing you the use of their spare tents and in fact went to go set them up. There were even mattresses to sleep on, but for now, you simply sat and consolidated your information together with Mash and your Servants, figuring out your current plan of action. At the moment, it certainly seemed like aiding the Resistance was the best course, even discounting how much of a desperate desire you had to help people in need - as Shangxiang so pointedly mentioned. However, your conversation was soon interrupted when Berserker of Ys approached you, her Master conspicuously missing from her side, her gaze fixed almost exclusively on you.

(♫)

"...It never gets easier, does it? All of the struggles and death you've witnessed. All of the good you've done. You saved the world, and they imprisoned you. You helped the helpless, and they despise you for it. And yet, you persevere."

Her words startled you with how sudden and personal they are. Is she not just aware of who you are, but the things you've done? Not only that, but you could swear she's peering into your very soul, with those beautiful, maroon-brown eyes of hers...

"It will only get more difficult from here on out, Master of Chaldea. Three more wars await you. A battle between the living and the dead for the right to be remembered in a land scorched by the sun. A fight for independence in a land torn asunder, overshadowed by giants of steel and stone. And conflict stirred between those beloved by the divine and those beloved by mortals, amidst the final garden of humanity. Each held aloft by a pillar of strength, a symbol of that land's prosperity. Stay strong until the end, and you'll save even those who wish not to be saved."

With her cryptic message delivered, Berserker turned on her heel and left to return to her Master's side before you could ask what she meant - the entire speech left both you and your Servants stunned. Was she serious? What did any of that have to do with this Singularity - if anything at all?

Maybe... only time would tell.

[awoosmusehorde]

(♫)

Almost like a cancerous growth, a twisted and malformed castle had practically grown around the base of the massive tree at the heart of the city. The immediate area around Yggdrasil had to be evacuated, as it was now encapsulated by a barrier, and horrifying monstrosities roamed the area immediately around it, slaughtering anyone who got too close. It was now a No Man's Land, abandoned by the city.

People were beginning to question what was going on, but beyond the barrier and the patrols, nothing seemed to be happening. Nobody else was being killed, no operations disrupted, even the prana hadn't been cut off. Besides those who had been displaced, the people of Scholomance simply assumed that this was a grand, interesting new part of the latest Ascension Trial, even though taking civilian life was off-limits. Daily life was continuing on as always.

Even all this way underground, humans were still human, unwilling to see the horrors in front of them so long as they weren't directly affected.

From her balcony overlooking the city from on high, the raven-haired mistress of the castle, dressed in a blood-red gown, smirked at just how pitiful this "advanced magical civilization" truly was. Despite how much more highly they held themselves above their surface brethren, in the end, they were just the same. Selfish, stupid mortals, who turned a blind eye to things they didn't want to see until they were forced to accept it - and then they broke, like fragile glassware gripped a little too tightly.

"Mistress. Rider awaits you in the throne room to give her report."

A young woman garbed in a worn tunic that was, perhaps, elegant and upper class at some point, had entered meekly, practically making no noise in doing so. She spoke with such fatigue in her voice, as if uttering those few words threatened to make her pass out, and yet the mistress of the castle expressed no concern for the girl, simply smiling.

"Very well. I shall be there shortly. Wait here, 'Master'."

The final word was spoken with thick sarcasm, almost mocking, causing the young woman's gaze to drift to the floor and narrow, almost pained. And yet, she bowed, an act of subservience despite the title she once wore with perhaps a little too much pride. Her former Master stepping aside, the woman in red left the room and made her way through the castle swiftly, yet gracefully, before arriving at a throne she sat upon.

Stood before her was a silver-haired woman with a wide-brimmed hat that obscured much of her features, her body mostly obscured by a cloak seemingly made entirely of feathers, bowing briefly before the woman on the throne. The castle's mistress gazed upon her with a single blood-red eye, the other obscured by her hair, before nodding her silent permission to speak.

"I'm here to report on the progress with the four Servants you asked us to deal with, my lady. We managed to capture all four, but three of them chose to self-destruct their Saint Graphs rather than be taken prisoner. The fourth is in our custody, however."

Despite this news, the red-clad woman smirked; one out of four was more than she had expected, and to have captured them and forced three to self-destruct rather than simply kill them outright truly spoke of the skill of the Servants she had called upon. Even that beast of hers apparently had plenty of finesse when it had a handler...

"Did you determine their identities?"

The Rider nodded in response.

"The three that self-destructed were exactly who you believed they were, as they revealed through their Noble Phantasms. Archer of Lemuria - True Name: Hou Yi. Lancer of Elysium - True Name: Conall Cernach. And Caster of Ys - True Name: Deganawida. As for the Servant we've convinced to join our cause..."

The Rider snapped her fingers, and the doors practically flew open, but not by force of entry, rather as if some mysterious force opened them on their lonesome. Regardless, moments later, a short young woman in a simple white dress, her blue hair flowing about like she was submerged underwater, pushed another young woman forward, her hair bright red and kept short, save for it being tied into a single pigtail on one side.

Dressed in bronze armor that was a little worn and battered from battle, the red-haired warrior stepped inside, no weapons in hand. Looking up at the woman she had been brought before, then to the feather-cloaked woman to her right, she eventually bent her knee before the woman she was now clearly acknowledging as her new Master.

"...I am here in exchange for my former Master's life and safety. I pledge myself as the former Saber of Valhalla to your cause, Master, and from this moment forth, will act as your Servant, in the name of the House of Atlantis. And my True Name is..."

...

============================================================

(♫)

"You've gotta be kidding me! How many of these things are there living in these stupid tunnels?!"

Honestly, some part of you has to agree with the red-haired Assassin you'd brought along with you, the fiery Sun Shangxiang who was to serve as the primary muscle of your team - ironically, despite being one of the classes least-suited to frontline combat. Still, her martial arts were serving her well in dealing with the odd mole-like monsters that had been attacking your group on the regular almost since you arrived in the pitch-black tunnels your rayshift had seemingly dumped you in. If only this wasn't the fifth pack of the beasts that had come crawling out of the walls...

"Now, now, don't complain so much, Assassin. You're doing wonderfully."

Of course, fighting in the dark would have been much more difficult; luckily, you'd planned on that and brought along the ever-resourceful - if somewhat sardonic - Caster, Albert Einstein. Sure, using his Galvanism and Item Construction abilities to generate light for your group might have been a rather mundane use of his legendary scientific mind, but it was just one of many reasons you brought him - there was no guarantee you'd be able to see underground like in Agartha, after all!

"Says the one holding the metaphorical torch and not contributing to battle beyond that."

At least, so spoke the Rider you'd chosen to accompany you to serve as a jack-of-all-trades, but especially a diplomat - Maria Theresa, the Holy Roman Empress of the Habsburg Empire, herself! She was no slouch with a sword or a bow, of course, but she had a medley of abilities and a keen political and diplomatic mind, something you felt might be necessary if there truly was a Holy Grail War going on; you'd need as many allies as possible to get to the bottom of this Singularity...

"Hey now, no fightin' amongst ourselves! We've got enough trouble with these vermin!"

And the ever level-headed Archer, Annie Oakley, had a point, audible even over the ring of her gunfire in the echoing tunnels. An excellent scout and sharpshooter, she was no Assassin when it came to hiding her presence, but with keen eyes and ears, a fast pair of feet and an even faster trigger finger, she was sure to pull her weight when it came to keeping the party appraised of what was ahead of them. At least, she would be if they could ever get out of these tunnels...

"Master! I think we're almost out! I see another light source from ahead of us!"

But leading the pack and protecting the group from the bulk of the horde was your ever-reliable Shielder, Mash. Even without Galahad's cooperation, she remained your most trustworthy companion and eternal shield. And so, you trusted her implicitly when she said she saw the end of the tunnel, you urged the rest of your team to push onwards through the horde of strange molerats, eventually breaking through and escaping far enough that they no longer hounded you. And sure enough, after a short while further, you stepped into the area of a larger area...

(♫)

Only to be completely awestruck by what you saw. Back in Agartha, it was as if you had been transplanted back onto the surface, and that in itself was unusual, but here, in this massive cavern, you saw what could only be described as... civilization. Stood on a cliff overlooking an almost modern-looking city hewn out of stone and wood, this was no wild and untamed land of fantasy, no ancient battleground of gods... This was a bustling city full of people and life.

"Hey, am I just seeing things, or is that... the biggest freaking tree ever? Not counting those weird Lostbelt things."

Turning your attention to Shangxiang, who was stood a little higher on the ridge you had all come out onto, you looked in the direction she was looking in, and your eyes went wide. That was no exaggeration she'd made; while the Trees of Emptiness were certainly massive, they only vaguely resembled actual trees. What you were looking at... There was no doubt about it. That was an absolutely massive naturally-grown tree! Roots that divided the city into clear sections, a trunk that had to stretch for at least half a mile tall - ten times larger than the largest tree on the surface, from what you could remember - and the leaves... wait, the leaves?

It was only then that you realized the light of the "sky" above you wasn't actually the sky. It was... the tree's branches and leaves?! They glowed with such a gentle light that it was like there was a soft, blue sky above you, so easy on the eyes that you hadn't even noticed! It encapsulated the entire ceiling, save for a few large stalactites that almost looked like upside-down mountains protruding through the clouds from a land above the sky, making for a truly beautiful and wonderous sight...

Only for an oddly-familiar voice to break the silence and awe that your group was in as they overlooked the locale.

"Hm, so you're the source of all of that ruckus and magical energy. I don't recognize you. Who are you?"

Turning your head to look at the source of the voice, you felt your heart practically jump into your throat and silence any response you might've had.

♫

...It can't be.

You watched her die.

You stood helplessly as she begged for help, for a second chance.

How is she here?

A pair of golden eyes look over you suspiciously, that ever-familiar silver hair, that stern look judging you silently... It's been so many years since you've seen them, but you recognize them on sight. It's an appearance that haunts your dreams on occasion, still begging for help.

The first life you failed to save because of your own weakness.

Olga Marie Animusphere.

You can't help but say her name when your throat finally relaxes enough to speak, an action that causes her to raise an eyebrow on her part. And yet, while there is suspicion in her expression, her reaction... isn't quite what you expected.

"Oh, you recognize me? Well, that's good, it saves me some effort on introductions, but you still haven't answered my question."

In your complete focus on the woman in front of you, however, you failed to notice the individual at her side, a rather pretty young man with a sword at his hip and a polite, if disciplined, countenance about him.

"Master, those five... They are Servants. But the girl in armor is different, somehow."

That caused Olga to turn her attention to the young man who was presumably her Servant, and suddenly regard you with a much more suspicious look. Luckily, Maria stepped up to speak when she realized you nor Mash seemed quite up to the task.

"Apologies, our Master has been quite disoriented, as of late. Recent events, plus the strain of supporting multiple Servants, weakened as we might be, has taken its toll on them."

Thankfully, her words seemed to have the desired effect; rather than grow irritated as the Olga Marie you knew might have, the one in front of you seemed legitimately surprised, even a bit concerned.

"You're supporting them all on your lonesome? That would explain how you managed to survive out here without being discovered for this long... Still, that’s no easy feat. No wonder you’re not all there."

The Servant at her side still regarded you with suspicion, but it seemed for now that Maria had bought your group some tentative understanding, despite your shock and, admittedly, minor fatigue... Thankfully, the Mystic Code that Da Vinci provided was holding up and keeping the large amount of prana from overwhelming you, but you were still suffering some ill effects.

"Yes. If at all possible, we'd like to find some place to rest, if you know somewhere nearby... That preferably isn't infested with wild animals."

Mash had finally managed to speak, which also helped you gather your senses and agree with her. The how and why Olga Marie was here, of all places, you'd figure out later. For now, you needed to get a handle on your situation, and setting up a base of operations sounded like a good start.

"...Hm. All right, I'll bring you to our headquarters. We'll get you up to speed there, and who knows? Someone as talented as you, able to not just support but command clear loyalty from such a wide variety of Servants could be able to give us just the hand we need."

The genuine praise surprised you almost as much as her presence did, even if you weren’t entirely sure what she’d meant; the Olga Marie you knew wasn't one to give out compliments so easily to a stranger. Was this truly the same woman you had failed to save all those years ago...? For now, it seemed you'd have to follow her and her Servant to find out...

[awoosmusehorde]

(♫)

The Ascension Trials.

In Scholomance, they are a bi-yearly event where 42 prospective magi summon Heroic Spirits to act as Servants and engage in a free-for-all to be the last seven standing so that they may earn the privilege of being called a Magus and join one of the Six Houses that effectively rule over the city.

Lemuria. Ys. Valhalla. Elysium. Aztlan. Dorado.

These Six Houses control nearly every aspect of the city that has come to see magecraft as normal in their daily lives, seemingly defying the very prospect of Mystery that supposedly defines the art. To this city, the battle of Masters and Servants has become akin to a spectator sport, a grand event where the pinnacle of magecraft can be seen in action, and where futures are either built or violently torn down.

Of course, no mere Holy Grail can supply such vast amounts of prana. For the Six Houses, the Holy Grail’s “miracles” are like child’s play. What fuels these trials is something greater, the very foundation upon which the city of Scholomance thrives - a source of prana so great that one might think they’ve re-entered the Age of Gods.

Yggdrasil.

A massive tree at the heart of the city, named after the Norse tree of legend, its luminescent leaves illuminating the underground cavern’s roof so brilliantly that it seems as though the sky had been forged anew beneath the earth. Consuming od and producing prana like a normal tree might breathe carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen, it is the source of the incredible feats of magecraft that the surface world could only dream of.

But such immense power has always attracted those who covet it. From the Mage’s Association in 1883, who waged war on Scholomance in an effort to claim the city and its heart for themselves, to numerous individuals who thought to usurp control of Yggdrasil from the Six Houses, all have failed.

...Until recently.

==================================================

(♫)

The sound of the automated door to your room can be all it takes you to awaken, these days, at least on the mornings where you didn’t fall too deeply into sleep. It’s usually the days where you’ve had so little to do that you don’t need much rest, and the past week or so has been another one of those days.

“Good morning, Senpai. Did you sleep well?”

It’s the ever-familiar voice of your punctual lavender-haired alarm clock, Mash Kyrielight. You answer in the affirmative, sitting up rather easily and rubbing the sleep from your eyes. Being in a more familiar-looking environment has done wonders for your comfort while sleeping, after all; having a room like your old one at the original Chaldea has made things much easier than sleeping in the Shadow Border, even though it wasn’t all that different. It was just nice to have some measure of stability, again.

“Da Vinci wants to see us in the Command Room once you’ve gotten dressed and eaten, Senpai. It seems they’ve found a new Singularity while we prepare for the next Lostbelt.”

Another Singularity... It worries you that, despite the presence of the Lostbelts, new Singularities continue to appear here and there. For the most part, they’re minor, and tend to go away on their own, but you’ve come across a few that have been rather stubborn, for one reason or another. Still, you’ve been through enough of them that you acknowledge it, asking Mash if she knows anything more about it as you change in your changing room.

“Only that it’s somewhere in Romania... I’m afraid I don’t know any more than that, I’m afraid.”

Romania... You briefly wonder out loud if it’ll have anything to do with Vlad III, to which Mash seems to pause and think, still silent as you emerge in fresh clothes.

“I don’t think so... The staff seemed oddly serious, so if it was something relatively routine like that, I don’t think they’d be so concerned.”

Hearing that did cause you to tense up a bit; was something unusual about this Singularity? You immediately recalled the four Singularities that had been caused by the Demon Pillars before the Crypters’ attack on the original Chaldea, and felt more worried than before - something that Mash immediately caught on to.

“Oh, but I don’t think it’s something so serious! It’s probably just a slightly unusual case! It should be fine!”

You can’t help but chuckle a bit at Mash’s attempts to ease your worries; sure, something in your gut still tells you that something’s not quite right, and that this will be far from routine, but at least you’re reminded that something not being “routine” hasn’t ever stopped you from succeeding before.

(♫)

As you arrive in the Command Room after eating, you’re greeted by the familiar sight of Da Vinci, Sion, Goredolf, and Holmes, all awaiting your and Mash’s arrival. After a brief exchange of greetings, Sion is quick to get down to business.

“So, as Mash has likely informed you, we’ve detected another Singularity, and as you’ve likely guessed, we called you here because this one doesn’t seem likely to just go away on its own.”

You nod and affirm that this is far from your first rodeo, after all. All you need to know is where and when you’ll be going, what Servants you’ll be taking with, and what the objective is, after all. Sion grins in response, replying positively about your confidence, only for the usually-jovial Da Vinci to frown.

“Unfortunately, we can only provide you one of those points at this moment... The where and when.”

Confused, you ask her what she means, to which Holmes interjects.

“What Da Vinci means, is that we’ve detected the Singularity in the present day, approximately 15 miles underneath the Transylvanian mountains in Romania. A couple of our engineers have taken to calling it ‘Scholomance’, after the legendary school of magic supposedly ran by the Devil that was supposedly in that location. Aside from that... what information we’ve been able to uncover has been rather disconcerting.”

Disconcerting? The fact that it has the entire team worried - save Sion, who remains her usual self, either through having no lack of confidence or nerves of steel - immediately puts you on edge, and you ask what the problem is, to which Da Vinci replies.

“Our tools aren’t picking much of anything up, unfortunately. Only a few things; first, that the amount of prana at the location is almost akin to the levels observed during the Age of Gods, nearly matching the Atlantic Lostbelt in sheer prana density. Second, there are a lot of Heroic Spirit signatures. And we mean a lot.”

Goredolf, perhaps predictably, almost instantly panics after Da Vinci’s explanation.

“Wait, you don’t mean that there’s going to be hundreds of Servants to fight?! We can’t send our primary Master Candidate into that! It’s practically suicide!”

You’re more curious as to just how many there are, exactly - after all, “hundreds” seems like something of an exaggeration, a notion that Mash agrees with, and Holmes is all too happy to clear things up.

“Indeed, but it’s still no insignificant number. The last time we checked, there were over 30 Heroic Spirit signatures being observed, and the number has since dwindled to just over 20. Thus, we can surmise that they’re not all allied together, and are instead fighting one another.”

The news does calm Goredolf, but Da Vinci’s expression is still one of concern.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean things are safe for you. More likely than not, sending you in will mean that you’re likely to end up in the middle of a massive Holy Grail War of some kind. It’s not something you’re unused to, of course, but the fact that we can’t detect anything else is the real problem. When we send you in, it’ll likely take everything we have just to keep your existence verified; unless you can find a way to clear up our connection, I’m afraid you’ll be without support from Chaldea.”

That was the part you’d been dreading to hear. Of course, you’d done things without backup before, but it was always much more reassuring to have Da Vinci, Holmes, and Sion there to help you figure things out... Still, you nod in understanding with a grim expression. It won’t be easy, but when has your job ever been easy? In response, Da Vinci’s expression finally relaxes and Sion gives you one of her signature smiles and a nod in return.

“You’ll be fine! And hey, since we don’t have any recommendations on who to bring, why not grab a few of your more recent summons? Let them get their feet wet, so to speak, and get used to working with them in a real Singularity!”

You can't help but agree; there's a few of your newest Servants you've been looking forward to working with, so you already have a few in mind. Taking your leave to go and locate them, it doesn't take long for you to rendezvous in the rayshift chamber. Naturally, coming with you is Mash with her Ortinax gear, but there's four other Servants beside you, some more eager than others, as you enter the coffins and prepare to rayshift...

STARTING UNSUMMON PROGRAM.

COMMENCING SPIRITRON CONVERSION.

RAYSHIFT BEGINS IN 3... 2... 1...

ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO.

ANALYZE LOST ORDER.

COMMENCING BELT RECAST.

[awoosmusehorde]

Prologue - Pseudo-Singularity V

Date: March 17th, 2021

Author: Dr. ▇▇▇▇▇▇, Medical Staff Director

It’s quite interesting, this new Singularity that Ms. Sion and the others have discovered. There’s many things about it that make it unusual, but as I’m only the new Medical Staff Director, I’ve only heard what the Rayshift staff has told me. Still, that doesn’t make it any less intriguing to me; I may have a doctorate in medical science, but I’m still a magus at my core. Something like this just intrigues me heavily.

They say that it’s underground, like Agartha was. Not too perplexing, since we’ve seen it before. Still, that’s not what has so many of the staff concerned; apparently even Ms. Da Vinci is worried, but... supposedly the amount of prana emanating from the Singularity is immense, almost as if it were the Age of Gods all over again. But that’s not the worst of it; there’s a plethora of Spirit Origin signatures detected! Around two dozen, maybe more! Even for a Holy Grail, that seems far too many Servants to support, so they believe there may be some other underlying cause that will make this a far more difficult case than the rest...

Of course, one of the staff who came to me for a check-up did tell me something interesting. He was fairly knowledgeable in this sort of subject, but apparently they located the Singularity not just in the current day, but deep under the Transylvanian mountains in Romania. According to him, this was supposedly the site of a school of magic run by the Devil, according to the local folklore - and so the team has taken to calling it the Scholomance Singularity, after this supposed school. Whatever the truth is down there, it certainly seems like our little Master’s work will be cut out for them...

LOG ENTRY COMPLETE

...

“Ah, are you here for a last-minute check-up? I’ve heard, yes! This will certainly be an interesting turn of events, won’t it? Do stay safe... I’d hate for something unfortunate to happen to you. And be sure to bring back some interesting stories to tell! I’m sure you’ll see some amazing things~”