//Present//
//The Observatory: Domain of the Crypters//
"It's almost time to meet the council. Just where is that creep?"
"Calm yourself Koyan'. He'll be here. He just likes to aggravate us for amusement."
"Just why did the Enlightened release THIS one? Out of ALL the masters they could have picked..."
"Wodime and Ophelia think his skills are too good to ignore. The rest don't seem to share that idea."
"I hope the council give him a good going-over when he finally arrives, Rasputin. He can't just do whatever he wants and expect the Enlightened Ones to stand by."
Two individuals were walking down a dark hallway. Their features were hidden in shadow as they both came up to an elaborately carved wooden double door. It slowly flew open, allowing light to flood through. They continued walk through, unfazed by the blinding light as it soon faded and revealed a grandiose, black-tiled chamber with a domed ceiling. The room was octagonal in shape with a symbol in the center floor and tiered on the outer sections, upon each side sat a cloaked figure standing up from elaborately decorated thrones. They looked down at the newcomers as they made their way to the center, visible to all seven of the figures.
The first person was a tall, middle-aged man with brown hair, wearing a black priest's cloak with blue accents and a crucifix. He stood up straight in the center circle with his hands locked together in front of him. The other individual was a woman with pink hair and glasses, wearing a black silk dress. She also had a fluffy tail and ears similar to a fox. The woman stood behind the left side of the priest with a hand on her hip. They were both facing one of the figures before them. Was of an imposing build and had long blond hair. The priest bowed his head to the supposed leader of this council.
"Enlightened Ones, it is time to begin."
"We are not at full party, Rasputin," the leader said to the priest before turning to his companion. "Koyanskaya, Where is Zenith?"
"I gave him explicit orders to be here at this time, Wodime," the fox-woman said with professionalism. "He should have arrived minutes ago."
"Then it appears that you were not explicit enough, apostle," Wodime stated firmly, after which another figure spoke up. She was a young woman with long brown hair, and a partial mask completely covering her right eye.
"He is one of the Guided, Koyanskaya. His presence is mandatory."
Anxiously, the fox-woman named Koyanskaya tried assuring her peers:
"With all due respect, Enlightened Ones, we cannot be responsible for his roguish actions."
"I have to agree with the servant, Ophelia," said a tall male figure with short black hair and half-rimmed glasses. "It was your behest that we should allow him to venture from our walls."
"I agree with Beryl," spoke a petite girl with bold glasses and two long black twin tails. "His foolishness is a result of your failure to keep him under your watchful eye."
"No Hinako," said Ophelia. "His psychosis is merely a side effect of stasis. We assure all of you that Zenith's nature does not hinder his capabilities."
"We trust that you are not mistaken Ophelia," Hinako said skeptically. "Me and Beryl find that carelessness of his very troubling."
"And his attitude is appalling..." Beryl blurted out. Just then, the doors burst open.
"How rude!"
Everyone turned to see who had entered. Walking up to them was a young man in a shirt and red tie, wearing a disheveled black suit and leather gloves. He had wild short pale hair and gold colored eyes with a burn mark under his left one. He wore a very sinister smile as he made his way to the center of the room, looking around at his peers. They all stared as he entered, and not all of them were pleased to see this man; Hinako, Beryl and Koyanskaya in particular.
"You shouldn't speak ill of someone behind their backs, Crypters," he lightly chastised. "That kind of gossip comes full circle..."
"Where have you been, Zenith?" Koyanskaya asked him coldly, trying to contain her disdain for this mage. He looked over at the fox-servant, not appearing offended at all by her tone. In fact, he was amused by it. Zenith replies sarcastically.
"Nice to see you too, fox. I told you I was bringing snacks. Here..." He opened his jacket and showed her a bag of candy. "Sweet AND sour, just like you."
Koyanskaya snatched it angrily from the mage and scowled at him, doing her best to bite back her anger.
"Did you at least have a good reason for being outside?"
"As a matter of fact, I did." Zenith walked past her and Rasputin to face Wodime. "But before I spill the beans, how about we get this group therapy session underway?"
Although his face didn't show it, Rasputin was disgusted at this man's bored tone and disrespectful actions to the Enlightened Ones. He narrowed his eyes at the mage.
-Such impudence...-
Wodime looked at his fellow council. No words were passed between them as the two Servants waited for their response. Eventually the Head-Crypter held his arms out and started chanting, followed by the six others. The circle beneath the feet of Zenith, Rasputin and Koyanskaya lit-up to form a symbol. The ceiling and walls disappeared, revealing a void of deep space. The Enlightened sat down in their respective seats, after which Wodime said to the servants:
"Rasputin. Enlighten us..."
The priest servant stepped forward and addressed the Crypters.
"As you are all aware, Solomon is increasing his grip on human history. It is vital to our divine mission that we prevent him from incinerating humanity. The Reclaimer needs Mankind's continued existence to establish order upon The Earth. We must prepare for The Reclaimer's inevitable arrival."
"However, the conditions of Earth are far from favorable," stated Koyanskaya. "Mana needs to be in great abundance as it was in the Age of Gods for the Reclaimer to take hold. Solomon has the best means of procuring magical power."
The Crypters deliberated amongst themselves.
"Solomon sits beyond the normal flow of time," said Hinako. "He is out of our reach while he creates distortions in the timeline."
"We are safe from his magic whilst in the Sanctuary," said Beryl. "We can wait for his plans come through, and then attack. His power to alter time would be of great use to us. We can bring the Age of Gods to the present."
"The King of Mages would be foolish to reveal his methods to us Beryl, no matter what we do to him," Ophelia stated. "We should consider seeking alternative routes."
"Such as?"
"A path to the Root. An endless supply of Mana from the Reverse Side will-"
"You're wasting your breath," Zenith interrupts, making his boredom apparent. "Chaldea has destroyed all information pertaining to the Einzbern's Holy Grail. If you guys are thinking of making one then you are out of luck there..."
Ophelia looked at him, unappreciative of the mage cutting her off.
"And how do you know of this, Zenith?"
"Oh, I had a friend on the inside help me into the Clock Tower's new mainframe," He answered nonchalantly. "Their digital storage system is still in its infancy and vulnerable to a localized breach."
"Just who ordered this perilous action?" Hinako asked.
"I did," said Wodime. "I was concerned that Chaldea may have information that could be of benefit, or be used against us. They will oppose us if they learn of our existence."
"Your paranoia is unfounded Wodime," Beryl scoffed. "Chaldea is a weak, disorganized mob; a bug waiting to be crushed by the Reclaimer."
"We have their master candidates from Lev Lainur's attack on the facility," Hinako elaborated for him to her fellow Crypters. "Over 40 souls in stasis, waiting to be put on the path we set for them. Compared to Solomon, Chaldea is no threat to us."
"You might want to check your math on that school-girl..." Zenith shot at the female Crypter. Upon hearing that, Hinako stood from her seat to retort angrily, only to be stopped by Ophelia.
"Hold on Hinako. He knows something, and I would like to hear what he has to say."
Hinako briefly looked at her, and then glared back at the offending mage. Zenith gave a smug smile as the Crypter reluctantly sat back down.
-Finally, someone who has half-a-brain to listen to me...- he thought. I- am SO under-appreciated around here. Not like that's new to me...-
Zenith adjusted his tie and stepped past Rasputin. The atmosphere became tense as everyone paid attention to him.
"Thank you, cyclops. What if I were to tell all of you that Chaldea is seeking something powerful and are currently venturing out of their south-pole estate for it?"
Rasputin noticed Koyanskaya eating out of the bag of candy that she took from Zenith. He raises an eyebrow at her, to which the fox-servant just shrugs: might as well. He looks away and shakes his head as the Crypters looked at each other, wondering if what the magus was implying could be true. Beryl was skeptical.
"Chaldea would never risk leaving Mount Meru while Solomon threatens time," the Crypter said while crossing his arms. "I would say you are spouting nonsense."
Zenith gives Beryl a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow at the Crypter not taking him seriously.
"Nonsense? Fool... My contact has enlightened me on that very development. They are seeking something to use against the King of Mages. I know that if we allow that to happen, they will grow to be a threat to all of you."
"Let's say they are, Zenith," Rasputin asks calmly. "Where are they even going?"
"Scotland..."
Some of the Crypters chuckled at that, including Tamamo. Zenith asks sarcastically:
"I'm sorry... Is something funny?"
"You can't be serious." Koyanskaya said in amusement. "What could POSSIBLY be in Scotland?"
"My thoughts exactly, fox...." Zenith replies and turns back to the Crypters. "If you let me, I can find out and take it right out of Chaldea's grasp. That is, if you ignorant fools would take my words of wisdom seriously..."
"Your insults do not amuse us, Zenith," said Beryl. "Don't think we are not aware of your connection to the Animusphere family and what they did to you. It's clearly obvious you are attempting to leverage our needs to support your own agenda. You just want an excuse to go after Chaldea."
The mention of that name "Animusphere" did not sit well with Zenith as he glared at Beryl. Ophelia then asks the mage:
"Even if we allowed you to go, how do we know that you are acting in our best interest?"
"I'm a man of my word," Zenith assured her as his anger started to fade.
"Your word means nothing to us, failed mage," Hinako spat. "You forget just who your superiors are."
A ripple of cold rage coursed through Zenith with those words. Wodime noticed the circuits on his arms light up as Zenith casted his head down and balled his hands into fists. He looked over to Hinako, who was not the least bit intimidated by his reaction.
-Careful Hinako. I would not provoke him like this.-
Zenith growled at Hinako in a low, threatening voice.
"Do me a favor and NEVER call me that again." Zenith's hand relaxed slowly and the light from his circuits faded. He looked back up at everyone. "Listen and listen good, Crypters, because this is the last time I will warn you."
Most of them were hardly paying attention to him, but that hardly mattered to Zenith at this point.
"Chaldea has only grown stronger with every battle they've fought with Solomon, and it will only be a matter of time before they set their sights on your little school-club."
Ophelia and Wodime looked at each other in understanding while the other Crypters glared at the mage; Hinako especially. Zenith's stern gaze turned mischievous as he thought:
-They think they have power over me? The joke's on them...-
He knew the best way to show them otherwise. He continued to speak:
"So if we don't deal with them now, soon, little uh... Hinako here will get an F-grade to show her daddy."
Hinako snapped and slammed her fist on the armrest of her throne. She angrily exclaims:
"I've heard enough from this foolish mage!"
Zenith notices the Crypter standing up and about to fire a curse at him, just as he anticipated. He quickly and calmly held his hand out at her.
"Oh no you don't...!"
A violet symbol glowed through his gloved hand as Hinako's circuits light up. Wodime recognized it immediately in surprise.
-Command Seals!-
Hinako froze when she felt a metal blade against her neck. Behind her was a masked, black cloaked figure of a toned, feminine build that appeared out of thin air. The other Crypters stood up in alarm, only for duplicates of the intruder to appear behind them and hold them at knife-point also. Hinako's blood ran cold, but she did not stop aiming at Zenith, who said amusingly:
"Move school-girl, and Assassin will play arts-and-crafts with your blood..."
Hinako grunted in frustration as Beryl yells at Zenith, unable to move.
"You've summoned a servant without authorization?!"
"Oh right... Can I have authorization?" Zenith joked as Koyanskaya said furiously at him:
"You insolent little-!"
Just then, a hulking servant appeared before her and Rasputin. He wore red/gold armor of an eastern design, and a headdress with two long ribbons protruding out backwards in an arc. He wielded a halberd that held Rasputin at blade point. Koyanskaya panicked and made a dash for the exit, only to be stopped by another servant; this one tall and dressed in a helmet and armor that was of draconic aesthetic complete with a black cape that hung on his shoulders. Koyanskaya gasped and froze as the knight pointed his gnarly, double-edged sword at her, preventing her from leaving.
"Watch that tongue, fox; lest Saber here gets twitchy with his blade."
"This is madness..." Rasputin muttered as he looked up at the intimidating servant holding him hostage. With the atmosphere now very tense, Hinako angrily shot at Zenith:
"You think you can threaten us into letting you do what you want?!"
"Yeah..." Zenith states bluntly.
"You should know your place, Guided!" Beryl yelled, wincing against a copy-Assassin's dagger. "We should have killed you when you came out of your pod! Is this what you wanted Wodime?!"
Wodime didn't say a thing as he calmly stood with a copy of Assassin holding him. Zenith glared at Beryl, tempted to order his servant to kill him right then and there. He relented as Assassin continued to hold all of the Crypters at knife-point. He said to them with seriousness:
"Look, the only reason I am not having Assassin slice your pretty throats now is because you guys are my best shot at getting payback to Chaldea; a means to an end. I serve myself, and only myself. We clear?"
Koyanskaya looked back angrily at the master as a deadly silence filled the room. Zenith took their silence as definite "yes" and smiled.
"And by the way, they will not take kindly to you all trying to establish a new world order I can assure you. If you want a new Age of Gods to come sooner rather than later, then let me have my shot. You might get something out of it."
Ophelia was gazing at the magus. Her mask opened to reveal her right eye, which glowed bright red. Zenith noticed and thought amusingly:
-Using your Mystic Eye on me cyclops? Tell me; do you observe thy brilliance?-
After a moment, Ophelia's mask closed, covering her Mystic Eye. She then said to her fellow Crypters.
"I agree. We should let Zenith follow Chaldea..."
The Crypters save for Wodime, looked at her in astonishment. None questioned her however, for they knew what Ophelia was capable of seeing. Zenith smiled.
"Well, it's good to know that one of you has faith in me..."
"Hinako, let him go," Wodime ordered turning to the female Crypter. Hinako reluctantly put her arm down and powered down her magic circuits. She continued to glare at Zenith, who just smirked back at her while he still had Assassin holding a blade at her neck.
-It seems that the little bookworm has some sense after all...-
Wodime looked down at the master and said to him:
"Zenith, profit from your venture, and then we can talk about attacking Chaldea."
"Great! With that settled, I'll be on my merry way. No one follow me now." Zenith put down his hand and made his way past Rasputin and Koyanskaya, who were still held by his servants. He snatched the bag of candy back from Koyanskaya before turning and saying one last thing to everyone in the room: "Unless you want to face Berserker too, you'd heed my warning not to... pursue us."
The master kicked the doors open from behind him and disappeared from sight. The moment they closed, the two armored servants as well as Assassin and her clones vanished. Koyanskaya breathed a sigh of relief as everyone was no longer under threat. Beryl said to his comrades:
"He is dangerous. To have summoned three servants without our knowledge..."
"We can do that too if we wanted. He's not that special..." Hinako huffed.
"But we have an army of masters like him waiting in stasis," Wodime said. "When the time comes, they will serve us well. After all, Chaldea thought the same."
"As long as you serve the Reclaimer..." Rasputin said. "Then we will see to it that you are ALL owed a great prize in the new world."
"By the way," Wodime looked over to Ophelia. "Just what did you see earlier, Ophelia? Is his future in our favor?"
"I only see possibilities," She stated. "But I can tell you that in each one, there is great violence and destruction. He might very well succeed in his endeavor."
Wodime narrowed his eyes in understanding. Letting Zenith go was a gamble, but if what Ophelia is saying is true, there was indeed payoff for them.
In some form at the very least...
"Rasputin. Koyanskaya," Wodime says to the Apostle servants. They turn to face him. "You still have yet to tell us of the circumstances of our... salvation. When will you enlighten us on that?"
Koyanskaya looks at Rasputin, who wonders towards the edge of the room and stared into the void of space. The Apostle servants have never even met their master yet and were only acting upon the instructions they were given upon their summoning. Rasputin's host was a man of faith and deceit, so he was compelled to follow the wishes of the master just to see how things will play out. A part of him looked forward to it.
"All in due time, Crypters."
The priest-servant looked deep into the void. The Crypters could not see it; they were still human after all, but he and Koyanskaya see the approaching object clearly. Far in the distant darkness was the light of a giant vessel; a divine arc, carrying humanity's savior. It was coming to make its new home-world free...
Free from freedom...
"All in due time."
---
Everything was ablaze. He was standing before the infernal machine. His demonic voice echoed to him and throughout the cave.
"This is the one and only warning I will give you."
He and Gabrielle had run out of Command Seals. The mage with long white hair and in a red/black cloak stared down at Gudao with dark, bloodshot eyes. The young masters were forced to watch helplessly as their allies fell one by one, powerless to fight him.
Kintoki...
"Know that abandoning everything now is the easiest way to live."
Tamamo no Mae...
"I care not whether to keep you alive or kill you."
Andersen...
"However, if you manage to destroy all seven singularities;"
Mordred...
"I will consider this as a case to personally liberate."
The only two servants still standing were Mashu and Arturia. They were both exhausted and barely had strength to lift their weapons, but were determined to keep fighting.
It was futile...
Gudao's heart wrenched when He turned his sights on Gabrielle.
"On second thought, I'll kill you all right now."
Gudao yelled as he saw the King of Mages raise his hand at her:
"Wait- Stop!"
Arturia got in front of Gabrielle to protect her.
"Master! Get back- ARGH!"
The Saber was engulfed in red light, and when it faded, Gabrielle saw to her shock that she vanished.
"Arturia! NO!"
Gabrielle screamed as she too was caught in a blinding light and disappeared.
"GABBY!"
It wasn't long before Solomon turned to the remaining master. Mashu jumped in front of Gudao and slammed her shield down. The Shielder strained against the barrage of light, and Gudao saw cracks forming on the shield.
He was going to lose her...
"MASHU!"
He held his hand out. Mashu looked back at him with dread and worry. This was their end and they both knew it.
"SENPAI!"
Her shield shattered and everything went white.
"Senpai!"
Gudao awoke with a gasp. Taking deep breaths, he became aware of his surroundings. He was sitting down in a seat inside a long compartment that was rumbling, and looked up to see Mashu standing over him in concern.
"Mashu? Where-?"
"You fell asleep after we left King's Cross. Gabby wanted me to wake you up as we are 10 minutes to Edinburgh."
Gudao looked outside the window beside him and saw the passing landscape English countryside and realized that he was on a train. It was a partly cloudy morning, being that he and the others have been traveling for almost a full 24 hours. It was no wonder that he dozed-off.
"Had a nice nap, laddie?"
From behind Mashu appeared Cu Chulainn. Upon seeing him, Gudao groaned and rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah," the master lied, not wanting to worry Mashu. "Great nap..."
Cu didn't look convinced, but Gudao didn't expect the Lancer to believe him. The servant said to him:
"Well, if you are up for it, there is something we need to discuss."
"Right," Gudao nodded at the Lancer before turning to Mashu. "Do mind giving us some privacy Mashu?"
"Not at all... Senpai," the Shielder said in a quiet voice. Gudao picked up on the hint of worry laced in her voice before she left. He guessed that he wasn't nearly as convincing as he thought. When Mashu left, Cu sat down on a seat facing backwards across from Gudao.
"You're a terrible liar Master," He said in a concerned voice. "And you look like hell spat you back out. What's on your mind?"
"(Sigh) London."
"Oh, that... yeah, that was a rough one."
"It was... he could've killed us all Lancer, I was so weak... I hope you and your mentor can come through for us."
"It might take some convincing, but I know that she will. Trust me master, this trip will be worth it."
Gudao stared out the window at the passing fields and trees being replaced by urban settlement. That nightmare he had was what could've happened if Solomon had decided to end their lives right then and there. He brushed away four servants like they were nothing, showing just how weak he and Gabrielle were in comparison. Gudao knew if they ever encountered him again, he won't think twice about killing them. He would not, could not give Solomon the chance to hurt his friends, Gabrielle, and Mashu.
His hopes rested with the servant in front of him, along with the prospect of meeting his mentor.
"We should get to work," Gudao said turning to Cu, his face turning serious. "Sitting here and doing nothing about it isn't going to help us. Tell me where we need to go after Edinburgh."
"Sure. Here..."
Cu handed Gudao a map of Scotland. The master saw a small area circled in marker in a northwestern area of the country, over the Isle of Skye.
"Tokavaig?" Gudao asked in confusion. "What is up there?"
"Castle Dunscaith," Cu stated. "That's the entrance to the Land of Shadows."
Just then, the PA came on.
"Attention passengers. Arrival at Edinburgh Waverley Station in five minutes. Please return to your seats."
Gudao looked back at Cu.
"All right. I'll tell Gabby about this, and we'll rent some wheels for the drive up. My thanks."
"Don't mention it. I'll just be rejoining the others."
Cu got up out of his seat and started to leave. He stopped and turned to face Gudao again.
"Master," Gudao looked back up at the Lancer, wondering what he wanted to say to him. "There is nothing wrong with feeling fear of what would happen. I've felt that anxiety countless times."
The master was shocked to hear that. A legendary warrior admitting his weakness seemed unbelievable to him.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course! You think I've always been fearless of going into battle? Even the hardiest of warriors obsess about if they would live or die in battle. In fact, the worst people are ones who pretend they're perfect. Weakness is how you learn, and sometimes, all you can do is prepare and hope for the best. Don't think about what-ifs. We all believe in you Master, and we'll follow you, even to the very ends of the Earth. Yes, even the bastard Archer..."
Gudao nearly laughed at that, and it greatly lifted his mood knowing that the Lancer and the other servants will always stand-by him and Gabrielle. He faced the Lancer with a smile.
"Thank you so much Lancer. That helped a lot."
"Oh, you shouldn't thank me for that one..." Cu said, light-heartedly brushing off the master's gratitude. "You can thank Scathach when you see her. That was the first thing she taught me..."
With that said, Cu left Gudao alone. As the train began to slow down as it entered the city, he looked down at the map Lancer gave him. The way Cu talked about his mentor made Gudao believe that this warrior-woman was truly extraordinary; forging Cu Chulainn into the legend that he is.
Gudao looked back out the window of the train to the approaching structures and atmosphere of Edinburgh, beginning to feel excited about meeting The Shadow...