It was eleven years ago I was born in this world, and it has been something new for me to experience. I mean, I did not ever experience being waited on hand and foot by walking artificial humanoids known as homuculi. It was strange, a world I had a feeling of reading about before was now as real as Mt.Fuji. It was quite strange believe me, and that was before I began my training in the magical arts.
Though I think magical, it is pretty different than magic, atleast that is what grandfather told me as he began my training at six years old. "Tell me boy, what is magecraft?" he asked me as he sat in his study. "It is the power to reproduce phenomena that can be done by mundane methods through Od" I repeated to him, something I learned a few days ago. "Tell me boy, what do you know of the term 'Magic'?" asked my grandfather, whose name was Jubstacheit. "Magic is..... a miracle? A phenomena not reproduceable by mundane methods" I recited as if it was lecture.
"Do you know the goal of our family?" he asked. "To reclaim our magic?" I said, though it felt much more like a question to me, though a nagging feeling in my head began to filter in tidbits of information. "Heavens feel, the third magic, a miracle which materializes the soul" recited my grandfather as he abruptly stood up. He began to leave his study, beckoning me to follow him. I of course obeyed and followed quickly as he led me down what seemed like narrow corridors to a basement like level.
The basement was neatly arranged with various ingredients lining shelves and counter space. On the floor was a magical formula inscribed with various symbols and shapes arranged in a ritualistic pattern. "What are we doing here grandfather?" I asked out of curiosity. "We are here to begin your forray into the arts of magecraft, specifically alchemy. When you begin the path of magecraft, prepare for the worst even when hoping for the best" he said to me as my studies. That was 5 years ago.
Now I am eleven, and I am progressing very fast amongst my studies. I was tested for my elemental affinity and I am apparently an average one. Unlike what the title said, average ones have affinity for all five great elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Aether.
It seems apparent that I have many advantages in magecraft which seemed unusual to me. It seemed like I was given a boon that would prove invaluable in a world like this. As I ponder this question, I heard a certain ding in my head. 'Hello Archman' said a cheery voice that sounded all too familiar.
'Myne, how are you' I replied to her. I didn't even know she would contact me, which serves as a nice surprise. 'Well, I did say I was interested in you. Enough about that, do you have any questions about anything?' she asked. 'Well, I was wondering about my affinities' I told her.
'Your wondering if this is some sort of boon right?' she asked me, and I could feel she had a knowing grin on her face. 'Yeah' I said to her. 'Well, this is due to some of the parallel existences you absorbed. Some of them had the affinities, and their origin was not bad either' she told me.
'Do you know my origin as well?' I asked her, the oppurtunity serving itself. 'I do, but what are you going to give me in return?' she asked. I sighed at this expression, a returning occurence. In mage society, the practice of equivalent exchange was prevalent. While an alchemical concept, it also mean equal transactions. I.E you want knowledge, you give knowledge.
'What do you want?' I asked her as I could feel her mull it over. 'Well, let me record your adventures. Nothing personal will be noted, but bits of knowledge here and there' she said. 'That seems a bit much' I said to her. 'Well, I am revealing your origin, a crucial piece of existence, I think its completely fair' she told me as I felt a stream of information enter my head and my eyes being attached with something down to the magic circuits.
My origin, Regression, was something nebulous even though I knew what it meant. It meant returning to a worst or weakened state. It is also a type of subgenre in fiction that meant turning back time to fix something or someone. I had a feeling of what I could do with this one, not even counting ways this could be used offensively.
I sighed at the reception of this knowledge and the payment required. I am a magus now, and the fact I now have someone who can record and see my knowledge makes me queasy, even if it was the equivalent exchange for this knowledge.
I headed towards a room I have aqquired for my studies, and as I entered I could see books littering the floor and leather books tightly bound and sequestered away from prying eyes. I rummaged through the books I had and found one that was marked. the title was faded but the book was one that covered runecraft and what can be commonely parsed from its use.
Runecraft, it was an avenue of study I wanted to know so I can use it to prop up my alchemy and other crafts. More so, it was an easy path of magecraft due to its predetermined mystery imbued into its structure, even if it was a downgraded form of it.
Primordial runecraft is another avenue I wanted to study, but I had no idea on how to go about it, considering only a few people no longer in this world can use, people like Odin. "Man, if I dream to much, I might get too disappointed" I said to myself as I was taking notes from various books and a discipline known as Jewelcraft.
"I wonder, if I used the grail, could I obtain primordial runes?" I wondered to myself. The grail, the fuyuki one, was a mighty object/ritual that allowed one to use the accumulated mana and servant spirits to theoretically punch a hole to the root, the Akashic Records, the goal for all mages.
I once asked grandfather if he had some of the schematics left of the grail. He looked at me strangely for asking and a little offended. "Yes, but why do you ask?" he asked me accusingly. "Curiosity" I told him as he looked me over and eventually handed them over on the condition they stay hidden from sight.
The main component in this ritual of sorts is the wishcraft planted at the center, the source of its apparent ability to grant miracles. While that is true from a certain point, wishcraft allows one to do something without really having to understand the underlying mechanics behind the action.
I sighed to myself as I was reading over the dense parchments and the notes I was taking was getting obscenily long. I decided a break was due and put everything away. The more private stuff I hid behind a certain patch of wall that was hidden and protected by many different locks and traps that seemed a bit much for someone my age.
I then headed towards the first floor just in time to see someone enter through the front door. It was a man with black hair and a rugged appearance. A black trenchcoat he wore and he had the feeling of danger that surrounded him. His od was also strange, having the somewhat keen edge of a knife while also seemingly re tying itself together.
"Father!" I screamed as soon as I saw him. The man who looked like managing a smile was the most herculean task, broke his poker face just a tad as he scooped me up in his arms. "Hello Georg" he said with a clear and deep voice. "I missed you" I muttered to him as the sounds of rapid footsteps could be heard. "Father!" "Kiritsugu!" shouted two identical beings, with one being shorter than the other.
"Illya, Iri" he said with fondess as he scooped up my sister and we were enveloped into a hug by mother. It was a warm moment, one that I cherished with a great reverence. We then headed into the family room as a homuculus maid prepared tea and snacks for us to enjoy.
"What were you doing dear?" asked Mother as she began stroking Illyas hair and mine as well. "I was just hunting some birds" he spoke with a serious tone. "Thats nice dear, but grandfather wishes to meet with us in an hour" she said as she picked up a cup of tea the maid sat down. "What for, is it for 'that'?" father asked cryptically. I of course had a feeling on what it was.
"Hey father, will you ever teach me what you do?" I asked him in the purest tone I could ever muster. My father looked at me incrediously, and mother had a noticeable twitch in her right eye specifically. "Not until your older son" he spoke immediately, and the pain inflicted by the phantoms of mothers wrath receded.
"Daddy! Look what I can do!" shouted Illyasviel as she took a strand of hair and molded it into a wire bird, creating a familiar. "Impressive" he commented as he admired the creation of his daughter. It was impressive, even if it looked like a minor magecraft, its uses were boundless and unique, if you had the creativity for it.
"Son, have anything you wanna show us?" asked my mother. She relished in the thought of her children being talented mages, and was eager for us to show off. "Yes mother" I said as I drew a simple rune, the rune of Ansuz. From this rune came forth a simple display of a flaming bird that rested on my shoulders.
"Wow! what a nice bird" my mother shouted as the bird lifted from my shoulders and began to flutter around the room, and even settled briefly on a few hands. "Hey brother, bet it can't outfly my wire!" said Illyasviel as her bird began to fly around the room in an a good amount of speed. I of course could not be outdone. I immediately drew forth another rune in a sequence and my bird became a blur of blue.
My bird began to out pace hers very quickly. I had a smile on my face, while my sister seemed full of some indignant fury at losing. She was about to unleash another spell when the loud voice of our grandfather began to fill the room.
"Knock it off!" he shouted as he flicked his fingers and the fire was extinguished and the wire dismantled. Our faces went stone cold white, and we quickly sat down and did not move even an inch. "Of all the mages in the world, I expect better of you. I see you do it in the family room again, my wrath will not be abated" he spoke sternly as he himself took an unoccuppied seat.
He was immediately poured a cup of tea by the maid and he took a sip. "Kiritsugu, I have the object found. It will be a minute before its here for the war" he said. "Grandfather, does that mean its soon?" I asked him, though I had the answer in my mind. "Yes, the holy grail war is upon us, and no doubt the Tohsaka and Matou have been ahead of us. Though the Matou are doubtful at best" he said, though the last part seemed muttered under his breath.
The air seemed heavy now, and I had a feeling of the wars disasterous power. I looked at father, and the red signs which seemed to appear on his hand in a faded pattern. "Is father about to go away?" asked Illya. Irisviel seemed to be downtrodden at hearing this from this daughter, as it acknowledges the truth of them having to leave their children behind.
"Don't worry children, your father will be summoning the best servant" said Kiritsugu as a smile was on his face, one I could tell was somewhat forced. I felt contemplative about this and various ideas seemed to echoe in my mind. 'What could I do to up my fathers chances at survival?' I thought to myself as I had vague premonitions of danger from hearing about the grail, as if I am being poked with hot needles.
'I need to think of a way to help him' I thought as I made my way to my workshop and began looking through my tomes. I did this through the night and into day, thuroughly abusing my self-sufficiency ability. As I scanned and scanned various texts, an Idea popped into my head.
'What about a mystic code?' I thought as I began to calculate the process and thoughts behind the idea in my head using memory partition and thought accel. I pooled all my knowledge behind this idea, and the various ideas were constructed and deconstructed as they flowed through my head to get it right.
I now had a design and purpose in mind. A small figurine made of carved jewels. It would be of a woman with wings folded in the front. It would be engraved with various runes and formulas that would essentially provide a healing effect if I used my origin. If I imbued it with pieces of my body like hair and some blood, I should be able to imbue the 'Regression' concept into it. Also imbued with it is a barrier that provides protection by regressing the magecraft down into the magical energy components.
As I noted the idea down, another idea came to me in the form of another mystic code. I could carve some bullets with runes and imbue it with a curse of sorts. 'I have a plan' I thought to myself as the ideas and planning were gonna come to fruition in the coming year.