[Current Host has died.]
What… Is that…?
[No immortality type detected.]
I hear… A voice…
[Detaching from host… Complete. Host #81 returning to cycle of reincarnation.]
I can't... Focus… I… What…
[Beginning Scan for Host #82…]
Need… To Think… What happened to…
[Anomaly Detected. Scan Complete… Downloading Host Details.]
[Name: [REDACTED]. Alias: Ezras Hargrave. Race: Human. Age: 20s. Host Compatibility Rating… 100%.]
Why is it all so hazy… This voice… What is it? Why can't I…
[Perfect Synchronicity acknowledged. Beginning bonding to Host…]
Oh… That's right… I…
I died, didn't I?
[Unique Situation observed. Host Qualifies as Heroic Spirit. Immortality Type 9 Detected. Connecting to the Throne of Heroes…]
[Connection Complete. Completing Bonding Process… Complete. Beginning Maintenance and Downloads. Standing by…]
.
.
.
[Maintenance Complete. Download Complete.]
[Wake Up.]
I felt my eyes snap open, violently sitting up in my bed, my heart racing in my chest…
Wait, why was it racing? Aren't I dead?
[You are dead, Host.]
My eyes focused on the black screen with white text in front of me. "… A System?"
[Yes. You have been chosen as the System's Host. Likely eternal, as you have Type 9 Immortality.]
"Then… Was I isekai'd into another world or something?"
[Yes and No. Due to the host's work as a fanfiction author, you made a small mark on history. Thus, when you were intended to be taken to another world, you were recognised as a Heroic Spirit, and were thus brought to the Throne of Heroes.]
I felt my eyes widen in dumb shock. I… I was a Heroic Spirit? I looked around slowly. "Then… Why does this place look like…" I couldn't say it… My childhood room, long since sold.
[Each Heroic Spirit has their own 'Realm' within the Throne of Heroes, relevant to them. Your Realm has manifested in the place you feel the safest: your childhood room.]
I slowly climbed out of bed, walking with ease to the familiar bathroom and staring at myself in the mirror.
I looked… Better. I'd be the first to admit I had let myself go, but looking at myself now I was… Well, not handsome by any means, but I was slim, I reminded myself of my fourteen- to fifteen-year-old self: the age I was when I began to write fanfiction for the first time… Brown hair, brown eyes, glasses… I noticed my clothes were a bit more 'regal' than what I was used to, I chalked that up to just how Heroic Spirits generally had slightly fancier or flashy clothes than normal.
"Right… So, what do I do?" I asked the System. "Rather, an explanation would be nice, please."
[The system is here to aid in the Host's Growth. As the user has become a Heroic Spirit, they are capable of interfering with the History of Holy Grail Wars. The Host's Actions during this time will be analysed, and they will be able to obtain rewards depending on their actions during the war.]
[As a gift for the Host's Perfect Synchronicity Rate with the System, the Host shall be given three Gacha Spins Guaranteed Rare Rarity or above. Would you like to spin?]
"No, not yet," I shook my head, taking a breath as I processed the information… Holy Grail Wars… I knew that one did not wanna TOUCH those with a one-million-foot pole, and yet if I wanted to get anywhere than being here forever, I'd have to deal with it…
"Please show me my Status," I asked the System.
[Affirmative.]
[Status]
True Name: ???
Alias: Ezras Hargrave
Race: Human
Strength: E
Endurance: E-
Agility: D
Mana: C
Luck: N/A
NP: B
Qualified Classes: Caster, Pretender
I blinked in confusion. "Where is my True Name?" I asked the System.
[The Host's true name was not recorded in its impact in Human History, only their alias they used was recorded. Therefore, their true name is unknown and must either be reclaimed or a new name must be developed.]
I just sighed as I looked over my stats…
They were trash, there was no other way to put it… My stats were worse than Angra Mainyu's, except for my Mana and my Noble Phantasm… Which I did not know anything about right now.
"Why is my Luck listed as Not Available?" I asked.
[Due to bonding with the System, the Host has become freed from things such as Fate. Luck is a measure of how much one is favoured or bound by Fate. Those with high luck often find themselves with great fortune, those with low luck find themselves with the short end of the stick. As you are free from the whims of Fate, your Luck cannot be calculated according to the Fate Systems standards.]
Well… That made me feel a little better, at least…
I also looked at my abysmal Servant Classes… Caster, which made sense given I was an author, and… Pretender. I didn't know if I should be offended by the fact I qualified as a pretender, but I didn't ask why. I could make some guesses.
"Bring up my skills next."
[Skills]
Solitude: C (A Skill derived from great solitude. Increases stats when fighting alone.)
Independent Action: A (A Skill derived from one's own independence. Greatly reduces Mana Consumption and grants resistance to Command Seals)
Territory Creation: D (One's own personal little heaven. Allows for the creation of a home base. Greater the rank, the better protected the base.)
Item Creation: E (A skill denoting one's ability to create magical items. Greater the rank, the greater the item.)
False Reality: E (Growth-Skill. One who rejects reality seeks to replace it with their own. The more they reject reality, reject Fate, the greater the effect.)
I took a breath as I took in my skills one by one.
Firstly, Solitude… I wasn't sure how useful this skill would be, especially if I were to be summoned by a Master. I didn't know if solitude meant I had to fight completely alone, or if I just meant without any external help.
Independent Action was definitely one of my best skills … Being able to resist command seals at one of the highest ranks, and also reducing the amount of mana I would use… Efficiency really is a good thing, after all.
Territory Creation… Nothing needed to be said, it was a standard skill for Caster's. While my brain did have some bounded field knowledge now, likely due to the presence of the skill, I could definitely do with learning more about it if possible.
Item Creation… There was nothing to be said, the knowledge in my head would let me craft some Mystic Codes, but they would be nothing special by any means.
False Reality… That was interesting. A growth skill, focused on rejecting reality and Fate… In other words, this skill might be the manifestation of my ability to go against Fate. The more I change people's fates in Grail Wars, the more benefits I obtained. Indispensable, especially given my current situation.
And finally… The last thing on the list. "System, show me my Noble Phantasm."
[Noble Phantasm]
Istoría Elpídon - My Desired Reality
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 1 (Self)
The Noble Phantasm of Ezras Hargrave, representing his desire to hide from the world and become someone he is not, embracing his innermost self as an author, based on how he has a strong tendency to write many self-insert stories. Temporarily, he replaces himself with the characters within his stories, becoming the very essence of the story.
This…
This was useful. I had written quite a few stories over the years… The Noble Phantasm had two 'versions' to it, chosen and random.
Chosen would allow me to pick who I wanted to turn into, but in exchange for that I wouldn't be at the 'peak' of their strength.
Random would select a character from any story randomly, but in exchange I would have their full power at my disposal.
Both had their advantages and disadvantages… Random was definitely more dangerous. After all, it would suck if I used my Noble Phantasm and I turned into Ash Crestfall from my Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V Fanfiction… After all, he was a Duellist, not a fighter.
So, I was almost certainly going to use Chosen unless I was in a truly desperate situation… At that point, I'd need to leave my Fate in the hands of the Gacha Gods.
I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "Alright, System… What are the Rarities?"
[Rarities are as follows: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Godly, ???]
"Do I dare ask about the three question marks?"
[The host is not yet strong enough to obtain items/skills of this rarity. Thus, it will remain shrouded until you have grown.]
I took a breath… It was probably something like Multiversal or something, I wouldn't think on it too hard. "Alright, roll the gacha for me."
[Performing Gacha Roll…]
[You have obtained Observation Haki (Rare), Shadow Magic (Fairy Tail) (Rare), Primordial Runes (Legendary)]
I almost cried in relief when I saw my rewards, feeling the new knowledge settling in my mind.
Observation Haki, if you asked me, was invaluable among the Three Haki of the One Piece Universe. Yes, Conqueror's Haki was damned useful, and Armament Haki allowed the user to face Logia users and break through defences.
But Observation Haki as a sixth sense, especially in the Fate Universe, was as good as Gold for me. Being able to sense my surroundings and incoming attacks? For my current self who was weak, Observation Haki was the most essential of the three at the moment.
Shadow Magic from Fairy Tail was also an extremely useful magic for me… After all, Shikamaru had shown us how powerful shadows could be. Maybe I wouldn't be doing any Shadow Possession Jutsu or anything like that, but the Shadows would offer me a quick way to escape from fights, and also had their own uses in sneak attacks like an Assassin.
And finally, Primordial Runes… I don't think I even needed to explain how powerful the Runes were. Even Cu Chulainn, who only used the original 18 Norse Runes, was a key part in helping clear Fuyuki's Singularity. With just 18 Runes he was a hell of a key player, and even ends up playing a strong role in Faerie Britain's Lostbelt.
For the first time since I ended up in the Throne of Heroes, I finally felt like I might have a fighting chance at winning a Holy Grail War.