The air filled with mana, swayed gently through the streets. The city was abandoned by the people in the middle of the night. Buildings were decayed, scorched, chunks of bricks were missing from every building as if someone had just ripped them.
The walls that were once glistening pure white had now lost all of their prestige as if to say that the city was forever ruined by the destruction of the kingdom. The ideals that it had upheld were now no more than discarded waste of the knights of the realm. Chivalry and honour what use when the kingdom was destroyed from the inside.
It was the invasion of the Saxons nor the white dragon that destroyed this bastion of the isle of Britain but rather the 'rightful heir' to the throne. Sir Mordred, the knight of treachery, in his blinded admiration for his father Arthur Pendragon had forsaken everything so that the great king would only look at him and nothing else.
However, when the king refused it led Sir Mordred to release his pent-up frustration, possesive and anger led him to cause a rebellion against the most honourable and noble King of Knights, Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, younger brother of Morgan Le Fay and dicple of the court mage, the mage of Flowers, Merlin or as her other name Lady Avalon.
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A cold sensation ran down the back of a girl which woke her immediately as she shot up in a panic. Holding her head, she looked around to see her familiar room, a spacious room, her king size bed that only held her and her pillows and quilt. The wardrobe that held all of her clothes from the royal dresses to the casual outfit. Or the rare fragment that she had used in her summoning last night.
"Caster," she called out her tone full of anticipation from the nightmare she had just seen. Immediately after a woman having a youthful, slender, and attractive figure, characterized by the light and elegant aesthetic. She was projecting an air of playful confidence, elegance, and immense, latent magical power. She had Long, flowing, pale pink or lavender-pink hair styled elegantly with soft waves or braids, and often adorned with natural elements, like flowers or vines. Her eyes are often a bright, striking color, such as golden-yellow or a vibrant azure, giving her an intense, ethereal gaze. She was showing with a confident, slightly mischievous, or a "knowing" smile.
Her outfit is highly stylized, white, light blue, silver, and pale pink/lavender. She was wearing intricate, multi-layered robes. The main garment is often a white or ivory gown with sheer, flowing fabric.She carried a magical staff, often decorated with a unique flower or crystal. She incorporated floral or vine motifs into her design, particularly around her collar, wrists, or staff.
"How can be of service Master?" She replied. Her voice was a soft and gentle laced with an undertone of playfulness.
"What was that?" The master had some knowledge of what had happened but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"That master was the dream cycle in which the master will view their servants life as if they were them. Just be careful because unlike normal dreams these could stay with you for the rest of your life and if you don't have strong enough sense of self you could become another me." The caster class servant explained and warned.
Quickly formulating a thought process the girl quickly caught up. "Caster, did we formally introduce ourselves last night?" The master couldn't recall anything after summoning caster.
"No, you had summoned me and passed out due to mana deprivation." Caster explained. "I brought you to your bed to rest while also setting up a territory to reduce the prana you would have spent on keeping me manifested." Caster explained.
"Right. Lets get to introductions then." The master said. Recovering from the nightmare. She stood up straight while on the bed giving her an air of superiority over the caster servant. "I am the heir to the Vincitore family. My name is Victoria, I am 19 and a super genius when it comes to my family's magecraft." Victoria introduced.
She rasied her left hand where three stripes of command spells sat in the form of three overlapping coins. "Now caster what is your true name and noble phantasm." Victoria demanded.
"Greeting ms Victoria Vincitore. I am the caster class servant Lady Avalon." She introduced herself with a mischievous smile that sent a cold shiver down Victoria back.
'Lady Avalon? Who is that?' Victoria rattled her brain for as many people of the past that could qualify for the role of a caster servant but none fit the appearance or name that the servant had given. Victoria came up with two options: one the servant had not given their real name which meant they didn't trust her or two which was definitely the least likely answer this was Merlin.
She came to the conclusion that this could be Merlin due two main reasons. One Merlin as a central figure in Arthurian mythology had been sealed into avalon (inner sea of the planet) giving him access to Avalon. Two: all the flowers, Merlin was known as the mage of flowers which would explain for all the flowers.
However, Victoria brushed this idea off for another two reasons. One: Merlin trapped in Avalon could never die due to the fact that death is not a concept in the Avalon as such he could not be in the throne of heroes as it only recorded dead heros of the past and present. Two: Merlin is meant to be a man however this lost some reasoning when considering how powerful Merlin is Victoria had no doubt that if Merlin wanted he could transform everyone including himself into the opposite gender.
Having decided that option one was the more likely answer, her face showed scornfull scowl. "Why did you lie to me?" Victoria demanded.
Lady Avalon who had watched all of her deductions through Victoria's facial expressions smiled. "I haven't, I am not as famous as my brother, Merlin." Lady Avalon replied mischievously. "Is how she would introduce herself as. My name is Camelot, the Holy city of Britain. I have taken the role of Caster as the last remaining role I can apply for."
The introduction confused Victoria because 'her' servant lied to her face not once but twice then did a complete one-eighty claiming to be the city of King Arthur. Using her Magecraft to boost her thought acceleration she quickly went from confusion to anger and annoyance to frustration.
"Who are you? No weird im someone but actually someone else bullshit." Victoria pronounced frustrated.
Camelot observed the turbulent shift of emotions on Victoria's face—confusion, anger, annoyance, and finally, raw frustration—all meticulously tracked by the girl's Sorcery Trait, even if Victoria wasn't consciously using it. It was a delightful show of human intellect straining against the incomprehensible.
Camelot's golden eyes widened innocently, and she tilted her head, her pale pink hair swaying like soft silk. She leaned slightly on her staff, maintaining the soft, gentle smile.
She took a slow, deliberate step toward the edge of the bed, Camelot then tapped the crystal on her staff, and the light in the room seemed to bloom, though nothing physically changed.
"As for the third answer, the only one that will satisfy your magnificent intellect and prevent me from dissolving your precious models entirely," she continued, her smile turning into a triumphant, challenging smirk, "I am using the identity of Lady Avalon, who herself pretends to be a sister. I am using a triple-layered conceptual disguise."
She concluded, spreading her arms wide in a dramatic, playful flourish.
"The ultimate truth, Master, is this: The Holy City of Camelot, has a wish for the holy grail so I dawn the disguise of a ridiculous, flirtatious mage. Now, tell me, Master of efficiency. Which name would you prefer to put on your meticulously calculated risk assessment form? The one that is technically correct? The one that is legally recognized? Or the one that is the most strategically confusing to your enemies?"
Victoria thought for a while how could the city of Camelot work as a servant it didn't have a will, it wasn't a person, how is it in a humaniod container, how is it a caster. It didn't take long for her to come to a possible conclusion: if Camelot was the concept of Camelot raather than a portion of Camelot that could explain a lot. The servant still isn't a person just a concept in a humaniod form, the caster bit was a lot trickier. She could possibly have understood if Camelot was one of the three knight classes Saber, Lancer or Archer because Camelot was known as the city of knights, aswell as chivalry and honour ruled by the king of knights, Arthur Pendragon.
So how a Caster because Merlin and Morgan who would qualify for the Caster class weren't knights, infact Morgan is remembered as a witch. Merlin was the court advisor not a knight of the round table. This left Victoria with three questions about Camelot at the moment.
One: what is Camelot's wish for the grail, a servant can only be summoned to a holy grail war if they possess a wish to be granted by the holy grail.
Two: How could Camelot be summoned as a Caster class servant?
Three: What is Camelot's Noble phantasm? She had asked immediately for the noble phantasm but was never given an answer.
"You are not Camelot as a whole are you? You are actually the concept of Camelot." She stated with certainty. Hearing this Camelot smiled gently and nodded her head.
"You are correct. I am not The Camelot of Britain but rather the concept of a knight as a whole." Camelot then changed their appearance to that of a blonde knight standing at 5'10 with fearless green eyes that where filled with a absolute faith that could only be described as foolishness. The knights armour had a magical sliver plating over the chest, shoulders, hands and torso with two leg peices covering the outer thighs. The rest off the body was covered by a royal blue and white tunic.
Victoria face shifted to one of confusion. 'Who is that?' This was the first thought. She came to a quick conclusion of Arthur Pendragon due to the sense of a noble knight with colours that often meant royalty in the past especially in Europe.
"Anyway, next question how are you able to be summoned as a Caster? I could get being a Saber, Lancer or an Archer due you being the kingdom of knights. However the only know magus where Merlin and Morgan neither of which are knights?" Dismissing the fact Camelot could change appearances next was how is Camelot a Caster.
"By gathering the collective residual prana from Merlin. I can then copy Merlin's magecraft to be a Caster class servant." Camelot explained.
Victoria didn't need all the information to understand how Camelot could gather Merlin's residual prana. She just put it to the fact that it was still in the age of gods, though barely as the age of gods ended with Arthur Pendragon's death and that Camelot was a city built by the fairies for Arthur Pendragon.
"Lastly what is your Noble Phantasm? I want a full explanation of what happens and any requirements immediately." Victoria expressed the importance of having any requirements straight away.
"My Noble Phantasm which one I possess two noble phantasms l." Camelot said with a sincere smile.
This confused Victoria due to it being known that servants should only possess one Noble Phantasm. A Noble phantasm was the crystallisation of a servants life ethier an equipment like Excalibur for the king of knights or an act like a Noble Phantasm for a great feat such as Hercules defeating the 12 trials set by the greek gods.
"Both. I want details on both." Victoria stated. This was the only correct response to the question because the each Noble Phantasm would work differently so both would be effectively used in different situations.
Hearong the response, Camelot nodded and explained, " My first Noble Phantasm is 'THE DREAMING WHITE WALLS: ETERNAL GARDEN ECHO'." Camelot first Noble Phantasm was called The Dreaming White Walls of Eternal Garden Echo the crystallisation of the city's perfect nature.
"This works by temporarily converting the surrounding world into a reality marble that is a perfect, flawless, and eternal image of Camelot, complete with vibrant, mana-rich flora (the "Garden"). This space applies a conceptual "Stun" and "Confusion" effect on enemies, as their minds struggle to comprehend the impossible ideal of the perfect city while also relieving allies of burdens such as any paralysis or poison and madness enhancement while in the Garden. It is ranked at the A++ anti-unit Noble Phantasm. This requires no external set up just the time it takes to deploy." Camelot explained his first Noble Phantasm.
Victoria spent a whole minute with her brain running through multiple different scenarios where this Noble Phantasm would be most effective. However, even in the best scenario where it was used on Rider, Assassin or Berserker due to them not naturally having a magical resistance skill it doesn't mean that their personal skills doesn't give them a form of magic resistance like the knight classes. And based on the rank of Magic resistance of the knight classes it could be only slightly minigated or just ignored entirely.
"My other Noble Phantasm is 'THE THRONE'S FOUNDATION: REBIRTH OF THE SHINING CITY.'
I sacrifices my Servant form to become the spiritual, healing fortress for the King of Knights or any Knight of the Round Table, boosting their defense, regeneration, and primary Noble Phantasm. This is Ranked EX and does have a condition which is pretty self-explanatory, there needs to a member of the knights of the round table or Merlin." Camelot explained.
Victoria was shocked at it being ranked ar EX, the highest level possible meaning the magical output was unquantifiable however was extremely disappointed that it was a self defeating Noble Phantasm meant to boost another servant. This immediately made Victoria dismiss the Noble Phantasm unless for the most dire situation that was of course if there was a knight of the round summoned or the king of knights or the mage of flowers which was very unlikely to actually happen.
"So essentially it's pointless for you by your own then," She said, pointing out the obvious flaw of the Noble Phantasm. Receiving a nod from Camelot.
"Anyway time to get dressed and let the church overseer know that you have been summoned." Victoria said.
Victoria was a Nordic beauty with long straight blonde hair that swayed with every step. She had sharp, intelligent blue eyes that seemed to analyze everything they landed upon, a trait inherited from generations of Vincitore merchant-magi who thrived on efficiency and ruthless calculation. Her features were finely sculpted—high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a thin, determined mouth—lending her an air of regal austerity that contrasted slightly with her current indoor attire. Her skin was a fair, creamy tone, common to the northern families. Despite her youthful nineteen years, her posture was impeccable, refined by years of training as the heir to a powerful, financially-minded mage family. The distinct, overlapping three-coin pattern of her Command Spells was prominently displayed on the back of her left hand, a stark red mark of her authority against her pale skin.
As she opened the wardrobe there was a mix of multiple coloured different dresses to signify her presence and prestige in the moonlight world. Each had a spell woven into them ranging from one designed to catch someones eye easier to the opposite of making people ignore her to spells she could use.
Deciding to go with a dress that had a navy blue base and a creamy white trimming along the outside. The dress covered all off her except for her head, neck and arms. The main reason for this dress was showed prestige and had a spell of ignorance woven in making it easier to get to her destination unfollowed. Putting on her black gloves she covered her hands while leaving nothing of the command spell out in the open.
Upon entering the church outside the city both Camelot, who had gone into spirit form, and Victoria saw a gentle old man in a priest's robe praying at the centre.
"Hello, I am Victoria Vincitore, heir to the Vincitore family. I am the seventh Master of the fourth holy grail war." She proclaimed louldly.