Dream of The Beginning

"I see. Only the two of you returned," King Gilgamesh looked stately at Ritsuka and Mash from his royal seat. 

In this deserted ziggurat, only the three of them were left after the battle finished. 

The small group of surviving citizens of Uruk already departed for another land before the great battle last night.

King Gilgamesh stayed alone to hold the fort here, overseeing the battle and becoming the last shield against the Beast of Disasters, Tiamat. 

With himself as the bait, and the great trap laid out beneath Uruk, even if he had to sacrifice himself, Gilgamesh wouldn't let Tiamat step outside the city after she entered his domain. 

This was his duty. And also his responsibility as the King of his people.

Although, it was a fortunate (or unfortunate) matter that his prepared countermeasure didn't have the chance to be used…

"Yes. Goddess Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Man already left after that battle–" Mash soon explained about the subsequent events after Tiamat's death.

At that time, when she saw that Tiamat had been dealt with, Quetzalcoatl didn't linger for long. She bid her farewell with Ritsuka and Mash before dragging Jaguar Man with her as they left the Singularity. While Ishtar and that mysterious man went off somewhere else fast.

"That damn calamity star really took the limelight. Anyway, where is that bratty goddess going?"

Gilgamesh initially only asked casually. However, a frown soon appeared on his face when he saw the strange look on Ritsuka and Mash's face.

"Um… Ishtar-san is heading to underworld with that man..." Ritsuka replied after exchanging glance with Mash.

Gilgamesh held his temple. He felt a sudden headache coming as he cursed, "What kind of mess she's going into this time?!"

After cursing Ishtar and Ryan for a while, Gilgamesh calmed down. He smiled lightly, and a golden portal soon appeared beside him. Gilgamesh took an exquisite pot of wine gilded in gold, pouring its fine wine into the golden goblet. 

"Whatever. Let Ishtar deal with him herself. It would be even better if they fight among themselves. 

"This victory requires a celebration; do you want to drink with me, Fujimaru Ritsuka?" 

In response, Ritsuka shook her head awkwardly. She apologized, "Um, I am not of enough age to drink yet…" 

Mash looked surprised when she saw the small golden goblet Gilgamesh used to drink the wine. She whispered in surprise, "Senpai, isn't that the holy grail…?" 

Gilgamesh looked bored at her refusal as he finished his drink, "Tch. How boring. But, here take the glass instead, for I have no need for it anymore. Cherish it, Fujimaru Ritsuka." 

Gilgamesh grinned lightly as he threw the golden goblet toward Gudako, in which she received it with surprised face. 

After that, Gilgamesh was glowing in faint light and his breath turned fainter. He gave Ritsuka and Mash one last smirk before he disappeared silently. 

Now that the greatest roadblock in the Singularity had been alleviated, the surplus like him, the other Servants, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash would soon be removed from the Proper Human History. The history line would correct itself. 

Moreover, at this point of time, he should have died. Although it was unfortunate for him not to die on the battlefield, Gilgamesh decided to go off with a last drink as he cursed Ryan in his mind for stealing his chance… 

Meanwhile–

Before that, at the entrance of the underworld,

Ishtar was stomping on the ground hard. She looked quite angry. 

She shouted loudly, "Ereshkigal, open the damn gate already! Or I will just bust it open again!" 

Despite Ishtar's furious roars, the entrance of the underworld was still quiet. There was no sign or movement which indicated that it would be opened soon. 

Ryan was interested at the gate of underworld. When he laid his sight on the rune marks on the gate, he felt like his Sixth Magic seemed to be resonating slightly with these runes. 

'The underworld is Ereshkigal's domain. The place where souls of the dead rest. It said that it allows no living soul to enter its domain, but what if I try this…' 

A thin layer of Samsara soon enveloped Ryan in his entirety. At the moment, his existence was in a state between alive and death; neither truly living or dead. 

He immediately felt the pressure and protection measure of underworld lessened greatly on him. 

Ishtar was surprised seeing it, "You can do that too?" 

She felt jealous.

Because, last time Ishtar barged into underworld, she had been stripped of her power until she became a chibi version of her... 

"You jelly~? How about I lend you this ability? But you have to make a contract with me first." Ryan grinned. 

"Uh, uh, no thanks. I am not jealous of a mortal's ability..." 

She took a peek at Ryan's state once more. She gritted her teeth as she lied with difficulty. 'Wait until I have usurped Ereshkigal. I could also gain this kind of ability after I become the ruler of underworld. Hmph.' 

"Too bad." 

Then, without waiting for Ishtar's answer, Ryan crushed the underworld gates with the sacred lance. 

The punishment of underworld should strike him for his transgression, however, since he was cloaked by Samsara, the red lightning of underworld was unable to find him. What they sensed was the other intruder who came with Ryan; Ishtar. 

"Hey, hey, hey...! Argh! Why are you striking me, Ereshkigal?! He's the one who started it!!" 

As if angered by Ishtar's cry, a deep and furious voice bellowed angrily from the depth of underworld, "It's you who brought him here! Do you think I'd spare you, huh?!" 

At her behest, the red lightnings of underworld struck Ishtar even more. 

"Arh! Damn!" 

Ishtar resisted with all her might. However, because she was in the underworld, her authority was severely limited. It didn't take a long time before Ishtar became a burnt charcoal... 

While Ishtar was stopped at near the entrance of underworld, 

Bam! Bam! 

The gates of underworld were destroyed one by one. 

The red lightnings of underworld was unable to find Ryan, but the guardian spirits, the Gallû, were able to attack him. Even so, none of them were spared from destruction when they were pierced by the sacred lance of the End. 

The dimly-lit, usually quiet Underworld became lively that day. 

Ereshkigal ushered the ghost guardians to block Ryan in his path while she tried to stop him by exerting her authority. Even so, to her dismay, that intruder still crashed the gates of underworld with unstoppable march! 

BAM!! 

When the last gate of underworld was broken, Ereshkigal finally met with that audacious intruder directly. 

He was grinning wickedly. His eyes contained a penetrating charm; wild, carefree yet also sharp as he gazed straight into her eyes. 

With the sacred lance on his hand, he pierced deep into the underworld in one overwhelming rush, directly reaching her innermost domain! 

"Found you, Ereshkigal. Sorry to say, but your sister already sold you to me~" Ryan smiled. 

"You, insolent man…!" 

What appeared in front of Ryan was an ancient ghost spirit wearing a black crown. Its bony figure was surrounded tightly by red lightning of underworld as it roared toward him. Her current appearance was similar to the time she faced off against Ritsuka and her party when they descended to underworld. 

That very moment, the depth of underworld was illuminated brightly as a golden radiance and scarlet radiance fought over dominance against each other. 

The entire underworld was shaken due to their battle. 

After seemingly a while, a shadow shot out from the depth of underworld, heading fast upward to the surface. It lightly picked the burnt charcoal on the ground on its way up. 

'Heh. Easy picking, right, Ishtar?' 

The shadow smiled lightly when he saw Ishtar's current sorry state. With Ishtar being weakened so much by Ereshkigal, it wouldn't be hard to handle her later. 

Just as it reached the ground above, that shadow gradually turned into fragmented lights. A soft murmur could be heard coming from it as the shadow disappeared, "…luckily, I wasn't too late…" 

Chaldea. 

With the defeat of Tiamat and the holy grail being retrieved by Ritsuka and Mash, the Seventh Singularity, the demonic front of Babylonia has been finally cleared. 

As such, the foreign elements were expelled as the course of history was corrected. 

It was also at that moment Ryan chose to return to Chaldea along with Ritsuka and Mash. 

Although he wouldn't really be affected by the course of history, but he still had to head to the second trial. Moreover, he couldn't hunt those Demon God Pillars lurking in the final Singularity if he stayed in Babylonia Singularity. 

At that moment, 

While Ritsuka and Mash were doing their routine check-up after clearing the Singularity, Ryan was currently being grounded inside his new room. 

A spear. An arrow of light. And a flag-bearer.

He was glared by three angry women, namely; Ereshkigal, Ishtar, and Jeanne d'Arc. 

They were pointing their weapon at him, not allowing him to move even an inch. 

"…in-insolent rogue…! How dare you kidnap me!" Ereshkigal muttered in under her breath. Her face was red as she pointed her spear beside Ryan's neck. 

"Why did it come to this at the end?! I was going to be the ruler of underworld too! And those gems, my mountain of riches Gilgamesh promised me…!" Ishtar held her head in anger and frustration. She wanted to blast Ryan to smithereens, but then, remembering their current situation and her gap in power with him– 

Even if he couldn't really die, she still wanted to blast him to the edge of the world! 

"You really need a discipline, Ryan! You already have a garden of flowers, yet you still want to go picking other flowers outside, hmm… What should I do with you, I wonder?" Jeanne was looking angry as she chided him. She poked his chest with the flag-bearer, looking as though she wanted to strike him then and there. 

Ryan was speechless as he took in their rage calmly. Soon, a veil of illusion magecraft soon enveloped the three of them, hiding their appearance from any prying eyes. At same time, two doppelgangers materialized beside Ryan. 

When Jeanne saw them, she felt a sense of foreboding. Like an 'ill' omen. 

"You… what are you going to do, Ryan…?" Jeanne trembled slightly when she looked at the illusion magecraft covering the room and his doppelgangers. 

She had a faint idea what Ryan was about to do. At this time, her memories of their time in the underground cavern immediately surfaced in her mind, causing her to blush so hard that she backed away. 

Ishtar and Ereshkigal were held by Ryan's doppelganger each. These pair of sisters also sensed that things were not going into a good direction for them. 

Forget punishing him for his insolence, they might be 'punished' instead! 

Ryan lightly pushed Jeanne's flag-bearer to the side as he smirked, "What do you think I'm going to do, Jeanne?" 

"Scoundrel…!" Jeanne could no longer backing away as she already hit the wall. 

Yet, Ryan still persisted. His hand held her tightly on the wall, and his other hand held her chin upward slightly as he stared at Jeanne's eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Jeanne. But I really have a reason to get them, so even if by force…" 

"E-even if you said that–" 

Before Jeanne could finish her words, her soft and luscious lips were suddenly taken by him. 

Like a forceful invader, his lips pried open her inside, savoring her thoroughly. Their tongue intertwined tightly as they tangled, pulling and pushing each other. 

Jeanne was not really willing to follow his pace originally, but since he was both forceful and gentle at same time, she soon found herself moving her tongue alongside his so well. She felt both embarrassed and giddy when she realized it. 

"…really, just this one time." Ryan looked deeply at Jeanne, smiling softly as he pulled her closer to him. 

"If-if you said so… but you should talk to us more about this kind of thing next time, ok?" 

"En. Of course." 

Ishtar and Ereshkigal stared in shock at Ryan and Jeanne as they went into their own world without minding them who were also inside the room. 

They huddled together, and their face was beet red as they saw how Jeanne soon became softer in Ryan's hold. 

Though, with Ryan's two doppelganger holding them, they didn't have much luxury to mind Jeanne's situation. 

These pair of sisters soon also entered the same situation as Jeanne d'Arc as the doppelganger went to a 'great length', preparing them for what's to come after Ryan was done with Jeanne… 

Hidden behind the veil of illusory magecraft, Ryan's room appeared to be not different from the other room. It was ordinarily quiet and calm. 

Although, the same could not be said for what was happening inside the room. If anything, it was quite a rowdy and stimulating scenes as their 'battle' raged on across the entire room. 

~~~ 

At the Command Center, Raikou was looking at the busy Chaldea staffs who were busy preparing for the last battle. 

With the seventh Grail was secured in their hand, Chaldea was already able to pinpoint the location of the last Singularity; the base of 'King Solomon'. 

Though, the same could also be said for 'King Solomon', as he could finally sense Chaldea in reverse. 

Since the final battle could be happening anytime soon, Chaldea became busier than any other time. 

Raikou looked at Artoria Lancer beside her as she asked softly, "Your relation with him, it is not the usual Master-Servant relation, right, Artoria?" 

On another side, Artoria Saber slightly perked up her ear when she heard Raikou's question. 

She also felt that it was strange. 

As his Servant, Artoria Saber could feel that Ryan also had a faint connection with Raikou, Medusa, and Ushiwakamaru; the kind of normal Master-Servant relation similar to her contract with him. 

However, she couldn't find a trace or sign of similar connection between Ryan with Artoria Lancer, Jeanne, and Yu Miaoyi. 

That was what puzzled her. She was curious to know the truth behind it. 

After all, how could she lose against her own self? Even if it was merely a matter of contract… if her Lancer counterpart could do it, then she could also do it! 

Ushiwakamaru secretly put her attention here. She hummed a tune lightly as she slowly got closer. She was similarly curious. 

Artoria Lancer smiled mysteriously at Raikou's question. She glanced at her Saber counterpart and Ushiwakamaru. For a moment, she also seemed to glance at the empty space beside Ushiwakamaru. 

Even if Medusa already hid herself, Artoria Lancer still could sense her presence near them. 

"I guess the time is nigh; he will soon present you a choice. If you accept it, you'd know the answer even without me saying it. However, if you choose not to accept it, that is fine too. But, please understand that I'd like to refrain from revealing his secret now." 

Raikou appeared slightly surprised. Then she nodded softly to show her understanding. 

Even if Artoria Lancer didn't say it directly, but from the way she refused, she already admitted that her relation with Ryan was different with regular Master-Servant contract. 

'Che.' 

Artoria Saber and Ushiwakamaru looked faintly dissatisfied. 

Meanwhile, Medusa had no change in her expression as she appeared beside them quietly. 

As they were unable to get more information from Artoria Lancer, they engaged in a small conversation pertaining their current situation and the last Singularity. 

As such moment, Ryan's doppelganger suddenly surfaced from their shadow. 

A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at the four Servants, "Please come to my room, ladies. I have a matter to tell you." 

Raikou and the rest looked at each other before they turned into spiritual form, heading to his room. 

Artoria looked on their departing figure, she thought, '…it is already five people with the addition of Ishtar and Ereshkigal. If these women also joins the fray,… Let's just hope that he can do his part properly. I won't forgive him if he gives up too early.' 

A faint smile emerged on her face as she also disappeared, going into Ryan's room. 

The room Ryan was staying at seemed like a bottomless black hole. It allowed people to enter, but allowed none to get out. 

As for what truly happened inside it, only the people who entered the room would know... 

~~~ 

That same day, the fateful time had finally come. Chaldea was finally found by 'King Solomon'. 

With his great power, 'he' pulled the space containing Chaldea to his Singularity, as if inviting them to witness his great undertaking, and showing them just how futile their effort in correcting those Singularities was. 

[15:02:45] 

...and, the clock was ticking. 

* * * 

Alternative Title: 

"Free Real Estate"; "Secret?"; "Scoundrel's Path"