Swhoosh~
Swhoosh~
Swhoosh~
Albert opens his eyes and sees a clear blue sky. This… he has never seen the sky so blue. It looks wrong to him, this… sereneness.
He makes a slight movement, and the sounds of chains rattling reach his ears. He lifts his arm to see a golden chain wrapped around his arm.
"… What is this? Where am I?"
He gathered what he could with his senses and felt that he was on a body of water. He tries to get up right but instead he finds that he could stand on the water.
The water by the way was not blue as the sky but as red as blood. He let out a unpleased grunt at this sight. He looked around to see something in the distance.
With nothing else he began to head to the thing he saw. The chains rattled behind him as he walked forward.
Forward and forward he went. Eventually as he walked he heard a familiar voice.
"Whatever reason you had for reaching out to me, it made me happy nonetheless."
He turned to see Aurora standing there in an aura of perfection.
"Aurora… Then this is one of Mélusine's memories."
"If not for you, I would still be stuck in that mud state to this day."
"An act of love, done for ulterior motives… Disgusting fairy."
"Let's make our escape together, shall we?" Aurora said with that gentle smile. "You can take me with you, can't you?"
Mélusine appeared with a shocked expression.
"…What?"
"Did that surprise you? I think it's only natural to run from danger, though…"
Mélusine takes a sigh before responding.
"It isn't… you've just stopped thinking again. What comes after we escaped, Aurora…? Where will you go after you abandoned this world and the fairies who believed in you?"
Aurora made a somewhat firm, and concerned face.
"You're right. That is unfortunate. But they no longer love me at all, do they?" She then made that gentle smile again. "So enough about them. More importantly, why don't we go somewhere more pleasant?"
She clapped her hands in thinking on a place.
"Outside Britain!" She shouts in joy. "You heard it from those from Chaldea, did you not? It should be far better there compared to this boring world. I mean, it's a world exclusively for the pitiful, filthy, weak humans. It will be much easier to create an ideal world that will be much better behaved. You and I will be the only fairies there. See—isn't that what you wish for?"
Mélusine's face only grows harsher. Not that Aurora would notice but Albert does. She hides away everything behind a cold and stoic expression.
"Such a lovey person, my Mélusine. I love you the most right now."
Even now when she needs to get Mélusine's help she still states how her love is only conditional.
"Give me your hand. Take my hand in yours. Let's start a new life, shall we?"
She stretched out her hands to fully embrace Mélusine, Mélusine takes a step back. Her expression slowly grows more painful.
"That is… indeed what I wish for. Once again, you will spread those butterfly scales, all to unaware of it. Telling yourself that you aren't aware… You will do the same once more in the world outside. Because your purpose is to be the 'the most beloved of them all'.
"Mélusine? What's this, all of a sudden?" She looked at her with a perplexed look in her eyes.
"What about Coral…? Where is she?"
Aurora puts her finger to her cheek, thinking.
"Coral…? Oh, you mean that Coral!" She smiles as brightly as her wings. "I transformed her into a caterpillar, because she was irritating me!"
Coral appeared between Mélusine and Aurora. Albert noticed she was one of the attendants there when Aurora found and saved Mélusine from the mud with light pink hair. Then she became a caterpillar and falls onto the floor.
"And just a few moments, I accidentally squashed her beneath my foot!" Aurora takes a step and crushes Coral, her loyal servant, without a second thought.
The world went full white. Mélusine closed her eyes and couldn't hear Aurora anymore. Mélusine reopened her eyes to see that happy, jubilant smile on her face. With a painful face, Mélusine replied:
"Aurora… I love you. I love you, even if you won't believe it, even if it matters not to you. No matter how evil you may be… I will grant each and every last one of your wishes."
Aurora claps her hands joyfully.
"Yes, yes, that's right!" I have no idea what you're talking about, but you're right! Let's head for the world outside! I'm sure those wonderful days will start anew."
Aurora begins to walk towards Mélusine, a thought rung in the air.
"But see, you won't survive in Proper Human History."
Once Aurora was in Mélusine embrace, she ran Aurora through with her blade leaving a gap in her chest. Aurora stumbled a bit back with a confused look on her face.
"… Hah?"
Before stumbling onto the floor. She looks up at Mélusine's face to see her crying with the most painful look she ever saw.
"No way that's happening…" Mélusine said softly. "There's no way you could possibly be loved in the world outside...! Because here is the only place where you can stand at the top...! Pan-human history isn't as gullible as Britain, they'll immediately see you for the poison you are...!"
At last Mélusine is standing up for herself.
"GET HER MEL! FUCKING RIP INTO HER!!" Albert cheered her on.
"Do you think you could live on in a world like that!? You, who can't live without clean, pure water!" She swung her arms at her to express her anger.
Aurora lay there, quiet as blood began stain her dress and pool around her. Even when dyed in her own blood she still looks beautiful.
"Those wings, that form, they will all fade and waste away in no time! When...when that happens—You yourself won't be able to stand it...You won't be able to love yourself anymore, and you will despair. And yet you will continue to deceive yourself, even in a form far removed from your present, you will continue to live the way you always have…
And with each sunrise, you will continue to die in front of a mirror. It may be nothing out of the ordinary for the other fairies... But for you, it would be the cruelest torment of them all. Unable to muster the resolve to die, weeping in despair that only grows with each passing day.
And yet, you will keep on clinging to an unreachable glory. A new hell where you would just continue to loathe yourself. That—something like that—!"
She covered her face as she falls to her knees. Tears stream down her face and hand into the floor. She loves her. She loves her more than anything in the world. So much so that if she appeared during the Grail War he was sure she would leave him to serve her again.
Seeing the state Mélusine was in, Aurora lightly giggles.
"Hehe... What are you talking about, Mélusine?"
Mélusine looks up to see blood stain Aurora's lips, still formed into a gentle smile.
"Putting such an impossible future into words. You horrible, mockery of a fairy. Even though wasting away day by day is far more dreadful than death, you know? Ah...more importantly—hurry up and take me—To the world outside—to the days of being loved by everyone once more—You live for my sake, do you not?"
It was honestly a breath of fresh air to hear her say something she truly believes in. Albert was sure Mélusine would have wanted this not on her deathbed.
"… I do." Mélusine pulls her hands from her face and faces her love with a tearful face. "It would've been fine if I were a creature living for myself. Because then—I would've kept you alive, no matter what the cost. Because, without you, I would go back to being a lump of flesh. But—I cannot help but live for your sake. And for that, I cannot bear to bring you into the hell outside."
She grips her heart to have to reject her love, the only love she truly wanted.
"Ugh...uuuaaaaaaaa—" The heartache courses through her. "—uuuuaaa—aa...a...— Ah..." Her lips pull down to make a deep frown. "Even now, I still remember. It comes to mind, forever and ever. The wind that swept across the dark swamp. A dazzlingly brilliant aurora—I swore my life to defend you with everything I had."
She out stretched her arm toward Aurora and confessed one last time.
"I love you, Aurora... I love you, Aurora —Even...even should I lose this form of mine."
She slowly walks over to Aurora and with that out stretched hand… impales her one last time. Mélusine looked deeply distraught as she stumbles away towards the window before she falls to her knees again.
"—AaAaAa, Aa——Aaaaaaaaaaaa—!!"
Mélusine screams out as her body glows with the radiance of dawn and explodes.
"Ugh!?" Albert covered his eyes. He could hear the sounds of an powerful jet engine going off. When he opened his eyes he looked up to see something high in the sky flying at sunset leaving behind a pair of contrails. "Ooh…"
"It is not every day when a Master shares the same fate as their Servant."
Albert's body recoils. He turns to see a person he never seen before but instilled something in him that can only be described as primal.
"I am happy I can see you, my child."
It was a woman in a white blouse with long light blue hair and massive curled horns with pink star-like pupils. She was kneeling in front of a fire with two cooked fish. Albert looked around to find the scene has changed again without his knowing.
Albert felt… felt like he knew her. She just had this familiar feeling in his heart.
"Who… who are you?"
"… I am your mother, Tiamat."
"Tia… mat? Like… the Tiamat from Mesopotamia?"
He read up on a lot of mythology for the Grail War.
"Hm." She smiled and nodded at Albert's answer. "You are very bright. It is a tragedy what your brothers and sister have done to you."
Tiamat of Mesopotamia, the creator god who gave birth to all, she is the mother of all.
"How… how are you—why is this happening?"
"You are becoming more of a Beast as we speak." Her smile left and was replaced with a slight frown. "How terrible."
Thick, heavy tear drops run down her face.
"How could they, all of them do this to you? A young boy, a child. None of this should have happened to you or any one of my children."
Sincerity filled Albert's heart. She was crying for him from the very bottom of her heart.
"I… I wanted to do this."
"No you didn't." She shook her head. "This was never your dream."
She stood up and walked over to him. She was very tall.
"Then what was my dream?"
"Your dream was to be a fire fighter, that was your dream when you were a young boy, before they took you and messed with your mind. Toying with you to be their iron fist. Don't you remember your toy fire truck?"
"Ugh!"
The water floor rippled and a toy fire truck popped to the surface. Looking at the toy it came to him.
"Ah…" He slowly kneels to pick up the toy. "I remember… they keep taking more and more of my memories."
He gritted his teeth as Tiamat kneels next to him and hugs him with a motherly affection. She was the softest, warmest person to ever hug him. It was so full of familial love that is brought tears to him.
"I am sorry." She said stroking his hair. "Know this, my child. Even if everyone leaves you, I will not. I will always love you."
"Why…" He looks into her eyes with tears running down his face. "Why? Why love me? I… I have done nothing worthy of love towards you. The first girl I… gave my heart took advantage of me to.. to…"
"She did it out of love and concern for you. This was an act of bittersweet betrayal. Do not be angry at her. She never meant to hurt you."
Albert's lips pulled back and his brows furrowed.
"Love… Love… I wish I had met you sooner, I wish you could have raised me."
This put a bitter-sweet smile on her lovely face.
"I wish so as well, but do not say such cruel words. You actual mother has more love for you than I could ever give."
Albert made an even more deep frown.
"I learned this long ago from those who observe the stars. I have many children. They all loved me but… they all used me to go to places beyond my reach. I always wanted to shower them in my love forever, to be by their side forever. However they all must leave me and journey out on their own."
"So… even you will leave me."
"My time has already come and pass. I am only here because a human is taking upon themselves the crown of a Beast. You have your own mother, and you have a fine mate in Albion, she will stay with you till the very end of fantasy. A dragon never lets go of their treasure. Remember that my child."
She leans in and kisses his forehead.
"Live the life you always wanted. Your journey is a long one, plenty of time to take command of your own fate."
"But—"
"It's time to wake up, my child. I hope we can see one another again. I want to hear tales of you and your mother should we meet again. May you have mercy upon your siblings, Galahad, Juvenile Beast of Humanity."
[Connection reestablished! Status has been updated!]
[New players have been detected.]
In his awakening he could feel several hundred other connections.
[Connecting to new players.]
[Connection established.]
He didn't give it much thought and severed the connection. He care not for such connections only bonds forged by his own will and thoughts. His Quirk acts in response.
[Severing players connection to Status.]
[Only one player can exist.]
Albert opens his eyes to see a sea of fire.
"!?"
Around him he could hear destruction, explosions goes off in the distance and buildings fall over. Albert looked around himself to see he was on top of a bunch of rubble from destroyed buildings. The city was in ruin.
"So your finally awake huh?"
He turned to see Aoko. She was bleeding profusely with all of her clothes damaged. Overall she kept a confident look.
"… Who are you?"
He studied the bloody woman with bright red hair. She was pretty with magical circuits running through her body stopping any more blood from leaving her body.
"I am Aoko Aozaki. Like your mentor that old man Kischur I am the Magician of the Fifth Magic—Blue."
He looked her up and down again. She was very much red. She had only one thing that was blue.
"… The only thing blue about you is your eyes."
"I'll let that slide this once. Look at all the mess you made."
She gestured around her.
"So…" Albert shrugged as he looked around again. "I did do this while I was unconscious."
"… You don't seem bad for what you did."
He held his right hand out and he unleashed his mana burst. Black particles shot out of him in a violent torrent of power. His Monster Veins spread and cover him fully. He began to even make clothes from his flesh as he covered himself in a bright blue robe that billowed in the wind.
"No." He replied. "I am done with Japan, and I am done with all of this. I am Galahad, a Juvenile Beast and Ultimate Human. Most importantly of all, I am the master of Lancer!"
His command seals glowed brightly and behind him Mélusine manifested in her full combat attire. Together their auras—their very presence sent sheer paralyzing terror through everyone in the area. Even Aoko was temporarily paralyzed by this threating pair before she shook it off with a grin.
"I am here my lord!" Mélusine said proudly.
His command seals stopped glowing, Aoko could see he still had three commands left. He did not use a seal, Mélusine was simply on standby ready to manifest at his call.
"What of your friends? Your classmates? I worked hard to save them."
Albert made a bitter expression. That life is behind him now. It was ripped from him by his handler. He is gone.
"Albert is dead, I am Galahad and Galahad never had went to U.A." He turned his head from her. "Lancer, let us go kill Archer then the rest. I am finishing the war, now."
Mélusine grabbed Albert—Galahad and took off flying. Now with nothing left to hold him down, all laid bare… the strongest Master and Servant truly step into the war.
Aoko let out a deep sigh.
"… Finally I am done. Uuugh!" She fell flat on her back. "Gods it is almost over."