Shirou Emiya noticed that Rin Tohsaka was unusually dazed during mealtime, as if she hadn't fully woken up. He glanced at Morpheus, then gave a thumbs-up.
Morpheus froze for a moment, then smiled faintly, raising an eyebrow.
No words were needed; the gesture said it all.
"I need some coffee…" Rin yawned again, then shot Morpheus a fierce glare. His innocent expression seemed to say, "You were the one who initiated it."
Rin desperately wanted to lunge at Morpheus and give him a good bite, but they were in public with others watching, so she forced herself to hold back.
Illya, observing Morpheus and Rin, looked curious and even asked, "So, did you two do it?"
"Pfft!" Shirou, who had just taken a sip of soup to taste its seasoning, spat it out. Sella quickly grabbed Illya. "Miss Illya, you can't say things like that!"
"Yeah, you two already did that?" Another voice chimed in. Sella looked over helplessly... it was Irisviel.
Leysritt stepped forward, her tone cold. "Lady Irisviel, it's generally not appropriate to say such things."
"Huh? Really? There's no need to hide it, is there? They clearly have strong feelings for each other... it must've been quite enjoyable!"
As Irisviel's words grew more outrageous, Rin's face turned bright red. She felt utterly restless.
At that moment, Sakura Matou walked in, smiling at Rin. "Congratulations, Nee-san."
That was the final straw. Rin couldn't stay any longer. She grabbed her coffee, shouted, "I'm leaving!" and bolted for the door, her footsteps clearly heading toward the exit.
"What about breakfast…" Shirou called after her, only to hear Rin shout from a distance, "I'll grab something on the way!"
The sound of the door slamming followed.
Bazett, watching the scene, was brimming with gossip. A Master and her Servant together? That was just too wild.
But could they actually have offspring? If so, how would their lineage work? Would it be like a demigod, born with non-human blood?
In that moment, Bazett dove into an endless pursuit of the arcane.
Morpheus, meanwhile, sat calmly, sipping his tea. Sakura took a seat beside him, smiling softly and whispering, "Nee-san's wish finally came true. So, tonight, it's my turn."
"Cough, cough, cough!" Shirou choked again. Though he knew Sakura's feelings for Morpheus were intense, hearing her say it so openly was shocking.
So this was the real Sakura?!
Illya and Irisviel's eyes lit up with even more gossip, clearly intrigued.
Good grief, are you all this nosy?! Morpheus thought to himself, though he calmly said, "I think we can discuss these things in private."
Sakura's lips curled into a smile. "Then let's talk about it tonight, in private."
…
Rin arrived at a food stall, bought something she could eat on the go, and stepped back out. She rubbed her stomach and sighed.
If her classmates saw her like this, they'd be floored. This was hardly the poised, elegant Rin Tohsaka they knew... she seemed no different from an ordinary person.
"I've always been pretty normal, but my image, my image! It's completely ruined."
A voice suddenly echoed her thoughts, startling her. She glared at the person beside her. "Why'd you follow me?"
"Just checking in. I eat fast, you know... one minute, and I can polish off a bowl of food with sides!"
"Aren't you afraid of choking?" Rin said, but a smile crept onto her face.
Then, her expression turned troubled.
"What's wrong?"
"Am I being selfish?"
"Selfish?"
"Yeah. Sakura likes you too… but I…"
"I treat everyone equally!" Morpheus said with a smile, making Rin pause before reacting. "Wait, you're planning to make a move on Sakura?!"
"No, Sakura's the one planning to make a move on me," Morpheus clarified. "She told me to come to her tonight."
Rin froze, stunned by this development. After a long silence, she sighed, unable to find the right words.
She could pursue her own happiness, but she couldn't deny others theirs. Especially since Morpheus was about to leave for another world, it gave her an odd sense of a "farewell fling."
"Are you coming over tonight?"
"No way! I'm not that shameless!" Rin protested, stuffing food into her mouth and chewing aggressively, as if biting into Morpheus himself.
Morpheus chuckled quietly. Teasing Rin and watching her reactions was just too entertaining.
Sakura wouldn't have such amusing reactions.
…
Night fell.
Sakura Matou leaned against Morpheus, her delicate form completely exposed to his gaze.
Morpheus felt the warmth in his hands, savoring the tranquility of the moment.
Sakura, nestled against his warm chest, felt utterly at peace. In the calm after their passion, she was like a kitten, gently rubbing her head against his chest, her hair brushing against him, causing a tickling sensation.
At that moment, Morpheus noticed a faint glow emanating from the Eye of Horus, which Sakura had placed nearby.
The mystical artifact, which he had crafted and given to Atalanta, emitted a soft light. A small orb of light emerged from it, and in an instant, before Sakura could react, it shot into Morpheus's forehead.
"What was that?!" Sakura exclaimed, alarmed.
Morpheus flinched but then relaxed.
"It seems the version of me who appeared when you were a child placed something in there, set to emerge today and merge with me…" Morpheus said, feeling the strange power combine with the orb he had previously obtained from the void, forming a clear temporal beacon.
Sensing the beacon's time limit, Morpheus clicked his tongue. "The direction's clearer now, and I can control my temporal movement, but there's a time limit... tomorrow…"
"Tomorrow?!" Sakura gasped, her face filled with reluctance. She hadn't expected it to come so soon.
"It's okay. We'll meet again soon. Time flows differently between worlds, so you won't have to wait long," Morpheus said, gently squeezing the warmth in his hands. Sakura let out a soft hum and leaned closer.
For now, she wouldn't think about tomorrow but would cherish tonight.
…
The news of Morpheus's departure came abruptly, catching many off guard.
"You're leaving so soon?" Rin asked, looking at Morpheus.
Though reluctant, she tried to act composed.
"Yeah, it's time. If I don't go now, a problem with the beacon could mean spending a long time fixing it later," Morpheus nodded, holding nothing back. "I'm off to save the world, but once I do, I'll find a way back!"
"I'm not saying I'll wait for you. Plenty of people are chasing me," Rin said, though her expression betrayed her deep reluctance.
Morpheus smiled faintly. "You mean that?"
Rin shouted, "Of course not! You better find a way back soon!"
"I'll definitely try," Morpheus said softly, then turned to Sakura. "I'm off."
"See you, Morpheus-nii!" Sakura replied calmly. Though reluctant, she had waited years before and was willing to wait again.
"Hey, old man, this means you won't see me take on that geezer!" Illya said, somewhat disgruntled.
"Take Heracles with you. And if needed…" Morpheus thought for a moment, then looked at Sakura. "Go with her, Sakura."
"No problem. I'll go along. I'm curious about a family with such advanced homunculus technology. If they're discarding it, taking some of that tech back shouldn't be an issue, right?"
In that moment, she shifted into her saintly mode, strategizing how to extract resources from the Einzberns for her organization.
Morpheus was pleased... absolutely brilliant!
Finally, after bidding farewell to everyone, Morpheus raised his hand. A glowing orb shot out, expanding in the air and tearing open a rift in space, revealing the void beyond.
Looking at the passage just wide enough for one person, Morpheus didn't hesitate. With a gentle leap, he plunged into the rift.
Rin wanted to call out to him, but as the rift slowly closed, she let out a relieved smile and didn't stop him.
"We'll see each other again, nee-san," Sakura said softly beside her. Rin glanced at her, suddenly realizing that Sakura was the one who had waited over a decade.
…
The endless temporal rifts stretched on without end, a place beyond human concepts of time and distance, a realm above parallel universes.
In this infinite, indescribable expanse, Morpheus flew forward relentlessly.
With the beacon's guidance, he aimed precisely for his target world, moving quickly... though speed was meaningless here. He relied on instinct to feel he was moving fast.
Morpheus even felt that if he stopped, the beacon would still guide him forward, leading him to his destined place and pulling him out.
Finally, after an unknowable amount of time, he reached his destination.
The beacon suddenly erupted with power, punching a hole through this incomprehensible realm.
Passing through that hole would take him to the world the beacon pointed to!
The world he had always wanted to return to!
Morpheus arrived in the real world, on Earth, at the South Pole. Below, he saw smoke rising, people scrambling to put out fires, and others tending to the damaged Chaldean facilities. Morpheus frowned slightly.
He had arrived, and judging by the timing, it was shortly after the explosion.
But now that he was here, how could he quickly reach the inner world?
As he pondered, the space before him cracked open again. The beacon's residual power connected the real world to Chaldea's inner world, clearly leading to his true destination!
It was a familiar scene, a place he had been not long ago... Fuyuki City!
But this Fuyuki City was in ruins, consumed by flames and littered with debris, as if it had suffered a great catastrophe.
Looking at the broken world through the rift, Morpheus sighed, then stepped forward, entering the rift.
The rift closed behind him, as if it had never existed.
Inside Chaldea, Romani Archaman, directing efforts to handle the chaos, looked up at the sky, puzzled.
He stared for a while but saw nothing, tilting his head. "Was that my imagination?"
"Dr. Romani, come quick! Someone needs emergency treatment!"
"Coming!" Romani shouted, rushing over.
As the highest-ranking person here and a doctor, he was juggling commanding others and treating the wounded. This was the busiest he'd been since joining Chaldea, and he knew this hectic pace would likely last for at least half a month, if not months.
***
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