************
Karakura town west of Tokyo
Year 2019...
***********
Narrator's perspective....
***********
It's a quiet morning like any other in Karakura Town and on a quiet street stands a boy wearing clothes that an ordinary person would not wear.
The boy is wearing what appears to be a white jacket with certain black lines and some kind of symbol in the center near the neck, he is also wearing white pants with black boots and black gloves.
However, it's not just the style of clothing that the young adult is wearing, he is also holding a large suitcase with wheels in his left hand and he is carrying some kind of huge cross on his back that is covered by a white cloth hiding the true appearance of the supposed cross.
This is a very strange and bizarre sight for the locals of Karakura Town who are watching the unknown boy pass by them calmly, the boy seems not to be the least bit bothered by the strange looks he is receiving.
This boy's name is Ritsuka Fujimaru. The last Master of Chaldea and the man who saved humanity more than once from various threats that wanted to destroy the planet, change the course of human history or expand humanity's domain beyond the stars.
For a person who knows Ritsuka's deeds and achievements one would think that he would receive a reception like a hero would receive in comic books or mangas, but unfortunately Ritsuka's long journey took place in secret without humanity's knowledge.
Only the people who walked alongside him on this journey know what really happened.
But all of that is in the past now. The Chaldea organization has been dispatched, the leader and founder of the organization is dead and the remaining members who survived the last battle have already been sent back to their homes.
This applies to Ritsuka who after his last battle fought against the founder of Chaldeas who was responsible for the greatest loss he has ever suffered in his life.
Ritsuka is not walking alone in the city, he is being accompanied by a small blond man with a big belly and a beautiful young woman with purple hair.
The man was the director of Chaldea, named Goredolf, and is a well-known nobleman in the London Mage Association. At the beginning of his work as Director, he was not very pleasant to the members, but as the journey progressed, he gained everyone's respect.
The young woman walking next to Goredolf is named Sion Eltnam Sokaris. She is a member and student at the Atlas Institute and Academy, a place located in Egypt for alchemists.
Goredolf and Sion are accompanying Ritsuka to his house to talk to his parents since Ritsuka has been away from his country and has not had contact with his family for several years.
After a few minutes of walking, the three stop at a beautiful house and Ritsuka has an expression of pure nostalgia.
Ritsuka: I'm back... Even though it's right in front of me, I can't help but think that this is a dream.
Ritsuka said this looking at his home where he was born and raised with his family and he has a huge urge to cry, but he is too mentally exhausted to do so.
Goredolf: Are we really sure that it is the year 2019? Because I have a feeling that something is different about this city?
Sion: Did you forget the report that Da Vinci and I talked about, Gordy? (Goredolf's nickname) After the last battle against Olga Marie's father, the surface and layers of the planet returned to normal. However, I understand your perspective, we were on a desert planet with no way to know the time accurately, so maybe we spent years fighting while for the rest of humanity it was just an ordinary day.
Sion said this with a proud smile, moving her glasses, giving an air of intelligence.
Goredolf: You could have simply said that everything that happened didn't affect people's perception of time.
Goredolf makes this comment since he couldn't fully understand what the alchemist said.
Sion: What are you doing by standing there, Ritsuka? Don't you want to see your family?
Sion said this, catching Ritsuka's attention, who was distractedly looking at his house.
Ritsuka: Sorry. It's just been a long time since I was last here since the day I first entered Chaldea.
Goredolf: I can't argue with that, I'll probably have the same reaction when I return to my mansion after this.
Ritsuka walks to the garden gate and he rings the bell to call his family. The echo of the bell is heard and they hear movement coming from the door.
When the door to the house opens, Ritsuka's heart clenches in an overwhelming feeling of nervousness and anxiety at seeing his mother after a long time.
A beautiful woman with brown hair and blue eyes opens the door and for a moment she looks at the three people who are standing at the garden gate. Ritsuka's mother's name is Yumi Fujimaru.
Yumi: Hmm... Good morning, may I ask who...
Immediately when Yumi's eyes fell on her son's face she immediately becomes shocked at the sight of him.
Ritsuka, seeing his mother's reaction, has an embarrassed smile on his face, not knowing what to say to his mother who is in shock.
Ritsuka: Hmm... I'm back, mom. Err... How are you?
Ritsuka said this with a weak smile on his face, feeling a pain inside for having given a bad and embarrassing answer.
Without answering her son, Yumi immediately starts running towards Ritsuka and covers him in a hug with great force.
Yumi: My son..... You're back...
Ritsuka's mother continues to hug her son tightly and Ritsuka returns the hug by placing his hands on her back.
Ritsuka: Sorry for the delay, mom.
Ritsuka said this in a soft tone, feeling an immense sense of relief when he felt the warm and comforting sensation of his mother.
**********
Moments later....
*********
After an emotional moment between mother and son, everyone is at the table in the living room to discuss Ritsuka's disappearance.
However, even though Ritsuka is not being hugged by his mother, he is receiving an eternal hug from his little sister named Rina Fujimaru, who is holding her older brother in fear of him disappearing.
Rina: Big brother, you won't disappear again, will you?
Rina said this, looking at Ritsuka with eyes full of tears, just like their mother's eyes, which were also full of tears.
Ritsuka: No. I promise I won't disappear again.
Ritsuka said this with a gentle smile, patting Rina on the head.
Yumi: Thank you so much for bringing my son to you two, I'm very grateful for that.
Yumi said this while lowering her head to Goredolf and Sion, the former Director, was embarrassed to see Ritsuka's mother doing this in front of him.
Goredolf: *Ahem* No need to thank Mrs. Fujimaru. We only did our duty to ensure your son's safety and bring him home safely.
Goredolf said this in a polite and disciplined manner giving off an air of nobility.
Sion: Well since the introductions are out of the way, I think we should talk about the important things.
Sion said this going straight to the important subject and Yumi immediately understood what the alchemist was trying to say.
Yumi: My daughter. Can you go to your room for a little while? Mommy and your brother have to talk to our guests.
Rina looks at her mother with a sad expression showing that she doesn't want to go.
Rina: But I want to be with my big brother...
Yumi: Hehe. You'll have plenty of time to spend with your brother when we're done, I promise we won't take too long.
Yumi said this with a gentle smile on her face, but Rina didn't seem convinced. Ritsuka saw this and decided to act right away.
Ritsuka: Rina, I just have to explain to our mother what happened when I was away. I promise I'll tell you everything when we're done.
Rina: Okay...
With that, Rina stops sitting on Ritsuka's lap and she goes upstairs taking her to her room.
With the child in the room, Ritsuka, Goredolf and Sion can start telling Yumi everything that happened in Chaldea.
Sion: Okay. Now before we start I have to ask you a question Mrs. Fujimaru. Do you have an impression of who we are?
Sion asks this question with a serious expression and Yumi answers with a neutral and calm expression.
Yumi: Yes. Mr. Goredolf is a mage possibly from the Clock Tower while Mrs. Sion is a member of Atlas.
Yumi said this, catching Goredolf, Sion and Ritsuka by surprise. Ritsuka especially didn't expect to see that his mother knew about the Clock Tower, much less Atlas Academy.
Goredolf: Oh? So you are aware of the hidden mysteries of the world? Okay, that helps us a lot in explaining what happened.
Sion: However, I have to ask you, Mrs. Fujimaru. We looked into Ritsuka's life history, but nothing indicated that he has a connection to a family of mages or alchemists.
Yumi: That's because I was abandoned by my birth family and was given up for adoption when I was a small child.
Goredolf: You were abandoned? But no family of mages would do that unless you are not the only descendant of the family.
Yumi: And you are right, Mr. Goredolf. I was the youngest daughter in the family and I was considered a failure since I was born with poor quality magic circuits. I had a higher quantity than normal, but the quality of the circuits was poor. Unlike my older sister who had the opposite situation to me, she had a small quantity of circuits, but the quality was very good in comparison.
Yumi said this with a neutral expression, talking about her past normally not being affected by it anymore.
Sion: It's already quite obvious what happened next. Since mage families don't like to have more than one descendant, having a second child gives the current leader of the family a lot of headaches, but due to your situation it wasn't difficult for your family to discard it.
Goredolf hears this and has an uncomfortable expression since he more than anyone knows very well that this is something common and expected of all mage families, whether noble or not.
Yumi: Because of that I was taken to an orphanage where I was adopted by the Fujimaru family and completely abandoned any connection I had with magic and mysteries and became a common and ordinary person.
Yumi said this with a happy smile on her face showing that she is satisfied with her life.
Ritsuka: I... had no idea I had a family of mages.
Ritsuka said this being perplexed by this new information and Yumi strokes Ritsuka's hair to calm him down.
Yumi: You don't have a family of mages, son. Your blood grandparents would never care what happens to me or you and to be honest I am satisfied with that, after all I am completely free from the boring politics that come with being a clock tower mage.
Yumi said this laughing causing a laugh to come from Sion.
Sion: You are right about that, Mrs. Fujimaru. Being a mage is very boring! Look at Gordy here. He can barely support his own weight, imagine with politics involved?
Goredolf: Hey! Well, you should know that I'm doing several exercises that the tactical advisor has give me!
Goredolf said this mentioning the list of physical exercises he received from Da Vinci.
Sion: I know that, but you only started after the last battle. You put it off until the end to start exercising to lose weight.
Sion said this making fun of Goredolf who was looking at the alchemist with great anger while Ritsuka was laughing and watching everything.
Goredolf:*Ahem*. Changing the subject. Since you know about the magical world, you should be able to understand what happened with your son's disappearance.
Sion: Let me warn you in advance. It's a very long story that will probably have certain details missing since some parts happened only from your son's perspective.
With that said, the two begin to tell Yumi everything that happened to Ritsuka, from the beginning of his journey against the Seven Singularities to the events of the Lostbelts, Ordeal Call and the last battle in Antarctica.
(A/N: For those who don't know, the last arc of FGO will take place in Antarctica.)
****************
Some time later.....
***************
It's quite easy to imagine that after Goredolf and Sion finished telling his mother everything that happened to Ritsuka, she would be very shocked.
And that's exactly what happened. Yumi is in complete shock upon learning what her dear son went through to save the world.
Yumi: Oh my god... This... Is this really true, son?
Yumi said this, looking at her son who is silent. Deep in her heart, she has a small hope that this long story is a lie.
Ritsuka: It's all true, mother. Everything that happened in my life in Chaldea really happened.
Yumi: Oh my god... All of this happened because of a simple blood test?!
Yumi said this with mixed feelings inside her about what she must feel upon learning what happened to Ritsuka.
Sion: Yes. Judging by Ritsuka's old records, he was only accepted into the master candidate initiative because his blood is compatible and he has a strong affinity for Rayshifting, and for these reasons Marisbury Animusphere sent a small team to capture Ritsuka so he could occupy the free space.
Yumi: And Mr. Goredolf can't do anything, he allowed this to happen?!
Yumi said this with anger taking over her logical mindset, she can't imagine what went through those mages heads for messing with something that could cause a disaster.
Sion: Gordy only became director of Chaldea after his son completed the seven singularities. The person who was Director of Chaldea before the first attack on the base was Marisbury's daughter, her name is Olga Marie Animusphere.
Yumi: And where is Marisbury's daughter?!
Yumi said this in anger, wanting to have someone to blame, but Ritsuka answers her mother's question.
Ritsuka: She's in a coma. Alive after having her spiritual body killed in the Fuyuki singularity. She is.... The person I admire and respect a lot. I did everything I could to get her back after she returned in the Fifth Lostbelt, I thought it would not be possible, but after collecting her body parts the Director was back. Olga did not know how I got to Chaldea she would probably send me away if she knew, but her father did not say that detail after all he had "died" when Olga took over leadership.
Yumi hears everything Ritsuka said about Olga Marie Animusphere and it is the first time she sees her son talking about a person with an intense expression of longing gave the impression that her son feels much more than simple admiration and respect for the daughter of a Lord of the Clock Tower.
Goredolf: Continuing. After the events in Antarctica, all surviving members of Chaldea were dismissed and any evidence of the events Ritsuka had with the world was removed to prevent the Clock Tower or any other faction from taking malicious interest in his deeds.
Sion: This was done to keep him safe from any possible problems that might arise. Now for the last thing we have to talk about before we leave.
Sion and Goredolf told Yumi that Ritsuka brought some treasures that some Heroic Spirits gave him, in addition to him bringing a huge shield in the shape of a cross.
This was a surprise to Yumi since she didn't expect her son to get along with so many Heroic Spirits.
After that, Goredolf and Sion said that the two of them would have to leave and told Ritsuka that they would let him know when Olga Marie wakes up from her coma.
Now Ritsuka is alone with his mother, who is silent, not knowing what to say to her son.
Yumi: So... By fate, you saved the world more than once and risked your life during this entire journey. I... I don't know what to say after hearing everything, but the most important thing is that you are alive and back home. You being the strongest Master of Humanity is not important to me.
Ritsuka: Former master, actually. I can no longer summon servants, so I have returned to being a simple ordinary student.
When Ritsuka said this, his mother was surprised for a moment as if she had remembered something important.
Yumi: I'm glad you said that, son! You missed many days of school!
Ritsuka: Oh....
Yumi: I hope you didn't lose your place as a student at the school, but judging by the words of your superiors, then you didn't lose much.
Ritsuka:Well, I'll probably have a hard time getting used to being a student again. Besides, I'll have to come up with an excuse for how I ended up missing.
Yumi:You can tell your friends that you simply had an emergency that required you to stay in the hospital for a long time. If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Goredolf provided the paperwork to explain your absences. I admit that was quite considerate of him. Well, you better take your things to your room and tomorrow you'll go back to school, do you still remember the way to school?
Ritsuka: Yes. I still remember my school. *Sigh* It's going to be an adventure for me.
Yumi: Hehehe. Exactly. Instead of monsters and gods, you'll face notebook of papers and teacher's lessons.
Yumi said this jokingly with Ritsuka's situation to ease the tension.
As his mother said, Ritsuka put all his things in his room, from mementos, photos, gadgets, and the treasures he received.
Ritsuka: I hope this isn't a bad dream, that the moment I go to bed I'll wake up back in Novum Chaldea.
Ritsuka said this in a tone of apprehension and fear since mentally he is still in Chaldea instead of being in Japan.
Ritsuka: *sigh* It will take me a while to adapt to my old habits, but as always I will overcome this.
He said this motivating himself and he ends up looking at a small frame of a photo he took when he was a child.
Ritsuka: This is...
The photo is showing Ritsuka being apparently nine years old and he is wearing a karate uniform and he is smiling even though he is a little injured and he is hugging a child a little younger than him and the child is a girl with orange hair and she is wearing a female karate uniform and the girl has an expression of irritation and embarrassment, however she is also hugging Ritsuka's waist while he holds her shoulder.
Ritsuka: I remember that picture.....
Ritsuka said this with a wistful smile on his face as the overwhelming feeling of nostalgia returned.
Ritsuka: I almost forgot about my days of doing Karate. Hehehe.. Arizawa was too strong of a gorilla for me back then hehehe. I wonder how Ichika is doing? Is she still that delinquent tomboy?She probably still is since the perspective of time hasn't changed much for anyone except me.
Ritsuka said this with a sigh and he put the photo frame he was holding back to its place on top of his drawer.
Ritsuka:Ichika, Chad and Orihime will probably be shocked to see me again, after all I seem to be a young adult now.
Ritsuka said this with a weak laugh already foreseeing a barrage of questions from his friends when he returns to school.
Ritsuka looks at the large cross-shaped shield and touches the shield with his right hand. An expression of mourning and regret passes across his face.
Ritsuka: I swear to you that I will live a life full of purpose. That I will enjoy every moment of every day with a smile. Until the day that death finally claims my soul. I will do this for you...
Mash....
***************
Beginning of the prologue....
****************