Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and FabledLife
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-Sainan Middle School-
Who was this strange person?
The question lingered in Mikan's thoughts as she stared at the girl sitting right beside her, the one who had introduced herself simply as Mea and even went so far as to give her a lollipop. She was certain she had never met this person before, nor had her brother ever mentioned anyone by that name. The youngest Yuuki sibling would have remembered another redhead with the same somewhat dull, yet striking crimson shade as her brother, though admittedly, his hair had recently begun to develop white strands in a few areas.
With the rate it was spreading, she seriously started to worry that he was possibly suffering from vitiligo. But then his skin tanning threw that idea straight out of the window. Poliosis, then?
"Do you like it?"
"Ah," caught off guard by the sudden question, Mikan blinked in confusion, unsure what the girl was referring to. "Do I like what?" she asked.
"The lollipop," Mea clarified as the candy left her lips with an audible pop, her voice carrying a casual cheerfulness.
"Oh," Mikan looked down at the candy in her hand, embarrassment creeping up her face as she realized she should have known what the girl meant. So caught up in her own little headspace that she completely lost herself in the earlier conversation. "Yes… It's nice. Thank you for the treat."
"No problem! I love sweet things, and I figured you might like them too! I wanted to bring more, but figured I would look a bit suspicious."
'You already are suspicious.' Such words nearly came out but were halted at the very last moment by pure willpower. Dry comments worked against Shirou since he would always throw his own right back, but with her own friends and even some boys, it often made them feel hurt, even though that was not her intention.
"I'm not really that big a fan of sweets," Mikan replied, her tone mild but polite as she tried to continue the discussion. "Though having one from time to time isn't so bad."
She knew how odd it sounded for someone her age to say that, but there was a reason behind it. When she was younger, she could still remember Rito always pestering Shirou to bake them sweets. And despite constantly reminding them that eating too much sugar was unhealthy, their eldest sibling would always give in. Of course, Mikan had eaten her fair share too, but over the years, the excitement dulled from the sheer quantity alone. Too much of a good thing became repetitive, and her appetite for sugary treats had faded considerably compared to her friends.
"If you don't mind me asking, who are you really?" Mikan asked after a brief pause, curiosity returning to her voice.
"Eh? I told you already, I'm Mea!" the girl said brightly.
Mikan sighed, rubbing her temple. "Yes, I got that. I meant, who are you, and why were you standing here all alone? This is a middle school, and you look like someone who should be in high school. Did you come to visit a sibling or something?"
"Oh, I do have a brother!" answered the redhead with unrestrained enthusiasm, making Mikan exhale in relief. At least she wasn't dealing with some dangerous, perverted stranger who had wandered in without reason. If that had been the case, she might have had to call the authorities or get her crime prevention buzzer just in case.
"Do you want me to call him for you?" Mikan offered.
Mea tilted her head with an uncertain expression crossing her face. "Hm~! No, it's fine~! Master told me I shouldn't bother him too much, yet. From what I observed, it might make him angry for no reason."
Mikan froze for a second, her brow furrowing. 'Master?' she thought. Never mind, maybe this girl really was strange after all.
"I have to admit," Mea continued, "it's really exciting to have more siblings! I was so happy to find out I not only have a big sister, but also a big brother! It feels like our family keeps growing every day. I hope one day he'll cook for me too, maybe something sweet like he did for you…"
Big brother? Was she not here for her little brother? Why would her big brother be at a middle school? Unless he was actually a teacher… It was hard to tell, but it seemed like a decent explanation. And apparently, Mea had only recently found out he even existed.
Mikan couldn't help but chuckle nervously at that, still a little uncertain how this all made sense, but not wanting to be rude. "Um, ye-yes. Trust me, having an older brother myself, take my word for it when I say you'll get tired of all the sweets sooner or later. He's got this talent for making food that's way too good, but he can also be strict about it. Still, he's softhearted underneath it all. Push him a little, and he'll cave in. Just a few days ago, someone at our house kept pestering him to make an Italian dessert she saw on TV. He said no at first, claiming it was too sugary for her, but the next day, I caught him secretly preparing it anyway and sneaking it into her lunch box before school."
She smiled faintly at the memory, shaking her head. "That's just how he is. Always pretending to be stern, but he can't say no when it comes to making people happy."
"Oh? Is he also like that with you? Strict but sweet?"
"Me?" He was like that with everyone. "I guess so. It's just that recently he's been busier dealing with other things rather than paying much attention to me like he used to in the past."
Her knees came close to her chest, proceeding to hug them, a trace of sadness flashing across her eyes. "We used to watch TV together, all three of us. He doesn't even spend much time in his forge anymore, and I feel like he's being less present than in the past. I don't blame him, and I understand why, but still, sometimes I wish things could go back to the way they were before. Oh… sorry, I went on a tangent."
It took her a second to realise that she'd started to share a bit too much. Mikan got the urge to smash her head against a tree for even revealing such details for no reason! 'Idiot! She's a suspicious stranger whom I just ended up saying a lot of personal stuff to! Is this lollipop laced with something!?'
"Not having your older siblings pay much attention to you… I guess I can understand that. It gets lonely very easily." Mea's voice dropped in tone a bit, "It's fine, I like hearing such details about him. Is he… happy?"
"Why wouldn't he be?" Mikan replied with a little smile. "The biggest sign of Shirou being actually angry is when he's silent and doing all the chores around the house at once without pause. Sounds weird, but he genuinely tends to be like that when he's mad."
"Eeeh, he sounds like quite the nice person." Was it her imagination, or did Mea's voice sound less cheerful than before? Looking at her, she noticed the redhead seemed a bit down, strands of hair falling over her eyes as she licked her lollipop. Then came a sharp crack as she bit into it, crushing the candy between her teeth in pieces.
"I-I guess so. That's how Shirou is. He's always been like that."
"I see," Mea said quietly, her tone oddly distant. "It must be nice having a brother like him."
At that comment, Mikan couldn't help but smile and nod. "I love my brothers, both Shirou and Rito. They can be a handful sometimes, especially the former, even if he tries to deny it. As much as he's always been the mature one, he just can't help running around helping everyone that crosses his path — even if they are from the most distant of places with extremely ridiculous issues. As for Rito, he still can't talk to girls properly without somehow getting punched in the face and deserving it for accidentally groping them in the weirdest ways." A light laugh escaped her lips with various memories of their moments surfacing. "Hehe, it's never boring being around either of them."
The wind blew at her hair, yet rather than feeling the warmth from the sunshine, the temperature felt rather cold.
"Now Mea is just sad," the redhead said suddenly, referring to herself in the third person, her voice carrying a faint tremor. Her hands clench around the wooden bench, unbeknownst to the brunette.
"Why are you sad?" Mikan asked, genuine concern slipping into her tone. Was her own brother being harsh with her? That could explain it. Many of her friends had complicated sibling relationships, some close, some full of resentment, and others that were a strange mix of both. But Mea's expression didn't carry anger or annoyance — just something that resembled sadness.
"I'm sad because I see you being so happy with Shirou," Mea murmured, her fingers tightening around the stick of her broken candy. "He treats you so well, takes care of you, plays with you, makes you smile… like one would do with their sister. It makes me wish I were in your place instead."
The words lingered awkwardly in the air. Mikan cleared her throat, searching for something comforting to say. "I'm sorry… I'm sure things will sort themselves out between you and your own brother. C-Communitation is key, um, at least that's what worked for me before. If you understand him and learn more about him, maybe things will be easier to figure out?"
Mea only shrugged, then turned to face her fully. Her deep blue eyes met Mikan's brown ones with unsettling intensity, a cold gleam flashing in them. The brunette froze, feeling an inexplicable chill crawl down her spine.
"I hope so too. You know what? That's actually a good idea; the more information I get, the better I'll understand him. I still can't make sense of why he is so happy spending all his time around humans." Mea said, her voice low. "Or better yet, as long as you return my brother to me, everything will go back to normal."
"…What?"
For a moment, Mikan's mind blanked. Return her brother? What on earth did this girl mean?
The younger girl's thoughts stumbled, the words echoing in confusion. Her brother? Was she talking about Shirou? Rito? But Shirou wasn't this person's brother; he was hers… huh? "What are you—ah!?"
Before she could finish, something wrapped around her body. She looked down in horror to see Mea's hair stretching into long, snake-like tendrils that coiled tightly around her arms and waist. The strands shimmered faintly in the sunlight, looking almost alive.
"I want to understand why Onii-sama left us to be with you weak little things," Mea's voice still sounded somewhat cheerful, but to Mikan, it sounded so very out of place and creepy. "What do you have that I don't? I'm his real sister, after all. Will he love me the same way he loves you? Maybe if I show that I'm superior in every way, he'll be convinced? No… he would have chosen the twin princesses if that was all it took. So then what did you do? I'm curious."
The end of her braid pointed straight at her head, getting closer to Mikan's forehead as the latter tried to break herself free from the restraints but failed to do so. They felt just as strong as steel, and that terrified her.
The world seemed to slow around the brown-haired girl. Her breath caught, and her mind reeled from the sudden change of events. She couldn't even form a proper thought at that very moment.
"Don't move, not that you can. It won't hurt, promise. I just want to see what's so interesting about you."
Woosh!
With less than an inch left between the braid and her forehead remaining, little hope was left of escaping, with the sole emotion of fear growing. Not sure what this person was even trying to do.
Though in the next moment, a shadow hovered over them.
A flash of gold burst from above, slicing through the air. Mea's eyes widened, her hair retracting just in time as the golden strands crashed down like blades, cleaving through the wooden bench, between them, and splitting the concrete beneath. Some sparks flying with red strands collided against gold for an instant.
"Yami!" Mikan cried out in relief as a figure clad in black landed next to her, wings of pure white spreading wide from her back. Holding onto a book she recognised as one she used to take notes for her maths class, not sure why the former assassin even had that —then again, she frankly didn't care, she was still just glad to be saved.
"Are you hurt?" Yami asked, her voice firm but laced with concern.
"I'm fine," Mikan managed to reply, still shaken. "But what's going on? Is she… another one of those candidate aliens? But her hair just now… and she called Shirou her—"
"We will talk about this later," the blonde answered, turning her attention toward the girl who had landed on top of the school wall elegantly after dodging her attack. Her hands were folded casually behind her back, and a faint smile played on her lips, showing not the slightest trace of fear, hostility, or surprise at the blonde's arrival. "I will take care of this person, but you should go. If you stay here, you'll be in danger, and I can't allow that."
Normally, Mikan would have argued.
But now a part of the younger girl wanted to stay, to demand to know what Mea meant by those words and what her connection was to her brother. But reason eventually won out. She knew that staying would only interfere with Yami's attempts to protect her, and she might even become a burden to the former assassin.
"Alright, just stay safe!" she shouted. At that exact moment, the school bell rang, to her relief, echoing through the courtyard and signaling that the rest of the students were returning to class. Hopefully, that meant fewer eyes would witness what was about to happen.
She grabbed her phone from her pocket, scrolling through her contacts until a familiar name appeared on the screen. Her thumb hovered above it, hesitation setting in as she glanced back at the action.
Yami and Mea now faced each other on the rooftop, their movements so quick that Mikan struggled to make out anything more than flashes of movement. Yami is attacking, and Mea is effortlessly dodging. The sight made her stomach tighten. Her fingers clenched around the phone, but she closed it instead, choosing to trust the blonde's strength rather than risk dragging her brother into further danger.
"You can do this, Yami," she whispered before rushing back into the school building, hoping everything would settle before it spun completely out of control.
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(A few minutes earlier)
Mikan had forgotten her book for school. That was the first thing Yami realized later that day as she passed by the house again, having stopped to grab something from the fridge. A notebook lay near the entrance, clearly fallen from a bag without anyone noticing. It wasn't anything important, Yami thought, and Mikan could easily come back for it herself. Still, with nothing else to do, she decided to bring it to her. It was, in its own way, another form of protecting her, if one were to look at it from a certain perspective. That simple thought pushed her to open her wings and take flight toward the girl's school.
'Still some hours left before they come back.'
Despite being a lively town, there was actually not much to do in Sainan. Aside from helping Mikado from time to time, every other moment was spent with her just walking across the town or trying out the different snacks she could find. It was a monotonous way of living compared to her past life, but still far better in comparison.
'I wonder if we will spar again today.'
It was a strange thing to look forward to. She had never been someone to grow excited for activities that involved fighting of any kind, though she'd never complained either. Yet now those emotions had changed. When fighting him, there was another new kind of emotion that started to rise from within. Not bloodlust or killing intent, rather a competitive sensation she had a hard time understanding.
Was sparring that fun? Or because it was he who made her feel that way? Hard to answer. Looking at the empty streets and the empty house, she truly envied the sisters for getting admitted into school. Which was why she did not oppose the idea of joining the others at school as well, for it would help distract her from the boredom better than anything else.
"I am getting ahead of myself," she whispered quietly, shaking her head to do away with such thoughts.
Despite having made the decision to leave the life of an assassin behind, she did not want her skills to necessarily grow dull. So perhaps fighting against Emiya from time to time was what her mind looked forward to.
'Yes, that is definitely it… no other explanation makes sense.'
With that conclusion reached, the girl rushed ahead to her friend's school with her wings fluttering in the air.
She expected nothing out of the ordinary, yet when she arrived, the sight waiting for her was nothing short of impossible. Mikan sat on a park bench, talking cheerfully with someone Yami didn't recognize — a young woman, clearly older than a middle schooler. But the moment Yami's eyes adjusted, her breath caught. Several strands of crimson hair extended from the stranger's head, twisting through the air and coiling around Mikan's body like living threads. They moved with an eerie familiarity, just like how Yami could manipulate her own hair. For a brief instant, she thought her eyes were deceiving her.
'That's my… transformation ability,' she thought in disbelief. It was a power unique to her alone, or so she had always believed. She knew of others who could form weapons, such as Emiya with his own ability, but his powers still remained quite different from what she could do. He could not sprout blades from his limbs or alter his body to produce swords in such a manner.
The realization sent a jolt down her spine. There was no time to analyze or question it further; Mikan's safety came first. Without another thought, Yami made her choice.
Going on the offensive, she slashed at the redhead, only for her opponent to prove herself quicker to react than Yami expected, twisting aside just in time to avoid the strike. Jumping away just at the last moment with impressive agility, even though she made sure not to get noticed.
"Stay safe, Yami!" With those words of encouragement echoing in her mind, wasting no time she resumed her prior actions and attacked this person without giving her any time to recover. With a powerful flap of her wings, she rushed ahead and sent a flurry of different attacks. Ranging from slashes, cuts and stabs with her hair taking shape into several different bladed forms, while also trying to get a hold of this person. But each attempt failed with just how nimble she proved herself to be.
Even more frustrating was how the red strands mimicked her transformation and turned into blades themselves that intercepted them midair. The long braid turned into a terrifying-looking spiked ball that moved around at such high speed that it effectively served as a shield.
"How is this possible?" she muttered under her breath, disbelief flickering in her crimson eyes. She had always believed herself to be the only one capable of such an ability, yet here was someone mirroring her technique almost flawlessly.
"Are you surprised to see me, hear me, big sister? Yami Onee-sama?" Mea teased after dodging another rapid flurry of attacks. She wasn't completely unscathed this time, though; several thin cuts marked her sleeves and sides, evidence of how close those strikes had come. Each one cut through the fabric, revealing more of her pale skin, which the latter did not seem to mind at all.
"Onee… sama?" Yami's eyes narrowed. That caught her completely off guard. "What are you?"
"You already know the answer, why act all confused? I think I showed enough for you to figure things out by yourself," Mea began, her grin widening, "I should be the one surprised to see you. You were sent on a mission here to eliminate a target and failed. The usual outcome for that should've been death, but clearly, that's not the case."
"I lost." The words came out flat and without hesitation. She wasn't about to reveal anything more to a stranger, not without reason. Her defeat at the hands of Emiya wasn't exactly a secret, but now her concern lay in figuring out who — or what — stood before her.
"And I already stopped being an assassin, so he is not my target anymore."
"A single defeat is all one needs to break your spirit? That's kind of disappointing. I lost many times, but I still got up again." She replied with a small pout. "I still can't believe you lost," Mea said, hovering lazily above the ground. "But for someone like you, doesn't losing usually mean you die trying? Yet here you are, still alive."
"That is none of your concern." Yami's voice was cold as she attacked again, sending a deadly volley toward Mea. Since the regular approach had not worked, she opted for something different. Her golden hair was divided into countless strands, each turning into a hand or claw that lunged forward to capture her opponent. Mea's body twisted through the air, moving with almost playful agility. For every strand that nearly reached her, the redhead's hair transformed into sharp-edged whips, slicing through the assault and deflecting the incoming strikes with sparks and shrill metallic notes.
Each failed attempt only deepened Yami's frustration. She took a step forward, her expression darkening as her hands reshaped into twin blades. Before she could lunge again, Mea raised both hands, still wearing that same infuriatingly cheerful smile.
"Wait~! Hold on~! Why are you attacking me? You look really scary, Yami Onee-sama."
"Don't call me that." She said, stopping midway and looking at the redhead suspiciously. Continuing to look around just in case the latter would use a sneak attack against her or worse, at Mikan when she was not paying attention.
Also, the fact that she kept calling her that… and her powers — she definitely was involved with the biological weapons program that created her. But Kuro mentioned he destroyed the entire organisation and saved her. Making no mention whatsoever of another girl being rescued there.
Had they started another one?
The thought unnerved Yami.
"You're really angry, aren't you?" Mea tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't planning to hurt her. I only wanted to see how you'd react. I guess I got a bit too curious about why she gets to live such a happy life with our big brother. Wait, you are also living with him? Is that the actual reason why you stopped trying to finish your mission?"
Mea put on an exaggerated contemplating face. "Now that I think about it, completing your mission would mean killing our elder sibling. Hmmmm, I don't know… It's so complicated, I'll have to ask Master to clarify things for me."
For a moment, Yami froze. She was certain she had misheard. But the words echoed again in her mind, heavy and impossible to dismiss.
"What… did you just say?" she asked quietly.
"What, you didn't know?" Mea covered his mouth with mock surprise, a cute, confused look spreading across her face. "I thought you already knew! I mean, why else would you look so cheerful spending time with him and quit being an assassin? Now it makes even less sense~!"
Emiya was her brother? That… that… "That doesn't make sense. He's human."
"Is he really human?" Mea continued without any sense of hurry, patiently drawing out her words with each one of them piercing Yami's mind. "I just arrived, but from everything I have seen, humans can't create weapons from nothing."
"It's not nothing!" She shouted, not sure why she even raised her voice in such a way. "H-He can use… magic? Some kind of magic, that's what it is."
"Then why is there no recorded evidence of any humans that are able to use such an ability? Even if that were the case, how did someone like him, who never met another mage, even reach such a level all by himself? He never went to war, nor was part of any conflict before the princesses showed up, and was just your typical human — yet he somehow became immediately proficient with weapons that he could take on Golden Darkness herself." Each word that left her mouth kept pushing Yami into a mental corner, for she truly had no way to argue those points.
She herself initially had similar questions, but at a certain point, she just stopped thinking about them. And now Mea had brought them back to the forefront of her mind, and this time they were impossible to ignore.
Why was Emiya able to create weapons of such destructive potential?
Why could he fight at such a high level that even she could not keep up unless she used her powers on top of her strength and speed that was far beyond any human?
Why was there no one else like him or even remotely close to his level on the whole planet?
All of these questions had existed for a long while but she never came to the conclusion that he could have been anything other than human, much less another experiment and possibly even related to her.
"I see you have a lot on your mind, Yami Onee-sama. I didn't come here to have a fight with you. After all, I would be unable to get along with my family in the future if we tried to kill each other, right? We will meet each other again very soon, see you later~!"
"Wait!"
Despite trying to stop the redhead from leaving, a black portal of sorts appeared behind the girl and she disappeared into it before Yami could reach her. Her hands passed through the black portal, grabbing hold of nothing as the last wisp vanished entirely. Left stunned and confused, the blonde could just hover in place and remain silent for the following few minutes. Until…
"Yami!"
Emiya's voice echoed in the distance, prompting Yami to glance downwards to find the mostly red-headed man running at great speed towards her location. A look of distress and worry filled his face, making her wonder if he knew what had occurred here.
"Shirou!"
Mikan had also just stepped out of the building, the young girl having waited until Mea vanished before daring to move. Her brother wasted no time vaulting over the gate and pulling her into a tight embrace. She didn't cry out, but her trembling shoulders and the way her hands clutched at his shirt said enough.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" He asked one question after another, his voice caught somewhere between panic and relief. His hand moved along her back in slow, comforting motions before he pulled away to check her for injuries. Only when he found none did he finally exhale, shoulders easing as though a heavy weight had been lifted from him.
"No, I-I… I don't think she was trying to hurt me. She was just saying a lot of strange things and then—"
She stuttered, hesitated, and had a lack of breath when she tried to explain several things at once without pausing. All of this was put to an end when Emiya pulled her back for another embrace and whispered soothingly. "It's fine. Come on, we'll talk about it later."
His focus right now was on steadying her breathing rather than dissecting what happened. As Mikan's heartbeat began to calm, Yami descended from above, landing softly beside them. Her expression barely shifted, though her eyes studied the young man's face more closely than ever before. From this close, she noticed that his shade of red hair looked oddly similar to Mea's. And the way he had sprinted across the street and leapt over the gate, almost effortlessly, was far from ordinary.
Not that this feat in particular stood out amongst the rest. He'd performed superhuman feats countless times before, mentioning how it was from a spell called Reinforcement. Yet still, she could not help but wonder if it really was just a spell or something he merely came up with to explain said abilities.
'No, she just got into my head,' Yami told herself silently, brushing off the thought as she came to stand beside them.
"Are you hurt?" Emiya's gaze turned toward her now, his tone carrying a mix of concern and gratitude. The gaze made her shift slightly where she stood, uncertain of how to react under such attention.
"I'm fine. We didn't really fight," she answered. Why Mea had targeted Mikan remained uncertain. Perhaps she was searching for information, or testing something. Nothing else quite fit.
"I see. Still, you did a good job," he said simply.
The words barely left his mouth before his hand reached out, resting gently atop her head. His fingers brushed through her hair in a slow, absentminded motion that startled her more than any battle could have. His touch was both firm and soothing, making her lean against it without realization — just like before in his room. At that moment, the former assassin found herself frozen, eyes drawn to his face.
In the faint light, his golden-brown eyes carried a subtle glint of silver, and the small traces of white now threading through his hair stood out more than ever. His skin had grown a little darker compared to the first time they met, as if he had spent too long under foreign suns.
"Thank you for keeping my sister safe," he said with genuine emotion, a rarely found smile forming on his face.
Yami wanted to dismiss everything she'd heard earlier as nothing more than manipulation, a trick meant to confuse her and plant doubt. Yet as she looked at him, as that strange warmth spread through her chest, the question surfaced no matter how much she tried to suppress it.
The man who had shown her a different path, who had given her a purpose beyond killing, who made her feel something she couldn't name — could he truly be her brother?
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-At the edge of Sainan-
Around the same time, not far from the place where the third prince of Kirara had met his end, a ripple split the air and a portal tore open. Mea stepped out with a playful bounce, humming a tune under her breath. She slipped a lollipop from her pocket, unwrapped it, and placed it between her lips with a satisfied hum.
"You went too far today." The same disembodied voice that had spoken to Emiya echoed around her, carrying no clear direction. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a dark figure perched on a high branch, legs crossed, eyes fixed on her. "Your mission was only to gather information from those he is close to without attracting unneeded attention. Now not only is he aware of my existence, but yours as well, and will be far more vigilant in the future.
Mea twirled the lollipop with her tongue, unbothered. "Maybe. I wasn't planning to talk to her much at first, but to be honest I couldn't help myself. The longer I looked at her, the more I kept wondering… why her?"
"You could have gotten your answer just by linking to her memories and retrieving the information we wanted without her ever noticing. On top of that, it would have been much simpler had you done so immediately and altered her dreams to make it seem like she just fell asleep on the bench," the voice said calmly, sounding almost exasperated, as though it had expected such an outcome from the young assassin. "You usually are not this reckless."
"I guess so. I just wanted to hear it from her own mouth," she replied, her tone soft but thoughtful.
"Were you satisfied with the results, then?"
She didn't respond right away. Instead, she kept silent, rolling the lollipop between her lips before closing her eyes for a brief moment. When she finally spoke, it was with a small shake of her head. "No. I'm just more confused than before. What do you think about him, Master?" she asked, clearly trying to shift the conversation away from her earlier doubts.
"He knows," the shadow answered with a faint trace of amusement. "For some reason, he's simply refusing to acknowledge it. Whether it's fear or plain denial, he will continue living as things are now, unless something drastic forces a change. From how he reacted earlier, it's clear that the humans in this world have become an anchor keeping him tied down."
"You mean like Yami?"
"He's trying to do the same with her, but that's because he doesn't understand her true nature. No matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape what she is. Golden Darkness knows that truth better than anyone, and she will resist him when the time comes."
"So, do we keep going with the plan we discussed earlier?" Mea asked, tilting her head slightly. "I had fun playing with Yami onee-sama, but now I also want to play with him."
"There's no reason to change anything," the shadow replied firmly. "The appearance of Kirara's Third Prince today was unexpected, and I only took advantage of the situation when it arose. Aside from that, nothing has changed. You may continue as instructed before. But this time, don't play around. Do exactly as you were told. He may not be as merciful as Golden Darkness, ironically enough."
Mea's expression brightened as she nodded with a mischievous grin. "Okay! Thank you, Master!"
{Break}
(Evening)
"Your whole school found out that Lala is an alien princess!?"
After such a chaotic day, he had elected to stay by Mikan's side until she finished her classes, and now the two of them stood by a quiet park with Yami nearby. Mikan had just told him about the stranger who approached her earlier. He learned a few small details, but nothing concrete enough to help him, except for one fact that troubled him deeply — there was another assassin in the city, someone like Yami.
Yet from what Mikan explained, it didn't seem as if this other one had any intention of harming his siblings. She had ample opportunity to act, but instead chose to simply talk. That alone left him unsettled.
When he had asked Mikan on the way back what they had talked about, her answer only added to his confusion. The mysterious person had said he was their brother — the very same thing mentioned earlier by the dark shadow.
"Yes, unfortunately," Emiya confirmed with a sigh. "You wouldn't believe it, but a spaceship actually crashed right into our classroom before the day had even started. Some idiot prince came out yelling about how he was here to claim Lala's hand in marriage, and in doing so, he revealed everything for everyone to hear."
"You can't be serious."
"Oh, I wish it were a joke. I really do. But unfortunately, we can't change the past, and now we have to figure out what to do next," he said while closing the door behind him. He stepped into the living room, carrying a peacefully sleeping Celine, who, thanks to Mikado's help, hadn't been stirred once through the chaos of the day. Even in her sleep, the young Plantas had latched onto his shirt with a death grip, refusing to let go no matter how gently he tried to pry her off. A small snot bubble formed from her nose as she breathed, her lips curling into a goofy expression that almost made him forget how exhausting the day had been.
"Actually, things aren't as bad as you might be thinking, Nii-san," Rito said from the couch, sounding drained. His hair was a mess, and there was a thin layer of dust still clinging to his clothes. Considering he'd spent most of the afternoon helping everyone clear debris and fix the damage from Lala and Saki's little competition, it was no wonder he looked worn out. "Everyone treated her and the twins like normal. They just had a few questions, which they answered, and then things went back to their usual ways. People even started betting on who'd win between Lala and Saki. Oh, and by the way, I won two thousand yen."
For once, things had turned out far better than he expected. Somehow, his terrible luck had given him a rare break. No mysterious black cars were waiting outside to kidnap any of the princesses, no government agents knocking on his door, no military interference. The city looked perfectly normal on their walk home, with people chatting about everyday things, completely unaware of the madness that had taken place earlier.
For the sake of his own sanity, he decided to credit Zastin of all people for managing to keep the incident contained and preventing the chaos from spreading further.
Even the local news did not cover the spacecraft crash.
"I protected our marriage with all my strength, Shirou!" Lala declared as she suddenly leaned in close, her face so near that he could feel her warm breath brush his skin. "I used everything I had to beat Saki so she wouldn't steal you away from me! Doesn't that mean I get a reward? Oh, and I rebuilt the school stronger than before, too! The next spaceship that crashes into it won't even make a dent!" Her wide, gleaming eyes and wagging tail energy reminded him of an overly excited dog begging for praise. Yet, she wasn't wrong. She had done a lot today, and none of the mayhem had truly been her fault. He sighed quietly, deciding that Gid, as usual, was the one to blame.
"Ignoring the comment about future crash-landings… how about I make you any meal of your choice for dinner?"
His offer was immediately denied by the princess, who vehemently shook her head. "You already do that every day, Shirou…"
"Then you choose," he replied with a small eye roll, already expecting something ridiculous from her.
"Okay!" she exclaimed brightly before closing the distance entirely, pressing her lips to his in an impulsive kiss that lasted only a few seconds. When she pulled away, she wore a huge grin that could have lit up the entire room. "I wanted that!"
He blinked, slightly taken aback but not angry in the least — just taken aback. "You've been doing that a lot lately. How's that supposed to be a reward?" he asked, half amused and half bewildered. He had been expecting her to ask for help with some strange new invention or for permission to test another one of her gadgets on either himself or Rito. Especially asking him to help her out using his Structural Analysis to find any hidden imperfections.
With how ridiculously complex some of her inventions were… There was just no way for him to help out like that. If they were swords, then maybe he could help out.
"You looked surprised," she said with a satisfied smile. "That expression is my reward."
"…"
He had no idea how to respond to that.
As the two of them exchanged playful remarks, the twins nearby continued watching, one of them staring with a look that hovered somewhere between disappointment and envy.
"I can't believe my first day of school ended with our identities getting exposed like that," Nana grumbled, arms crossed, her earlier excitement replaced by obvious frustration. She had probably hoped for a quiet, normal school life, but with who she was, such a thing was clearly impossible no matter where in the galaxy she went.
"Now, now, don't be so gloomy. I'm sure things will go back to normal tomorrow."
"Shut up, Momo! You're only saying that because before the construction was even finished, you already had a fan club, while I didn't get a single follower," Nana muttered, her voice tinged with jealousy.
"If you've got nothing to flaunt, I'm afraid that's on you," Momo replied with mock sympathy. She crossed her arms, subtly lifting her breasts as she spoke with exaggerated innocence. "I honestly can't understand why they'd form a fan club for me and not you. Truly one of life's greatest mysteries. Or maybe it's… two big mysteries?"
"Globs of useless fat," hissed Nana, looking a step away from lunging at her sister and starting a full-on cat fight.
"Alright, people, let's calm down," said Emiya, his voice loud enough to draw attention. "We've all had a long day. Everyone's tired, and we still need to figure out how to deal with the aftermath of today's events. Even if nothing bad happens immediately, we can't ignore the changes now that everyone knows Lala and the twins' identities. Hah… and of course, deal with a horde of idiots now that they know I'm genuinely engaged to her…"
His thoughts drifted elsewhere, a faint crease forming between his brows. Annoying as school was undoubtedly about to become, he also needed to find out how to handle those assassins who had appeared out of nowhere, calling him their brother for no apparent reason.
Perhaps Mikado would have some idea about it? More likely, Tearju was definitely hiding more than she let on.
The timing bothered him; it couldn't be a coincidence that these assassins showed up just when that woman made her appearance.
Finally managing to free himself from the tiny girl who was currently gnawing on his uniform and leaving wet patches of drool everywhere, Emiya handed Celine over to Mikan. The little plant girl moaned softly in her sleep, settling down without protest. Turning his attention toward Yami, who hadn't spoken a word since their arrival, he gave her a faint nod.
"Don't worry too much," he said, prompting her to glance up, uncertainty in her eyes. "For all we know, they could be trying to mess with our heads. You can't trust every person who claims to share your past. Even if they do come from the same place, it doesn't mean they're telling you the entire truth. People lie, twist details, and hide facts to manipulate others for their own ends."
"Got it. Sorry," Yami murmured quietly, looking down.
"Don't be. I'm just glad you proved yourself again today and kept her safe," Emiya replied.
After that, the group finally settled down. They shared a quick dinner, the tension from earlier fading bit by bit. The atmosphere softened, and the exhaustion caught up to nearly everyone. Rito and the others turned in early, worn out from the day's chaos. Emiya had considered going to his shed to plan some things out for the future, but instead decided to take advantage of the quiet that had finally descended and wash up in the bath before immediately heading to bed. He'd worry about the future's problems once he'd rested and had a clear head.
Sitting on the plastic bench in the bathroom, he let the sound of running water fill the space. The heat from the steam and the soothing touch of water running down his arms eased the stiffness in his muscles. The sensation felt like a small reward after everything that had happened.
As he scrubbed his hair, he caught the faint sound of footsteps just outside the door, followed by the soft rustle of clothes hitting the floor. His hand paused mid-motion.
"Lala?" he called, tilting his head toward the door. Only one person in this house would ever enter so casually. Yet no answer came. Instead, the sliding door opened even though he was sure he had locked it earlier.
"Sorry for intruding," came a calm, melodic voice.
He exhaled, shoulders tensing. "What are you doing here, Momo?" There was no mistaking that voice or the playful tone she always carried.
Momo stepped inside with a small smile, her expression mischievous. "Earlier this morning, before the spacecraft crashed into our school, I met a few new friends who were eager to teach me about Japanese customs. One of them, a girl with round glasses, told me something fascinating." She paused deliberately, letting her words linger. "Apparently, when someone wants to grow closer to another person, show respect, or repay a debt, one common gesture is to help them by scrubbing their back."
That damned Mio. He didn't even need to ask who was responsible to know where this nonsense had started. Only she would toss out such a ridiculous idea to the alien princesses the moment an opportunity presented itself. If not her, then Risa. Those two troublemakers were always stirring something up before scurrying off to safely watch the fireworks.
"That's mostly a gesture you'd see at an onsen, a hot spring between close friends or family," Emiya said calmly, running his fingers through his hair as he scrubbed. He heard the faint slap of wet footprints approaching and the squeak of a plastic stool being set down behind him. Momo's voice followed, closer now.
"Is that not the case currently? I know you've said you're not looking for a serious relationship anytime soon, but with the way things are going it's difficult to believe that when I see how you and my sister have been acting. It wouldn't be wrong to think it's only a matter of time until we become a family. In fact, not only are you engaged to my sister, but we already live together. Our relationship is close enough for something as simple as a back scrub."
Her tone was smooth and playful, but he wasn't falling for it. "Tell the truth, or I'm walking out of here with shampoo still on my head if I have to."
"Muuh, why are you always so suspicious of me, Emiya?" she complained, her voice carrying a pout so clear he could almost picture her face. "I'm genuinely trying to bond with you, to understand you more and get closer. I don't have any bad intentions. Have I done something wrong to deserve this kind of scrutiny?"
He wanted to reply with something that would very much prove her wrong, but as much as he searched his memory, nothing truly bad came to mind. Truthfully, Momo hadn't done anything wrong outside of holding weird motives. Yes, she had her moments when he was sure she was scheming or setting up one of her eccentric plans, but none of it had ever come from malice, and it wasn't anything beyond what he already dealt with from other students at school. Between the gifts she'd offered him and his siblings, and the odd but memorable experiences she and Nana had made possible through Lala's inventions, it would be dishonest to say he hadn't come to trust her at least a little.
"Fine. Just this once," he muttered.
"Yay, progress!" she cheered, grabbing a loofah and beginning to scrub his back with gentle circular motions. She did so for several seconds, humming a song while he remained silent. A bit awkward, but visibly she did not seem to mind it… He did not want to admit that the sensation felt enjoyable.
"Now that I think about it, you really do have quite a broad back for someone your age," she noted after a few moments. "There's a lot of muscle too, more than Zastin, funnily enough. It's one thing seeing it from afar, but it feels completely different when touching it."
Emiya didn't agree with that assessment. He never thought he had that much muscle compared to what she claimed. At least, compared to his original form both as a Counter Guardian and when summoned as a Servant. His shoulders were less bulky and he was still overall leaner, somewhere in between his teenage years as Emiya Shirou and the appearance during his last year alive. Still, he had noticed that in this world, even people with impressive strength rarely showed much muscle definition. Zastin, for example, could lift an entire bus and slice through boulders the size of houses, yet his body's appearance had hardly reflected that power when they went to Guyana's underground forest and he wore only a loincloth — unveiling his surprisingly thin limbs.
It probably had something to do with alien genetics, he figured, with Devilukeans having far denser muscles than humans. Of course even among the locals, very few people he'd ever met actually looked muscular, something he'd realized during his one visit to the gym with Rito.
"It's just a byproduct of regular exercise," he said simply, brushing away her admiration of his form.
"I can understand why my sister always tries to sleep with you. I can imagine the sense of security and comfort one must feel leaning against such a broad and warm back. I truly envy her at times." Her movements slowed, both hands resting on his back before sliding upward in deliberate motions, tracing the shape of his shoulders before gliding down toward his biceps.
"Are you still going on with that harem idea of yours?"
"Urgh." The girl's flinch was enough to give him his answer without an actual verbal response.
"I believe I already gave you my answer on this matter. Your attempts to sway me will not bring you any satisfactory result. I'm still struggling to understand why you're so mesmerized by such an idea."
Momo huffed, "Well, I still believe that I might change your mind someday by showing you that there is a chance, but that's not why I came here tonight."
"Because Sephie told you not to?" He replied with faint amusement in his tone, recalling the conversation between mother and daughter that had taken place a few days earlier. "Ah!"
His teasing earned him a light smack to the back of his head from her. "Please don't bring up my mother right now. It's weird."
"Says the girl who just walked in naked and insisted on scrubbing my back."
"It's a bonding experience with my future brother-in-law," she replied, her voice laced with determination. "Talking about my mother in this situation just makes it sound like you're thinking about her while bathing. Like I said before, she's taken, no matter how she acts around you. Don't fall for her looks! Keep your eyes focused on every girl that crosses your path but her!"
He laughed again, which only prompted several weak but persistent slaps to his back from the pink-haired girl. "I suppose that's one way to teach someone the dangers of a harem. There's always the risk that someone you know, someone you never intended to involve, might end up joining and ruining the whole experience. Why bother going that far then?"
"Mama can be… very friendly and strange around you, sure, but I don't think she'd ever join the harem. She's got Papa on a leash for a reason."
"Then please tell her to tighten that leash. Your father's partially responsible for what happened at school today."
"Don't worry, he's already being punished for shirking his duties and sneaking into Lala's game that day. I heard he is not allowed to leave his office till he is done with every single document that piled on his desk while he was out conquering… and she chained him down to the throne. Literally."
Both of them burst into laughter at the image that came to mind. Gid, the proud Emperor of the galaxy, was being treated like a misbehaving child and forced to sit in the corner and be grounded until he'd finished all his homework. That he might be in his childlike form made it all the more appropriate. Even for a Counter Guardian like Emiya, the thought of a planet-destroying monarch being disciplined in such a mundane way was oddly amusing.
"But to seriously answer your question earlier. If it's someone I don't particularly like," Momo continued after a brief pause, her tone softening, "I wouldn't mind sacrificing a little if someone I didn't like ended up becoming your lover, as long as it's not my mother. So long as everyone else is happy, then I'm happy too."
"That's a rather twisted way of thinking. In the end, you're just giving up parts of yourself for nothing in return. This is not even taking into account how others also wouldn't necessarily want to share, everyone is different. You should learn to be more selfish… have you tried hanging with Rito?"
His little attempt at the end did not go unnoticed by Momo, who was scrubbing a bit too hard, which stung his skin a bit. "Are you seriously trying to hook up a girl who came in the bath just to wash your back with your brother?"
"I had to try." He did not deny that.
"Also, he already has Haruna-chan." Momo added, huffing and tapping his back. "We are talking about you, Emiya, don't slither away by using him."
"Then how about Saruyam—ouch!" Out of all things, he never anticipated Momo of all people to end up biting his shoulders. "Seriously?"
"I know very well you're trying to have him forget about your female form. It won't work."
At least it was worth the effort. "Alright then, noted. But I will continue insisting on my previous words about your harem plan, it wouldn't hurt to be more selfish, and I am not the only man in the world."
"I'm afraid I don't have it in me to be selfish," she murmured, her forehead coming to rest lightly against his back. Her chest pressed against him, the slick touch of soap and water making their skin shift with every small movement. "You've been sharing a room with my sister for so long that even something like this doesn't affect you, does it?"
"Oi."
Despite her words, her hands didn't stop. They slid slowly along his arms, gliding toward his chest, her fingers tracing faint lines across his skin before circling forward to scrub at his front, the water rippling softly around them.
With motion from her front gliding across his back creating more foam. Each second increasing the sensation slowly started to grow from within, her breathing becoming ever so slightly haggard, and Emiya even started to feel two distinct parts of Mo's chest growing stiff.
"I-I… I am not as big as Onee-sama, nor like many girls you are friends with… but hopefully they are enough to satisfy you. And I'm sure I'll get bigger in the years to come!"
"…"
Rather than being disappointed by his silence, Momo instead smirked. "See? I shouldn't even be surprised. You are a wonderful man, the perfect partner for a genius like Onee-sama, who is gifted with a large portion of our mother's beauty and our father's strength. She is bound to just keep getting more beautiful in the upcoming years. In comparison, neither Nana nor I can realistically compare. But I am happy with that, since I know you have a big heart." With each up and down motion from her chest against his back, her body started to crave more. Both arms practically squeezed around him while she continued to speak softly with her face pressed against him, eyes growing more hazy.
"As long as we can have just a small inclusion in both of your lives… I know even Nana would be happ—!"
Her hands at the front continue to clean his body, having long since disregarded the loofah and using her bare hands to wash him. Having long since gotten soap lathered all across his chest, stomach, and spreading downwards, until she paused upon touching something she hadn't expected to encounter so easily.
The man in question, meanwhile, had already grabbed a bucket of cold water before splashing all of it on himself, getting up with a towel in hand as he covered his power region with Momo's widened eyes, practically glued to that area.
"You should be a bit more confident in yourself, and also careful with what you want. Goodnight."
This time, she was the one who ended up being left speechless. Seeing him walk outside the bath and leaving her all by herself. The pink-haired girl looked down at her fingers, a healthy flush starting to creep up on her face as her heartbeat grew to the point she felt like she could faint at any moment.
"Ah… You're not all that in control after all, Emiya," she said to herself, the smile on her face growing to the point she couldn't help but giggle. "I really do envy you, Onee-sama~"
.
.
.
After that, Emiya decided to just clock in for the night and make sure there would be no next time with Momo. Their interaction had gone too far, and he feared it had only served to embolden the woman.
"Hopefully, Lala doesn't try to sneak in today." He needed some time by himself, and she was also tired and perhaps wouldn't have the energy to sneak in like usual. With that in mind, his eyes slowly closed, falling deeper into sleep till his breathing slowed down and seconds ticked by until an entire hour passed.
By now, the whole house had gone silent with everyone asleep. The moonlight illuminated their rooms with no changes or noise coming from the outside — that was until a large black portal opened in the middle of Emiya's floor with a figure carefully climbing out.
Not a single noise, presence completely concealed such that no soul could even sense her arrival. Slowly making her way closer to his bedside, the new arrival smiled while her red braid swung gently behind.
The prior uniform was gone, replaced with a dark, leather-like attire similar to Yami's. But this one fully exposed her stomach, and instead of a skirt, she wore a tight, form-fitting black brief in place. She leaned closer, grabbing a couple of strands of her own hair and looking at his own.
Not a single trace of hostile intent emanated from her being, for she genuinely had none. Her braid moved and hovered right over his head, never taking the shape of a blade and instead just touching his forehead like it would have with Mikan had Yami not interfered.
Closing her blue eyes, her surroundings changed, and she allowed her psyche to dive deeper into his mind. Going deeper until she reached the core of his memories, wanting to finally uncover the information both she and her master were looking to retrieve. But she also just wanted to know, out of pure curiosity, just who this man truly was.
"Eh?"
What she found was not the vision of floating inside a large vat filled with liquid in a laboratory, like the ones she and Yami had been born into. Looking at the world from the other side of the glass, nor did she see the destruction of the organisation that had created them at the hands of Black Cat.
For a brief moment, there was nothing but darkness, until Mea picked up the sound of fire burning all around her. What greeted her eyes was a scene of ruins of a devastated city consumed in flames.
Cries of anguish and despair resonated in the air, calling desperately for help, yet all fell on deaf ears. Screams of pure agonizing pain with the stench of burned flesh, wood, and copper filled her nose.
The memory was strong enough, so deeply ingrained in his mind, that she could actually smell it herself. She practically felt the sensation of the fire itself threatening to scorch her own flesh, and the very air seemed to lack enough oxygen such that even breathing was borderline torturous.
The pleas to be saved, the cries of anguish, and the carnage all around… this was not the ruins of Solgam's former base.
Feet crunched onto the ashen ground that still burned with embers rising into the air. In the middle of it all, a small child trudged forward, with nothing but the primal will to live fueling his every step. Short auburn hair somewhat similar to hers swayed in the air, and a face lacking all emotions, empty, just like the face she saw reflecting upon a pool of blood the moment she opened her eyes.
So similar, yet the void in his eyes was still different in a way she could not explain.
"Onii… sama?"
Mea was wholly uncertain as to how this was even possible, how a memory such as this could even exist when no record showed a tragedy of this scale ever occurring in Sainan. But it did not show the beginning she'd hoped to see… so she tried to pry deeper.
Crack!
And then, just like glass, cracks in the very environment spread everywhere like a spiderweb, and the whole world shattered. An influx of countless memories poured down like an avalanche, never-ending snippets of moments that neither existed nor were they pure imagination.
"W-What!?"
A crimson moon hovered over the burning ruins of a city that did not exist.
A hand coming from the abyss to save him, a smile that showed such overwhelming joy that he desperately wished to one day feel for himself.
A man whose own desire to save the world led to nothing but suffering.
Two figures sitting outside under the moon to pass on a beautiful dream that led only to hell.
Foggy faces that continued to reach out to him, wanting to love him, to save him.
A war, death, a promise, regret, a wish that was no different from a monkey's paw.
Fights that almost led to his own death, wars that never ended, people dying all around.
Hundreds of lives needing to be saved, a contract that was made, more wars, betrayal, death, killingandboundforeternity.Deathateverywakingmoment,bloodsplilledagainandagainandagainandagaintillmountainsofcorpseslaidathispath.Regretthatoverone'spastdescision,
theinabilitytochangeanything.Moredeath,more bloodflowed,thousandsofpeoplekilled,tensofthousands,moredeath.Swordplundedintotheirchest,destructiononanunimaginablescale,entirecivilizationerased.Millionsofdeath,allatthehandsofamonsterwhocouldnotbesaved.War,summoning,grail,kill,bekilled,leavingnithingbutruinsateverypathhetook.Killingagainandagainandagainandagainandagainandboundforeternity.Deathateverywakingmoment,bloodsplilledagainandagainandagainandagaintillmountainsofcorpseslaidathispath.R̷e̷g̴r̷e̵t̷,̸g̴r̶i̸e̶f̶,̶a̷n̸g̵e̷r̴,̷f̷u̵r̷y̴,̸d̸e̸s̴p̶a̶i̷r̴a̷n̷d̶a̴c̵c̵e̴p̷t̸a̵n̵c̸e̴o̷f̴a̵f̴a̶t̶e̷t̴h̶a̴t̴c̵o̶u̶l̴d̵n̸e̷v̶e̵r̵b̶e̶c̶h̸a̶n̸g̷e̵d̸n̵o̵m̷a̵t̸t̷e̸r̸h̷o̷w̴h̴a̶r̶d̵h̴e̴t̸r̷i̶e̷d̶.̷C̷y̶c̴l̵e̷r̴e̴p̸e̴a̸t̷e̸d̷,̸n̶o̴w̴a̵y̴o̴u̶t̷,̷t̵r̵a̷p̸e̸d̵f̸o̶r̷a̸l̵l̴e̶t̷e̴r̷n̴i̷t̵y̴i̴n̴a̵w̵o̷r̸l̷d̵s̴u̶r̵o̵u̷n̸d̸e̸d̷b̴y̶s̸w̶o̸r̴d̷s̶.̵
"A-AARGH!"
The sheer amount of memories overwhelmed the young assassin. Every single moment was mashed into one cesspool that kept on growing more chaotic and incomprehensible by the second. Her mind was filled with memories she could not make sense of, thousands of faces that were not even from the Yuuki family, or anyone in Sainan. Unable to comprehend anything, she held her head with rapidly whitening knuckles while it felt as if it would split open, unable to handle the memories that still kept flowing without showing signs of slowing down! The sheer amount made it feel like years… decades… centuries and even beyond that.
No matter how hard she tried to gain even the slightest bit of insight, to make sense of anything, to even just stop this from continuing, all Mea could see was a fleeting witness to every single memory, that all eventually ended in the exact same way as the rest…
Ending up back in a barren wasteland filled with nothing but swords stretching for as far as the eye could perceive. On top of a hill, a lonesome figure sat all by himself with nothing accompanying but the regrets of his long past, as past a hazy, smoke-filled sky, monumental gears dominated the sky, reminding him of his purpose. His function.
"Hn-aaaaah!"
Unable to endure more of it, feeling her psycho drive having been pushed way beyond its limit, and that any more memories would just break her own mind at this rate. Mea's eyes rolled backwards as her body in the real world crumbled backwards onto the ground, like a doll whose strings had been cut.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.