[Coordinates locked. Time coordinates recorded. Spatial coordinates recorded.]
"It's up to you now. The path ahead is yours to decide, 'me'!"
…
Beneath a canopy of countless stars, threads of golden light wove together, like yarn in a grandmother's hands, swiftly shaping a form.
In moments, a blurry humanoid figure appeared under the starry sky.
Features emerged, skin refined, until a boy of fifteen or sixteen stood there.
"So this is how it begins?"
Sea breeze swept in, stars casting brilliant light. Samuel gazed at the sky.
The sky was familiar, yet not the same.
"This world… distorted? No… it's excessively straight. And that straightness… it's just as nauseating."
If the Toaru world was a Picasso painting, brimming with abstract, twisted beauty, this world was a novice artist's work—rigid lines drawn with a ruler.
Parallel lines ran side by side; any curve was erased.
Countless parallel worlds existed here, multiplying endlessly, not self-sustaining or cyclical, but dominated by external wills.
When a world hit a bottleneck, it was erased, like a misdrawn line.
Just as pencil marks leave smudges on paper, erased worlds left traces—resentments of their inhabitants, staining the canvas. One day, the white paper would turn gray, then black.
"So, 'me,' why bring me here? What do I need? What did you calculate? Or… who's calling you?"
The Firewall preserved Samuel's personality, a direct link to the Ark of Civilization.
What was the Ark? Samuel didn't know, but it was beyond even the Magic Gods. It had brought him to the Toaru world, and now, he followed its call here.
The traversal process reduced him to data, a code. The Ark, a cosmic USB drive, transferred him from one world's "computer" to another.
"Greetings, peculiar guest."
An ethereal voice drew Samuel's attention.
Silver hair, untainted by impurity, ruby-red eyes, a face too perfect for humanity, and a pristine white gown.
A flawless, otherworldly woman regarded him with curiosity.
"I see… I came here to delve deeper into the soul—no, its very essence."
Her existence was spiritual, straddling matter and soul, closer to the latter yet touching the former.
Her nature resembled the enigmatic Number Seven from Academy City, still a mystery to Samuel.
"My name is Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern. Greetings, unique entity. How should I address you?"
Her lengthy name was delivered with cold detachment in that ethereal voice.
"That's a mouthful. I'll call you Justeaze."
"As you wish."
"I'm Samuel. So, Miss Justeaze, could you tell me… where am I?"
"This is Fuyuki City. I have a request for your assistance."
"That's a bare-bones introduction! But… I've got the gist."
Memories surfaced—Fuyuki, Justeaze. A fantastical world once thought fictional crafted by Kinoko Nasu.
A dazzling universe of Fate, Tsukihime, A Night of Magic, and Garden of Sinners, with countless branches and worldlines. A haven for anime fans.
Here were magecraft, Heroic Spirits, Dead Apostles, and near-inhuman magi. A thrilling stage.
By rights, Samuel should've been ecstatic, but he felt oddly calm, as he had arriving in Academy City. Nothing to celebrate?
Fuyuki was the heart of the Fate series, a battleground in the Nasuverse cosmos.
Centered around the Holy Grail, said to grant any wish, contested by the Three Families and half the magecraft world.
This "Holy Grail" wasn't the Cross Church relic but a grand ritual crafted by the Three Families.
Nagato Tohsaka, the Tohsaka founder, provided Fuyuki's mana-rich leylines.
Makiri Zolgen (Matou Zouken), the Matou founder, designed the Holy Grail War, where seven Masters and Servants battled to amass mana and summon the Grail.
Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern offered herself as the ritual's core.
The Holy Grail War cycled every sixty years. Samuel didn't know how many had occurred, but another was likely imminent.
The Ark treated time and space as data, inserting Samuel at the perfect moment.
Justeaze's request surely tied to the Grail ritual.
"Though I don't know how, you seem to know everything. I ask you to help me complete the ritual, manifest the Third Magic, and save all humanity."
Her voice lacked passion, a programmed directive, not a personal dream.
Like Samuel's Firewall mode, she was a tool for a goal.
"Why should I help?"
"Your body bears fragments of the Third Magic. You need it… don't you?"
"…"
Samuel chuckled. The Third Magic, "Heaven's Feel," linked to the Fire Bringer's grimoire, Kakine Teitoku's power, and Academy City's abilities. He did need it.
"I'd love to say 'Daga, kotowaru,' but… I can't refuse."
***
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