The Prop Room
I grimace as I come to awareness in an empty white void. "Here again, huh…?"
"Don't look so down, Master of Chaldea," Says Not-Louis, grinning. "I'll start to think you don't like me. Not that that'll stop me, but… well, I'm a girl right now, so maybe I'll raise my prices and blame it on my sensitive feelings." To her right, Scandinavia Peperoncino gives a small wave from his spot seated upon…
"How'd you get bookshelves in here?" I ask. There's a few of them, of varying heights, and books strewn across the floor.
"Pulled 'em in from the Library," She replies. "The boundaries aren't so firm in this singularity, so getting some reading material to kill time is possible."
"Right…" I mutter. To start with, books of the dead aren't exactly possible to read, you know? They're supposed to just beam the knowledge straight into your head - and yet, from the book in his hand, it looks like Scandinavia has been doing just that.
"So, now that you're here, I guess I'll stamp your card - wanna know who I am, as your bonus this time?" She asks.
"Tezcatlipoca," Says Scandinavia. "She's Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of destruction and rebirth - though I can't say I know what that god is doing here in the first place."
"Heh… Well I guess you did pay to stick around, so I can't exactly complain, huh!?" Tezcatlipoca laughs.
"That information is pretty useless to me, so thanks for saving me the question, Scandinavia," I admit. Tezcatlipoca might have been in the [Okeanos Doom Packet], but that doesn't really answer what kind of abilities this… Tezcatlouispoca is throwing around - or how she came to be here in the first place.
"Honey, my friends call me Pepe," He says with a wink. "As far as other things to share, Hinako came through here a little while ago - she made a deal to come back to life like Daybit did, so keep an eye out for her, okay?"
What-!? "Wait, that's an option!?" I blurt out.
"Probably not for me," He says with a shake of his head. "My magecraft tells me what time I'm destined to die, and it was exactly when I did! Apparently there are trials involved, so I'm pretty sure I'd just fail them and stay dead!"
"No, I'd give you pretty good odds of passing 'em," Tezcatlouispoca says, adjusting her stupid sunglasses. "...You already sold me most of what you've got, though."
"All that's left is my Sirius Light, right?" Pepe says, eyes narrowed. "I'm not so keen to hand that off to a self-proclaimed weapons dealer, even one as cute as you."
"Hahaha!" She laughs. "Well, let me know if you change your mind! Oh, right, Master of Chaldea - I've already got a buyer lined up for Akuta Hinako's Sirius Light, but if you want it, it's on offer. Like I said, those Witch Factors are interesting enough for me to want to make a trade."
"...And this Sirius Light does what, exactly?" I ask. Obviously it's probably a bad idea to hand this person a Witch Factor, but… we have a backup of Gluttony in Chaldea.
"It's a reservoir of magical energy - you can think of it like a super powerful command spell, if you like. But the output is closer to that of a Holy Grail - if there's anything you want you or a Servant to achieve, the Sirius Light can bridge that gap," She explains.
"What the hell, that's broken!" I shout. I definitely want a Sirius Light!
"It kills you after you use it, though," Says Pepe.
"What the hell, that's useless!" I shout. I definitely do not want a Sirius Light.
"Well, you die in pretty spectacular fashion - exploding big enough to take a whole Singularity with you," Says Tezcatlipoca. "Could be useful if you have a way to pass it off to some unsuspecting schmuck! That's what Marisbury did when he handed these out, after all."
"...Is that true?" Pepe asks.
She shrugs. "Ask Daybit. He's the one who told me, after all - ah, I guess you can't right now, huh?"
"...So, in exchange for her Sirius Light, you sent Akuta Hinako off to conquer some kind of trials to come back to life?" I ask.
"Nah, those are for humans. Akuta just needed a little jump start to fix her own body, because she had a bad run-in with the [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]," Tezcatlipoca says, waving dismissively. "He got Francois Prelati, and Arima Miyako too, as I'm sure you're aware."
PRELATI!? No, I guess maybe Francois Prelati isn't his original name, but-!
"-Well, for people who aren't Akuta or you, Natsuki Subaru, not even I can really do anything about that. They're dead for good unless your reset point takes you far back enough," She says.
"But, Prelati was able to reincarnate-" I start.
"Nah, that's… Okay, as your bonus this time, I'll tell you about the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception," She says. "I know a good bit amount about them, since I sold 'em to their current user."
"...Seriously?" I ask.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. Like I said before, an arms dealer isn't on anyone's side," She shrugs. "Had to offer something for the right to set up shop here, and those eyes were just collecting dust at this point."
I take a deep breath. No, dealing with this is important, so let's hear her out. "Alright. Those Mystic Eyes - what do they do, exactly?"
"It's in the name, right? They let the user perceive the 'Death' of things they're looking at," She says, grinning as she adjusts her sunglasses. "And then depending on the set of eyes, they bring about that inevitable death in some way. For the Balor, that just amounted to killing with a glance - but for Tohno - no, Nanaya Shiki, the death must be brought about by physically attacking his enemy. Maybe he sees death as lines, maybe as points - but when he pierces them with his knife, death is imbued on the target."
…So any hit is deadly, but if he can't hit us, it should be fine.
"Of course, this Singularity has its limits - eyes of that grade would be too costly to produce, so the rumor born here was created without them," She says. "But the real Nanaya Shiki sold me his eyes a few months ago, after he was incinerated, so I was able to fill the order."
"...You weren't summoned to this Singularity?" I ask after a moment. If she was around to claim the eyes from someone when the incineration took place, then…
"Heh… hahaha! You're pretty on top of things, huh, Master of Chaldea?" She says. "Fujimaru hasn't got a bad substitute!"
My eyes widen. Fujimaru. Another Master of Chaldea, one who does not exist in this world. How does this person-
"...Hey, that's recognition in your eyes. Just where did you hear of that poor fool from, huh?" She asks, growing serious for a moment. "Well, depending on how things pan out… alright, I'll make an investment. Start thinking and talking about Fujimaru Ritsuka after you revive. Starting a rumor like that'll be great. In return… I guess I'll owe you a favor, for now. I'm sure you'll find some way to spend it."
"...Honey, I shouldn't have to tell you this, but this girl is trouble," Pepe says. "Don't just go along with what she says for some nebulous favor."
Yeah, I get that. Even if Fujimaru is an ally of Chaldea, someone Nobunaga trusts… "That rumor would probably turn into a terrifying roadblock, so I'll pass."
"Come oooon! How bad could it be? I've still got his Master Authority, so it's not like he can do much to you!" She says, her cheeks puffed out. "I just want him to show up to make things a little tough on Daybit!"
She's met him? "You… Are you from the same timeline as Nobunaga?" I ask.
"Hoh?" Her smile grows malevolent. "Another timeline… is that what you think is going on here?"
…What?
"-Ah, I guess time's up," She says. "I wouldn't mind a confrontation with your witch, since she'd make a great Tezcatlipoca, but…"
"-You keep your hands off her, you bitch," I snap reflexively.
"-Yeah, it's not like I'm stretched for options on that front," She says, sick amusement filling her voice. "I'll see you next time, Master of Chaldea."
The world dissolves into thick gray smoke, and-