Come, let us speak the name weâve long awaitedâ
Chaldea.
2017, the Human Order Preservation Organization, Finis Chaldea.
"âSo, in summary, Iâm counting on you again this time, Fujimaru, Mash."
The orange-haired doctor smiled warmly at the two girls as always.
"Iâll go prepare for the Rayshift. Just wait a moment."
Dr. Roman returned to his workstation, the sound of keyboard clicks following soon after. Meanwhile, the two girls stood silently by, awaiting the imminent journey to the next Singularity.
A Singularityâan anomalous world detached from the proper timeline, a distortion that must be erased to safeguard the Human Order.
Beyond the eight explosive points planted in human history by the Demon God King Goetia for the Incineration of Humanity, and beyond Goetiaâs stronghold, the Final Singularity "Grand Temple of Time" existing independently of the timeline, there were numerous smaller Singularities.
And in the Fate/Grand Order game, these were known asâEvent Singularities.
The mission of Fujimaru Ritsukaâs Human Order Preservation Organization, Chaldea, was to travel to these Singularities and restore the distorted history.
As the doctor busied himself, Ritsuka noticed her adorable kouhaiâMashâspacing out.
"Whatâs wrong, Mash? Feeling unwell?" The red-haired Ritsuka stepped forward cheerfully, plucking off Mashâs glasses and ruffling her smooth, short hair.
"Ah, no, Senpai." Mash, already accustomed to this, pushed Ritsuka away and retrieved her glasses. "Itâs nothing, well... it is nothing, but for some reason, I feel an unprecedented sense of unease."
After a momentâs thought, Mash shook her head, dispelling the distracting thoughts. "Never mind, please donât worry about it, SenâSenpai!"
Before she could finish, Ritsuka pressed her forehead against Mashâs. The pink-haired kouhaiâs eyes widened as she met her Senpaiâs clear, smiling orange gaze.
"Mash, are you tired? Does your forehead feel hot?"
"F-Forehead! I-Iâm fine! My temperatureâs normal!" The flustered kouhaiâs cheeks turned bright red, her words stumbling. "Iâm as usualâno, Iâm more energetic than ever!"
"Really?" Having completed her daily task of teasing her kouhai, Ritsuka pulled away, satisfied. Behind her, a regal knight clad in a blue mantle stepped forward, exuding an air of heroic vigor.
"âA bad premonition? Worry not. I shall accompany you this time as well. No matter what unforeseen crisis arises, I shall carve a path forward with this holy sword!"
"Artoria-san..." Mash spoke the Knight Kingâs name, her expression finally calming as she smiled. "Youâre right. Thank you."
"Mhm, weâll also provide full support from the Command Room," Dr. Roman chimed in, unwilling to be outdone. "The moment thereâs even the slightest deviation, weâll correct it immediately."
The moment he spoke, Ritsukaâs attention shifted to him, her expression turning deeply skeptical.
"Hearing that from you doesnât inspire much confidence, Doctor."
Recalling past mishaps, the doctor laughed awkwardly. "T-This time will be different! Alright, preparations are complete. All systems are functioning normally!"
"âAll systems normalâ is the most abnormal thing of all..." Ritsuka muttered under her breath. Still, she obediently lay down in the Rayshift coffin alongside Mash. The doctor, no longer in the mood for jokes, focused intently on the controls.
"Sheba readings normal. All vitals normal. Commencing Rayshiftânow!"
The familiar tunnel opened. Amidst the sound of shifting dimensions, Ritsuka and Mash felt their entire beings pulled apart and cast into the endless cosmos.
Because of this, they didnât hear the alarms blaring in the Command Room mere seconds later.
"..."
"..."
Finally, the doctor let out a thoroughly unheroic cry.
"âHuh!? W-What is this!?"
"...My monitors are... also showing anomalies..." A mellifluous female voice chimed in, though it, too, was laced with urgency.
"Ugh, of course something went wrong again!" The doctor had barely started when several staff members shot him disdainful looks.
Who was it that had confidently declared "This time will be different!" earlier?
"A-Ahaha, letâs not dwell on that. This is badâwhat exactlyâ"
"Hurry... theyâre about toâ...!" Da Vinci shouted.
"Iâm trying! But this isnât a normal value fluctuationâitâs a trap pit!" The doctorâs fingers flew across the controls. "A massive void has appeared ahead of the usual Rayshift destination. Normal trajectory correction wonât be enough to pull them back!"
"I see! Then jump! Use Jump, Romani!"
"The anchorâs set, butâno, itâs too late! Theyâreâdrifting awayâ!"
As chaos engulfed the Command Room, Ritsuka and Mash were struck by a violent force. Dazed and disoriented, they felt themselves torn from their intended path, hurtling toward some unknown world.
Alongside them descended dozens of glowing orbsâand from another rift, a group of travelers from another world, similarly caught in the drift.
***
"...Senpai. Senpai."
Hearing the familiar voice, Ritsuka groaned, flopped over like a salted fish, then abruptly sat up. Her Master instincts kicked in, and she swiftly scanned her surroundings.
They were on a pristine white beach. Azure waves lapped gently at the shore, caressing the sand.
Beside her, Mashâclad in a form-fitting dress and gripping her massive shieldâknelt on the sand, her worried expression melting into a relieved smile.
"Youâre awake, Senpai. Thank goodness..."
"Mmm... Where are we?"
The little eggplant frowned. "...I donât know. It seems the Rayshift didnât proceed normally. At the very least, this isnât our intended destination."
"Fou!" A small, snow-white creature scrambled up Mashâs leg, its long pink ears twitching. It soon reached her head, then leaped off, landing squarely on Ritsukaâs face.
"Ahaha, stop it, Fou." Ritsuka grabbed the furry critter and gave its pristine fur a good rub. Behind them, the Servants began shaking off their post-Rayshift dizziness, rising one by one.
Just then, startled cries rang out nearby. A spatial rift tore open, and four girls tumbled out one after another, piling atop each other like a stack of dominos.
A closer look revealed the girl at the bottom wore a pink, flower-like dress and held a ruby-tipped wand. The next was her spitting image, her hair tied up, but with golden-red eyes. The third was a black-haired girl in a revealing azure outfit, gripping a sapphire wand. As for the fourthâuh...
What was with that dragon tail swaying behind her red dress?!
Ritsuka instinctively glanced at Mash, who returned the look just as reflexively. Their shared gaze confirmed neither recognized these strangely dressed girls.
While the Chaldeans stood silent, the four stacked girls were anything but.
"Hey, Kuro, get off! Iâm getting crushed, ugh..."
"Iâd love to, but Iâm stuck too! Hey, Miyu!"
"Um, Iâm also being squished... and itâs really heavy..."
"Art thou dissatisfied with Us? Were it not for Our aid, thou wouldst have been devoured by the tide of blood, bones and all!"
"Thatâs only because you started attacking randomly!"
"IâI canât breathe!" Illya flapped her hands against the soft sand, tears welling up.
Hearing their harmless bickering, Ritsuka and Mash exchanged another glance before stepping forward with resigned smiles.
"Um, is there anything we can do to help...?"
"Must thou even ask? We lack the strengthâassist Us at once!" Without even checking who was speaking, the haughty girlâDracoâdemanded imperiously. But when she was pulled up and saw Ritsukaâs face (note: the female Ritsuka bears a resemblance to Shirou), she froze.
At the same time, Mash also stiffened. A warning flared from deep within her Demi-Servant Spirit Originâonly to fade just as quickly, replaced by confusion and wariness.
"W-Weâre saved!"
With the dragon-shaped deadweight removed, Miyu and Kuro finally freed themselves, helping Illya up before bowing to Ritsuka and Mash.
"Ah, thank you for your help!"
"No need for thanks. More importantly, how did you all get here...?"
As the group conversed, Draco subtly surveyed her surroundings. Watching the Servants gather around their Master, Ritsuka, she took an uneasy step backâthen stopped herself, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Hmm... This grows ever more intriguing..."
***
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