Bazett stirred from her coma. With her body restored and free from the Holy Grail's black mud, her human physiology naturally roused her brain to prevent starvation.
She slowly opened her eyes, greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.
Glancing around, she found herself on a Japanese tatami mat in a room with a distinct Eastern aesthetic, suggesting a wealthy homeowner.
"You're awake."
A stranger's voice made Bazett turn her head. She saw a young man with light blonde hair, sitting and holding a book. She caught the title, but it was in Japanese, unreadable to her.
Despite his Western appearance, he likely understood Japanese... perhaps a native.
Bazett wondered, then asked softly, "Did you save me?"
"Sort of. I also fixed your hand. Check if it works," the young man said, closing his book and looking at her.
His voice was gentle, careful not to disturb, like speaking to a patient.
Bazett quickly checked her left hand, finding it whole and functional, with no discomfort. Yet she vividly recalled it being severed, forcing her out of the Holy Grail War.
She remembered her attacker didn't pursue her, as if she wasn't worth the effort or a threat.
The memory brought a wave of disappointment and sorrow.
"Feeling down because someone you trusted, maybe even liked, betrayed you and didn't see you as a threat, not even a rival?" the young man said.
His words sparked anger in Bazett, but seeing his smile and recalling he saved her, she swallowed her retort.
Pouting in frustration, she couldn't respond.
Morpheus shook his head. "Being deceived is normal. Don't be upset. Kirei Kotomine is skilled at masking his true nature. If there's anyone he truly cares about, it's a dead man."
Bazett's jaw dropped, then she sighed deeply. "So, he's gay?"
"No, it's about the thrill he gets from that man's suffering or breakdowns. Think of Kirei as someone with deep mental issues, expertly hidden."
Morpheus paused, then added, "Since you and most people don't fuel his twisted joy, he interacts normally, concealing his abnormality."
"Who are you?"
"Me?" Morpheus approached, standing before her. "Just an ordinary Servant. I'll leave soon for where I belong."
"Servant?!" Bazett gasped. "What's the state of the Holy Grail War?"
"It's over. I'm the victor, and I've already made my wish," Morpheus said, deflating her hopes. She'd been eager for this war, only to be knocked out before fighting.
Waking to learn she'd "slept through the entire war" was a blow, even for an optimist.
"Oh, and I dismantled the Grail's ritual. If you return, tell Waver... full name Waver Velvet... that the Grail's gone. He doesn't need to come dismantle it."
"The Grail's dismantled?!"
"Yes. I'm unsure if new Grail Wars will occur elsewhere, but Fuyuki's are done," Morpheus nodded. While Bazett was unconscious, he'd destroyed key nodes of the Grail ritual in the ley lines.
Fuyuki's ley lines now only powered the two remaining Servants' mana.
Medusa, Sakura's Servant, and Heracles, Illya's, would prevent new Grails, especially Heracles, a heroic figure who'd never allow it.
Future magus trying to rebuild using the remnants would face their wrath.
With Sakura spreading magical knowledge, a new magical system would permeate the hidden and even mundane worlds, squeezing out magecraft's influence. New magus would likely choose the stronger, more effective Golden Dawn magic over family traditions.
Most sensible people would.
Morpheus estimated that in decades, this parallel world's magecraft would become obsolete, with Golden Dawn magic dominating.
He grew curious about this world's future. If magic users grew numerous and powerful, could it break free from the vast parallel worlds, gaining its own energy, universe, and path to true infinity?
"Maybe that's why I'm here? If it's the future I suspect, the Human Order might have chosen me…" Morpheus mused, looking at Bazett. "Miss McRemitz, I'd like you to stay in Fuyuki for a while."
"I wasn't planning to leave immediately, but why stay? Is there something specific?"
"Of course. I suggest you live with the Matou family for a time. It'll greatly benefit your future."
Bazett was stunned, processing his words. "Is this a prophecy?"
"No, just a deduction," Morpheus tapped his head. "Based on my knowledge, I predict the next decades of magical development will center on Fuyuki. The Clock Tower's old guard will soon be outdated."
His bold claim amused Bazett, but she didn't laugh. "magecraft's progress isn't that simple. Fuyuki had the Grail, but the Clock Tower remains the world's magecraft hub."
She glanced at him. "I don't know which era you're from, but the Clock Tower holds immense secrets. It's the strongest organization with the most mystical resources."
"Just Albion's corpse, right?" Morpheus muttered, shocking Bazett. She'd hinted at the dragon, but he knew it and dismissed it.
"The future isn't magecraft's... it's magic's. Stay, and you'll gain much," Morpheus said, standing. "I'm leaving. She'll give you reason enough to stay."
He walked out, leaving Bazett bewildered. She'd expected more discussion, but he just left?
As he departed, a black-haired girl entered, smiling. "I'm Sakura Matou. Nice to meet you, Miss McRemitz."
Sakura's purple hair, once a disguise, was gone with Zouken's death, reverting to her natural color.
She looked at Bazett, Morpheus's sister in another world, noting their differences.
"Nothing like Morpheus-nii. No one in this world is," she thought.
"Matou family?" Bazett recognized her as a participant in the Grail War, from one of Fuyuki's magus families.
She asked eagerly, "Are you the victor?"
"Not me. The Tohsaka family. Morpheus-nii was summoned by them," Sakura said, approaching. "But more importantly, you're curious why Morpheus wants you to stay with the Matous, right?"
"He mentioned magic versus magecraft… Can magic still be used?"
Sakura raised her hand, conjuring flames... a simple spell, unremarkable to Bazett.
She looked puzzled, not understanding why Sakura showed her this basic magecraft.
"Any magus can do that, Miss Matou."
"It's not magecraft. It's magic," Sakura shook her head, nearly making Bazett laugh.
Her words and actions seemed like someone new to magecraft, showing off a minor trick to an experienced magus.
As Bazett considered how to politely point this out, Sakura spoke first.
"Did you sense the mana I gathered?"
Bazett froze, realizing she hadn't felt Sakura's mana. The flames seemed to form naturally from ambient mana.
Gathering external mana versus channeling internal mana was entirely different!
"I refined mana in my body, guiding it internally. The external forces responded, creating these flames," Sakura said, dispersing them. "When I dismiss them, the refined mana reverts to my vitality. Do you see the difference from magecraft?"
"Directly invoking the Greater Source?!" Bazett's eyes widened, stunned that someone could wield the Source's mana for magic. "But the Source's mana is toxic to humans… Wait, you said you used internal mana to trigger changes completed within you?"
"Yes, within me."
"Hold on…" Bazett's mind reeled. "You mean your mana only caused internal changes, which projected externally, triggering the Source's mana to create this effect?"
"I'm not using the Source's mana but something purer. Still, your explanation holds, as the Source's mana is partly external."
Bazett hesitated, then asked cautiously, "You're human, right?"
Sakura smiled, nodding. "Purely human, not a Phantasmal Species or homunculus."
Bazett fell silent, her mind a storm of realization. She understood why Morpheus said Fuyuki was the future of magic, outpacing the Clock Tower's relics.
The magus world was indeed outdated. This magic, this mana usage, was revolutionary. Refining mana consumed vitality, limiting daily use?
No... refine mana, use it, then revert it to vitality.
A groundbreaking casting paradigm for magus!
"Oh, and no Magic Circuits are needed. Even an ordinary person without circuits can refine mana with the right method," Sakura added, dropping another bombshell. Bazett's mind crashed.
Refining mana without circuits, transforming it internally to trigger external casting…
This meant magical knowledge would shift from family monopolies to pure academic dissemination. The future wasn't the Clock Tower's…
"The future belongs to true magical societies," Sakura said, extending her hand to Bazett. "Join us, Miss McRemitz. Become part of our society. You could return to Europe and recruit members."
***
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