Dream of The Beginning

The moment Ryan and Artoria stepped out of the portal, they immediately realized that something was not right. 

What greeted them was not the extermination bands of light on the sky, nor it was the scene of destruction and burning cities of an incinerated era. 

Instead, the sky above them was clear with few clouds hiding the warm sunlight. On their surroundings, the birds were chirping animatedly as the soft breeze passed by. 

"This is... Riverside Park of Fuyuki?" 

The sight of that clear river and steel bridge, as well as the park around them; they were such a familiar sight to Ryan. After all, he had been living in that city for more than ten years, it would be weird if he didn't quickly realize that they had just arrived at Fuyuki City through that portal. 

'But that's weird. I definitely pinpointed the Grand Order worldline.' 

At that time, Ryan felt a stir appeared in his heart. It was as though something in his soul was reverberating with the world, causing him to feel a weird, stuffed sensation inside him. 

'The Sixth Magic is reacting!' 

Ryan felt bloated at that instant. It was because his mind was continuously receiving loads of information which gradually increased the burden on his spirit. 

It was fortunate that his spirit stats had reached "EX" rank, otherwise he would be overwhelmed and incapacitated for a time before this sudden influx of information calmed down.  

In truth, what happened now was that Ryan's Sixth Magic was actively trying to permeate unto this current worldline, establishing its Path of Samsara to the entire world. 

Ryan was caught off guard because this was the first time the Sixth Magic ever reacted strongly like that. After all, this is his first time crossing between worldline, he didn't expect it would have such impact on his Sixth Magic. 

When Artoria saw that Ryan suddenly fell over, she quickly held him in her arms as she felt alarmed. 

"What's wrong?" Artoria asked in concern. 

Ryan got up from her arms as his expression turned strange. He complained lightly, "My bad, seems like I got a bad stomach. I wonder what did I eat wrong then??" 

"If you said so..." Artoria felt slightly amused. She sensed that Ryan didn't want to tell the truth, so she also didn't insist. 'Men truly has some strange pride at strange time.' 

Seeing that Artoria had an understanding look on her face, Ryan laughed dryly. Then, he looked at the Jeweled Sword Kaleidoscope in his hand as he tried to look into cause of this incident. 

With his current soul strength, almost no one could slip past his mind sense without alerting him. So, the perpetrator shouldn't be able to do it before he activated that portal. 

If there were someone who could sneakily alter his path after the portal of Second Magic was opened, that would narrow down the suspects. Either it was an existence who held higher authority in this world, or the Second Magician himself– the creator of Jeweled Sword Kaleidoscope. 

'If the fault didn't lie with me, there should be some outside interference sending me here… is it Alaya? Or that old Sir?'

When he was pondering about the culprit, a strange announcement suddenly sounded directly into his mind. 

[Welcome to Fuyuki Great Holy Grail War! Now that the last Participant has entered battlefield, let's commence the trial!] 

[Seize the glory, eliminate your enemies, and defend your "King". Only the worthy shall prevail! May the fortune be in your favor.] 

Ryan: "…" 

What the hell am I walking into…?

Along with the unknown announcement ringing inside his mind, a bright grey light descended from out of nowhere as it reached Ryan. That grey light coiled around his right hand and gradually transformed into a lackluster grey bracelet with some unknown runes inscribed on it. 

"Artoria, did you hear it?" Ryan turned to look at Artoria. 

Artoria appeared to be slightly puzzled by Ryan's question. She shook her head as she replied, "I didn't hear anything strange. What did you hear?" 

Ryan pondered a bit. After sorting out his thought earlier, he told Artoria about that strange announcement which suddenly appeared on his mind and his assumption on the portal's misdirection. 

When Ryan told Artoria about his speculation, he lightly glanced toward two different directions alternately. 

'I may not be able to muster its full power now, but a little bit should suffice, right?' Ryan grinned lightly as he released a little fluctuation of Sixth Magic to encase both of them from those prying eyes. 

'Emiya Residence and a hotel in Shinto Town, eh.' A small smile appeared on his face. Ryan looked forward to see his brother and sister in this alternate world.  

'I wonder if there's also another me in this worldline...' 

. . . 

At same time, at two different locations, the Servant Caster who tried to peek at Ryan and Artoria were coughing blood as they staggered in disbelief. They were unable to fathom how a mere magi of this declining era could crush them hard in battle of magecraft– at their own specialty nonetheless. 

Although, if those Casters knew the truth, their loss really wasn't unfounded. Despite their magecraft was regarded close in effect to True Magic, they were incompatible with Modern True Magics. Not to mention that they didn't even know about the Sixth Magic which had been born into existence just sometimes ago. 

At the spacious living room of Emiya residence. 

Medea looked shocked at the destroyed scrying mirror she had been using to peek at Ryan and Artoria. She didn't even wipe the blood on her mouth before she turned to look at Artoria (Saber). 

"What a rude fellow. Saber, do you have an older sister? The opposing faction's last Servant looks much like you." 

Saber shook her head. She calmly replied while hiding her surprise deep within her heart, "I do have a sister. However, that person is not my sister. I am afraid that her true identity is my own self..."  

Although Artoria was feeling quite at a loss when she saw Artoria (Lancer), she was rather quick in straightening up her determination. After all, if 'she' was really herself from another possibility, 'she' should understand her reason to seek the Holy Grail, right? 

"…I see. A different possibility of yourself is manifested as different class, right?" Rin Tohsaka muttered to herself as she then looked at Artoria with certainty. 

In the case of Servant Summoning system, sometimes there were Heroic Spirits who could fit many classes as their vessel. It was because their legends and feats varied largely in the history, allowing them to manifest in different Servant class according to which particular legends they were summoned with. 

An example for such case would be Cú Chulainn. He was a Heroic Spirit qualified to be summoned as Lancer or Caster Servant in normal summoning. Such thing was possible because each Servant class was merely a vessel which could contain a particular feat of Heroic Spirit. 

As for summoning Heroic Spirit in their entirety… it was not something human was capable of performing. If anything, only the World itself might be able to produce such feat in the form of "Grand Servant Summoning Ritual". 

Even then, the World would only allow the summoning of Grand Servant under strict condition; such as the appearance of Beasts of the Counter Force. 

Artoria nodded slightly, affirming Rin's guess, "You are right, Rin." 

"...but, Saber, doesn't she look more mature than you? Even Emiya-kun was unable to peel his eyes off from her then. Fufufu~~" Rin suddenly snickered mischievously while glancing at the surprised Shirou. 

"To-tohsaka! I didn't see anything, Saber. Believe me." Shirou panicked. For a moment there, he seemed to see Saber's eyes gleamed strangely when she looked at him. It sent chills on his back for no apparent reason. 

Sakura, on another side, smiled sweetly as black mana silently covered her shoulder. "Senpai, so you like them big~~"  

Beside Sakura, Rider heaved a quiet sigh when she glanced at Shirou's predicament. Yet, her lips curled upward slightly as she felt a little amused seeing Shirou's current plight. 

Other people inside the room like; Bazett Fraga McRemitz and Cú Chulainn, Illyasviel and Heracles, EMIYA (Archer) and Souichirou Kuzuki were each tending to their own thought. These people were thinking of different matters; they didn't even bother to look at Shirou's impending disaster... 

"Gah! Now there should be a decisive battle soon! I am sooo~ bored with those small skirmishes lately." Cú yawned. He was leaning lazily in front of the TV as he was watching a cooking program. 

'…it shouldn't be him, right…? Otherwise, if it is really that man, there isn't even a chance for us to win.' EMIYA sighed. 

He seemed to remember a certain someone when he glimpsed at Ryan's figure before the scrying mirror broke earlier. 

"Yo. Why's the glum face, shitty Archer?" 

"I have a bad feeling about that man. Yet, even a hound guard like you whose job is to protect your Master can't sense the danger, I guess we should have eliminated you earlier, Lancer." EMIYA (Archer) smiled warmly. He was laughing lightly, but his words were striking mercilessly at Cú Chulainn. 

"Damn boy. Let's settle this outside, yeah?!" 

Rin laughed in mischief when she saw Shirou's plight. She then turned toward Sakura, "What is the old Matou doing, Sakura? Why I don't see him in this important meeting?" 

Sakura stopped teasing Shirou. She smiled at Rin as she replied, "Ah. I asked Grandpa and Assassin to keep watch over the enemy faction. After all, we don't need them here~~" 

And he agreed just like that? Bullshit… It'd more like they're afraid of you, little sister… 

Rin was quietly speechless. 

Sakura might be looking like she was smiling kindly, but one couldn't help feeling a tingling sensation on their back when one looked at her smile. 

'As I thought, Dark Sakura is scary...' 

. . . 

Meanwhile, at the hotel in the Shinto Town; inside its meeting hall. 

"Tsk. Looks like we got another arrogant fellow here." 

A blonde woman in her early twenties grunted coldly after Medea Lily's scrying mirror was broken by Ryan. She then glanced at the frivolous man laying lazily on the couch with cold stare. 

She was Mikaela Graham. The daughter of Graham family, one of the Noble family who rose up to prominence since the Great Cataclysm three years ago. 

"What? You want to have fun with me, Ms. Graham? I'll be glad to be in your service– in your bedroom that is. HAHAHA!" Raucous laughter came from that man as he shot her a dirty gaze. 

Peter Vandrick. A maverick with exceptional ability who recently made his name as the ruthless novice Ranker in the Pandora System. 

In return to his taunt, the woman merely snorted. She turned her gaze away from him as she couldn't stomach the sight of him taking advantages of his Servant all the time. Even at this time, he kept fondling and fooling around with her without minding anyone present in the hall. 

'That accursed ability! Tch. He's too dangerous left alive. After we've cleared the first stage...' Mikaela Graham decided silently in her heart. 

"Now, now, let's stop the jokes aside. What do you think about the newcomer? The fact that he could notice Medea's farsight spell from this distance means he has some abilities. Although, since he destroyed her spell without so much of a notice, I don't think he's an easy person to talk to." 

Caster's Master, Arthur Blair, smiled kindly as he tried to diffuse the heated air between these two Ranker. To prevent them from butting their head against each other in the next second, he quickly diverted the topic back toward Ryan. 

"HEH. What a hard nut to crack? If he doesn't want to listen, he just needs more sense beaten into him until he listens. That's easy, just leave it to me." Peter grinned while thinking to himself, 'I can't wait to taste his Servant too.' 

On another couch, a chubby young man looked surprised after he saw a glimpse on Ryan and Artoria. He pondered quietly, 'Could he be the Easter Egg the Host announced before?' 

This young man was Kazuki Kei. Before the Great Cataclysm three years ago, he was merely an ordinary college freshman. Though, behind his normal everyday life... He was an avid otaku. 

Since he watched Fate/Apocrypha back then, Kei had been a fan of Fate series. He also went ahead to look through other Fate franchises to satiate his desire of seeing more of their cute or genderbend Servants– and their lore, of course. 

'The spot for Lancer Servant in our faction has been filled. It means that Artoria Lancer shouldn't be his Servant in this Grail War. Could it be she is his retainer? 

'However, this is the first time that Fate world has been connected to Pandora System. There shouldn't be any Ranker who could make contract with Heroic Spirit before this. If there is... could he be one of those Reincarnators?!' 

"…King." 

At that moment, an ice-cold voice sounded from the corner, from the black haired girl who stood in solitude. The moment she opened her eyes, her gaze was directed at the place Ryan appeared just now. 

The strained muscles around her eyes, and the white pupils which allowed her to see through anything and granting her farsight vision; these were the signs that she had activated her Byakugan. 

"…you mean it's him? The 'King' of our faction?" Arthur frowned. He looked at the young woman who just spoke, quick to catch on her meaning.  

It was true that none of the six people who attended this meeting was appointed as the 'King' by Pandora System. He hoped that when the last participant finally appeared, the Pandora System would finally appoint one of them as the 'King'. 

But to think that Pandora System would choose an unknown participant instead… 

'Just what makes him different from the rest of us? If even someone like the flame demoness, or a Reincarnator like 'her' are not chosen, then just what kind of person who outweighs these two strong Rankers?'  

Arthur glanced at the masked woman on another side of the hall and the previous woman who just spoke as he thought about it quietly. 

Mikaela Graham, Peter Vandrik, and Kazuki Kei turned silent as they were absorbed on their thoughts. After Arthur confirmed 'her' opinion, they each had their own ideas on Ryan. 

"…let me do the talk. It will be detrimental for us if he remains ignorant of his position and the enemies manage to catch him in his carelessness." The masked woman spoke her mind, breaking the minute silence among them. 

"Ohh!! the cursed demoness finally decided to move… What? Are you that curious about this man, so much that you want to invite him yourself? Ahh, no need to trouble yourself so much, missy~ let me be the one to invite him. It'll be done in mere minutes. Kekeke!" Peter grinned. He looked extremely interested to see her reaction. 

Unfortunately, the masked woman merely nodded in silence. It was clear to them that she wasn't that much interested to invite the last participant into the group. She merely did it in passing.  

"Che!" Peter grunted in annoyance when the masked woman was quick to ignore him. 'This fucking bitch… I'll definitely rip that mask off your face and put you down under me. I'll be fucking the shit out of you until you can't think anything but my dick!' 

When Mikaela Graham saw the concealed lust and desire inside Peter's eyes, she smiled scornfully in her heart. 

'Foolish horny dog. Just because you have made your name recently, you think you're all that great huh. Try her then. Let me see just how much hidden tricks she has.' 

"Shouldn't we all go together to show our sincerity to him? It won't be good if that man has a misunderstanding if we only ask sir Peter to invite him." Kei spoke loudly as he looked at the other people in the room. 

'If that man is a Reincarnator… this pervert Peter won't likely to survive long if he tries to lay his hand on Artoria Lancer. He can't die yet. At least not before we pass the first stage. His early death would only reduce our advantage after all.' 

The other four people on the room looked at each other before they nodded lightly to show their agreement. 

"Well, that's it. For now, let's just follow him to see what he is going to do."