2nd - Prologue
[Earth 616, year 2013.]
(Layla Miller's POV)
This isn't right.
My parents are alive.
They shouldn't be. I remember the accident, it happened when I'm 9 years old but here they are smiling, healthy, making breakfast for me. I still know the pain of losing them.
And it's not just them. Everything feels different. The world itself has shifted. People act differently. Streets I knew like the back of my hand feel wrong. Like they've been rearranged.
And me… I've changed too. I can see it. No, accurately I can feel the thoughts of everyone, like shadows whispering secrets. I remember the world as it was, even if no one else does.
I tried reaching out. Online, I told turth and asked for help. I even asked the X-Men. But all I got was laughter. Trolls. Mockery. X-mens doesn't exist to begin with. Mutants are treated like heroes.
I know this is not right. The situation is not normal.
Desperate, I searched for Daredevil. He's always close to Hell's Kitchen, always beating bad guys. But before I could find him, I noticed the shadows following me. Men in plain clothes—police, maybe. Or something worse. Their eyes tracked me too carefully.
And when I focused… I could hear them. Their thoughts. The static of suspicion crawling inside my skull.
Panic took over. I ran.
Through alleys, across streets, into the park. My lungs burned as I threw myself into the grass, my small body swallowed by the overgrowth. I curled in silence, praying not to be seen.
"Yoo, kid."
The voice almost stopped my heart.
I spun around and there he was. A homeless man, sitting on a bench, his hand patting the space beside him. His hair hung long, draping over his face and shoulders. His clothes were simple, worn down, but there was something about him… something safe. For the first time today in this world, I didn't feel danger from him.
I sat beside him, trembling.
"You're running from something," he said. His voice was low, heavy with sadness.
And just like that, I broke. The words tumbled out of me, raw and frantic.
"I woke up and everything was different—my parents are alive, but they shouldn't be! Everyone acts like it's normal but it's not, it's not! I thought I was losing my mind—"
He tilted his head, never showing me his eyes.
"If what you say is true," he murmured, "then maybe this world isn't the original. Maybe it's been changed."
"You believe me? I'm not crazy?"
"You're not crazy. But if you are… then we're both crazy." His lips curved into the faintest smile.
Relief washed over me. "I'm Layla."
He gave a quiet nod. "So… what will you do now?"
"I'll fix it. I'll make things the way they were."
His question came softly, almost like Testing me. "Don't you like this reality? You have your parents back."
I shook my head, tears burning in my eyes. "The dead should rest. This… this isn't them. I love my parents. I won't let them be puppets in a lie."
Suddenly, he laughed. Not with joy, but with a broken kind of understanding.
"You think like me. And that's not good for you. It'll only bring trouble." He lifted his face toward the fading sunset. "You remind me of someone. My little princess."
"You have a daughter?"
"I used to," he said quietly. "But she's gone. And my queen… she stopped speaking to me after that."
His words lingered, heavy as the twilight.
"I'm sorry for your loss," I whispered.
"It's okay," he said, voice quiet but steady. "But you… you remind me of my daughter. I hope you live a fulfilled life, Layla."
"Thanks…" I looked down at my small hands, trembling. "But I don't want this reality. I'm too weak to change anything."
He leaned back on the bench, his shadow stretching long in the fading light.
"It's okay to feel sad. Yes—we're weak as humans. We can't do everything like others can. But still… we try. Even when we know we'll fail. Sometimes we choose to push ourselves. Sometimes we have no choice at all. Paradise or hell—it doesn't matter. Something always pushes us forward. All we can do is WAIT. AND HOPE."
His words pressed on my heart, heavy but gentle. For a moment, I felt like he truly understood me.
Then—clap, clap, clap.
The sound snapped through the park.
A figure strolled out from the shadows, smiling like a wolf. My stomach twisted. Even without my powers, I knew instantly—I couldn't trust him.
"Well, well, well… the last master of Humanity," the stranger sang, his voice dripping with mockery. "Look at you now. Humbled, broken, preaching life lessons like some washed-up monk. How adorable."
The man beside me finally raised his gaze, still calm. "It's been a long while… Cagliostro."
My chest tightened. That name felt poisonous. I can feel negative thoughts from this man. He makes me sick.
Cagliostro's laughter echoed through the park, loud and theatrical. With a snap of his fingers, a chair of ornate gold shimmered into existence. He sat down lazily, crossing one leg over the other as if this were a stage performance.
"I can't believe it," he said, his grin wide and cruel. "The mighty Master, reduced to this—a homeless beggar. Hahaha! Oh, how the years have carved you down."
The man beside me, didn't flinch. His voice was calm, but there was steel underneath. "You've been spying us from the start."
"Of course," Cagliostro purred, resting his chin on his knuckles. "Your insight hasn't dulled one bit. But look at you. No servants. No allies. Just a pitiful master, abandoned and alone. What a tragedy! Or perhaps… a comedy."
His laughter cut into the night, sharp as glass.
Then the city shook with a deafening voice, booming from the Sentinels overhead
"Attention! Please evacuate immediately. This city harbors a dangerous monster. His name… is Fujimaru Ritsuka."
The words slammed into me like a hammer. I turned to the man at my side, eyes wide. He just sighed, his expression darkening.
" Already making me a bad guy. You've prepared all this for me, haven't you?"
Cagliostro's smirk widened. "Of course. I made a deal with a certain devil for information."
Ritsuka's hands clenched, his face shadowed. "...Mephisto."
"Ohhh, how sharp. As expected of you. Still… you're cornered, Master of Humanity. And this time, no miracle will save you."Cagliostro chuckled, his eyes gleaming with twisted delight.
"He even helped me craft an powerful army, weapons, tools—everything I need to stop you, Fujimaru. I knew you'd come here alone… after what this world did to yours. Hehehe." Cagliostro's grin widened like a crack in glass.
Ritsuka's voice stayed calm. "How did you even come to this world, Cagliostro? I never summoned you."
"Oh, you didn't," Cagliostro purred, leaning back in his conjured chair. "I was summoned in a Holy Grail War… then the world itself collapsed around me. When I woke, I was here. And no one stopped me. No restraints, no rules. This world… is perfect. And to keep it mine, I'll kill you today."
Ritsuka didn't flinch. "You're right. People here just want to save their world. They don't have any choice. That makes us the bad guys."
Us?
Cagliostro tilted his head, studying him. "Strange… the last time I saw you, you were nothing but rage. A step away from becoming a true Avenger, screaming for your fake family. But now?" His smile sharpened. "Now I see no hate at all. Did losing your daughter not scar you? Did you never love her at all? Perhaps Mephisto's information was wrong."
The air tightened around us, but Ritsuka's voice didn't waver. "It's true. Back then, I was trapped in a situation I couldn't escape without giving answer. But in the end… I chose the right path. And this world wasn't a bad civilization. Every world—every people—have some good in them. We're all the same. I understand what this world did to survive."
Before I could even breathe, the Sentinels' voice tore through the city again, shaking the ground.
"Attention! Fujimaru Ritsuka is a global threat. He seeks to destroy the world. Surrender yourself immediately!"
I stared at him, trembling. Was the man beside me really a monster? Or was the world itself lying?
Ritsuka turned his head toward me. His eyes softened for just a moment.
"Layla," he asked, as if it were the most normal question in the world. "You eat non-veg?"
"Y-Yes…" I managed to nod.
"Good," he said leaning forward. His shadow stretched across the grass like a giant. "Then let's eat together… after I take care of this."
Cagliostro's laughter rang out across the park. "Hehehe… you really think you can escape me? I've prepared everything. An army born of magic and hatred, modified for one purpose—to break you, Fujimaru. To use you as my pawn. To take my revenge for what you did to me."
I watched as Ritsuka slowly rose from the bench. His presence shifted—no longer just a tired man, no longer a stranger. His shadow stretched tall against the glow of the city.
"No, Cagliostro," he said calmly. "Even sixty thousand metal robots won't stop me. And They are nowhere near as good as Tony robots."
Above us, the sky filled with giants. Sentinels.. somany machines....hovered in formation, blotting out the stars. Every weapon pointed at him. At us. Covered whole sky.
Cagliostro spread his arms, triumphant. "Do you see, Fujimaru? The whole sky is my blade!"
But Ritsuka's voice cut through the night, unwavering.
"I won't stop either. No matter what… I'll protect my world."
Then suddenly something happened in sky.
From beyond the atmosphere, a star flared green. A blinding streak tore through the heavens, descending faster than thought. The Sentinels turned, their cannons charging—
Too late.
The green light became a huge pillar. A radiant serpent of emerald green light Pillar, stretching wider every second. The air cracked, the ground quaked as divine power surged through the city.
The pillar light split the night. I can feel the heat temperature increasing every second. Mister homeless stood before me to sheild me.
The first wave of Sentinels shattered instantly, metal torn apart like paper. The second wave was swallowed in green fire, disintegrating before they could even scream. Entire legions fell in moments, consumed by the godly light fury. Buildings trembled, the sky itself seemed to burn, and yet… I felt no fear. Only awe.
"Impossible!" Cagliostro screamed, stumbling back. "You didn't summon anyone! Mephisto's information was flawless!"
Ritsuka stood unmoved, his eyes on the green light. "The information was right. I brought no servants with me." His lips curved faintly. "This one came to this world the same way you did."
'He tricked us all' Cagliostro thought in anger as he felt the lose of his army.
The light pillar coiled, collapsing into a brilliant form—armor of jade, hair flowing like fire, eyes fierce with divine power. She landed with a thunderous crash, the ground shaking beneath her heels.
"Kukulkan," Ritsuka said.
She turned, her gaze sharp and protective, and without hesitation she leapt. Her arms wrapped around us both—me small and shaking, Ritsuka calm and steady.
"We will meet soon, Cagliostro"
And in a heartbeat, the world blurred. The park, the Sentinels, the smoke—all of it vanished in a surge of green light.
* A glimpse in what the future chapters hold *
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A/n:
Sorry for the late update, everyone! I had an interview and have been busy preparing for exams for it, so things got a little delayed. The good news is—I already have 3 chapters drafted and ready. I'll be posting them tomorrow. For now, I really want to rest, but I promise I won't be taking a break this week until I've posted at least 6 chapters.
This chapter works as a second prologue. The main reason I wrote it was to build some extra hype and suspense for what's coming next. Another reason (a secret plan) is that I want to make a reaction fic for this in the future. The first prologue isn't really fit for that, but this one definitely is.
Q/A
Q: Why are you throwing so many different characters in so early??
A: Haha, trust me, it's not too early. Originally I thought, "Let's make Part 1 all Marvel and Part 2 a side story," but… that was a terrible idea. Continuity would've been a mess. Readers will forget what happened in part1. Don't worry, you'll see why this is the right call. Plus, doing it this way means the whole story can actually finish in less than 600 chapters (yes, I'm looking at you, long-running Chinese fics).
Q: Is Ritsuka gonna go all cold, edgy MC??
A: Nope. Not happening. That's not him. He grows older, sure...by the above chapter he's 35+ and already a parent...but he's not turning into "edgy mc-kun."
Q: Will the story stop including FGO characters?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, you'll see more of them once Hydra is gone for good.
Q: Will characters die in this story?
A: Yeah… a very few. Don't get too comfy.
Q: Why isn't Ritsuka super overpowered? Wouldn't that be cooler?
A: Because I freaking don't want to. He's already OP when he needs to be. Ritsuka is already op strong when humanity itself is at risk with saviour class. Shadow Servants alone make him busted enough. No need to turn him into some walking cheat code.
Q: Wait...what happened to Ritsuka's daughter??
A: Not telling. Spoilers! All I'll say is..the chapter you just read happens in Arc 15. Right now, we're headed into the Hydra + magic arc. And yes, Doctor Strange will appear early. Hulk and Tony's bigger arcs? Still a few years out. Be patient. Yes we will see a timeskip in future.
If you have more questions and doubts, leave in the comments. I will answer them.