Stars tumbled from the firmament, falling upon a battlefield choked with the stench of death and piled high with the corpses of gods, giants, and monsters.
The plains had long since dissolved into a sea of blood. A black dragon, vast enough to blot out the sun, soared through the dimming sky, the terrifying thrum of its wings heralding the arrival of Ragnarök.
Suddenly, a burst of dark red light erupted across the heavens, staining the world in a singular, deep crimson hue. On the battlefield below, only a few figures remained standing.
At that moment, a giant hurled his greatsword into the air. The blade ignited into a raging inferno, and in an instant, the very earth was set ablaze. Within the lotus-like flames, Midgard became a furnace. Pillars of fire pierced the heavens, thick smoke swallowed the mountain peaks, and the World Tree—the pillar of life—collapsed as it was consumed by the congealing heat.
Time and space ceased to exist. The scorched earth groaned and sank into the surging waves of the lightless sea. All that remained was a towering tide, leaving the world in a state of dead silence and eternal darkness.
Kamitani Yuu snapped awake. His eyes met a familiar white ceiling. He sat up, breathing in sharp, ragged gasps, a dull ache throbbing in his temples.
"Was that... the Norse Ragnarök?"
After summoning a Servant, it was common for a Master to experience their familiar's past through dreams. Having formed a contract with Odin, Yuu had undoubtedly "witnessed" the end of the Norse mythos.
But these ethereal memories arrived quickly and vanished just as fast. Despite having been awake for only a few moments, the details of the dream were already blurring at the edges.
"If I can't remember, I won't force it. It was just a dream anyway..." Yuu shook his head, pushing the lingering dread aside. He stood up and glanced at the clock beside his bed.
The digital display read 8:15 AM.
"Damn, I have to get Sakura to school today."
Realizing it was already Monday, Yuu hurriedly changed his clothes and rushed out, heading toward Sakura's room.
Knock, knock!
He reached out and rapped on the closed door. There was no response. Whether the room's occupant was absent or deep in sleep, several minutes passed without the door opening.
"Sakura?" Yuu frowned, knocking harder.
It was strange. Usually, Sakura would be in bed or pretending to sleep, waiting for him to wake her up. She never ignored him like this. The room remained deathly quiet.
"Sakura, I'm coming in."
Sensing something was wrong, Yuu turned the handle and pushed the door open. The layout of the room came into view; the curtains fluttered gently in the breeze, and soft morning light scattered across the spotless floor. The room was perfectly tidy.
"Is she already up?" Yuu's gaze fell upon the neatly made bed, and his anxiety eased slightly. "Well, there's no time to make breakfast now. I'll just take her out to eat."
Thinking this, he stepped out, eased the door shut, and headed downstairs.
Down in the first-floor living room, a blue figure sat on the sofa, intently flipping through a book. Hearing the movement on the stairs, Odin closed the book and looked up as Yuu entered the room.
"Yo, Little Junior Disciple. You're finally awake."
"Mm." Yuu nodded, his eyes scanning the area for Sakura. When he found no sign of her, he asked, "Senior Disciple, where is Sakura?"
Sitting on the sofa opposite Odin, Yuu watched him expectantly.
"The little girl?" Odin blinked and smiled. "I saw you were still sleeping and didn't want to disturb you, so I took her to school myself."
"As for breakfast, we already ate out." Odin gestured toward the nearby dining table. "I brought a portion back for you, by the way."
Following his gesture, Yuu saw a meal still emitting faint wisps of steam sitting on the table.
"Eh?" Yuu was stunned. As he processed the scene, a wave of warmth rose in his chest. He realized that aside from being a cryptic "riddle-man," his fake Senior Disciple was actually quite reliable.
"I appreciate the trouble," Yuu thanked him.
"It's nothing, just a small matter." Odin waved it off dismissively. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "By the way, once you're finished eating, we're heading to the corrupted Holy Grail to survey the situation."
"Right. I understand."
Ryuudou Temple, the Great Underground Cavern.
Passing through the mountainside disguised by illusions, one found the site of the spiritual pulse where the Greater Grail was hidden.
Beneath the dim canopy, countless pale blue motes of light manifested in mid-air. They interlaced, gradually forming a tall, sturdy silhouette.
"So this is the underground cavern where the Grail resides? The quality of the prana in the air isn't half bad."
Releasing his spiritualization, Odin stood upon the desolate earth. He surveyed his surroundings before pulling a small piece of wood carved with ancient characters from his cloak. "Since we've reached the destination, I'll summon my Little Junior Disciple now."
Although the three founding families had placed bounded fields around the Greater Grail specifically designed to target Servants and spirits, to Odin, they were mere child's play.
As prana was funneled into the wood, the mysterious runes began to shimmer with a faint light. The power of the Displacement Rune was activated.
Elsewhere, Kamitani Yuu—who had been waiting by the pond in the rear courtyard of Ryuudou Temple—sensed the magical fluctuation from below. In the next instant, accompanied by a soft white light, his figure vanished from the spot.
Because the Great Cavern was located deep within Mount Enzou, even with spatial displacement magecraft, Yuu could not have bypassed the physical mass of the mountain to enter the cavern on his own. Therefore, he had requested that the spiritualized Odin find the entrance first, then use the wooden rune as an anchor to successfully teleport him inside.
"Yo, you made it~" Seeing the silver-haired youth appear before him, Odin waved with a broad smile. He then turned and began walking into the depths of the path. "Little Junior Disciple, follow me. The corrupted vessel is kept at the source of this spiritual pulse."
"And... it seems there's something familiar and quite interesting down there, too."
Leaving behind those enigmatic words, Odin's figure gradually receded, vanishing into the darkness at the end of the path.
___
Posting advance chapters on my P@treon
[email protected]/Sp1ced
If you're new to this stuff just replace "@" with "a" for the right link ^^