Normal POV
Akivili stared at the ground with teary-eyes
'I am cooked. Ain't no fucking way I'm surviving this.'
He couldn't think of a single realistic path to survival in the Type-Moon world. Even if he ran from Fuyuki, there were True Ancestors lurking around. Scratch that he didn't even need a True Ancestor to murk him. Some random ass Dead Apostle would do the job just fine.
Then there were the magi. The ones who were either completely unhinged in reclaiming one of the true magics or entering the Akasha.
And that wasn't even accounting for the fact that he had no idea which fate route he'd landed in. The Fifth Holy Grail War could very well be the same that turns into singularity F, which means things could spiral into full Chaldea-level disaster at any moment.
He had to get stronger or he'd end up dying because ORT sneezed in his general direction. Now that Akivili thought about it, there weren't many servants who could survive that either.
The truly messed up part about all of this though?
He'd already burnt through all his luck.
'I got a 5-star Servant with three wins at 50/50...for the sixth time in a row. My luck has officially dropped to E-rank Lancer territory.'
...Right, options.
There were two real paths forward.
The first one from the memories he got from this body was a way to ascend sequences. The ability he awakened came from something called a Characteristic. A body part of something he neither knew nor should know about. Said Characteristic was now slowly being digested inside him, slowly making him grow stronger.
Left alone, the process would take roughly three years to complete.
But there was a shortcut.
He could accelerate it through acting. Not performing on a stage or anything like that but rather by living in a way that matched the name of the Characteristic itself.
Apprentice.
The more he learned from others, the faster the digestion. And once it was fully processed, he'd ascend. Unfortunately he didn't really know much about what came next, only just the name.
Sequence Eight: Trickmaster.
Sounds underwhelming, sure but the Characteristic called Apprentice had already given him the ability to phase through things. One shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
...Well only when the author actually put effort into it, anyway.
Oh, right Akivili almost forgotten.
The second option was becoming a magus and find someone willing to teach him magecraft.
That was entirely dependent on whether he even had Magic Circuits. And even less likely if the quality and quantity were decent, since he was, by all accounts, a nobody. Unlike some people who come for prestigious lineages like the Tohsakas, who were basically born with premium circuits hardwired into their DNA.
So yeah a one-percent chance and that's just being generous.
Anyway, the third option is pursue both simultaneously. Perfectly reasonable.
Fourth option, become a Dead Apostle.
Yeah, no I'd probably get hunted down within a week by members of the church so that was definitely a big no, no.
The fifth option was to find a way into joining the Church and seek their protection.
Akivili inwardly snorted at that. Yeah no thanks there was no universe or timeline in which he would ever willingly spend extended time anywhere near Kotomine Kirei.
So that left the first three.
The second was a coinflip, the third was ideal, and the first was guaranteed, just slow.
Good enough for now.
.
.
.
First priority is to stop Ryuunosuke Uryuu.
The psychopath was out there murdering children, and it was only a matter of time before he summoned Gilles de Rais who would go on to take more children and turn them into eldritch creatures.
'That guy is genuinely one of the ugliest motherfuckers in the entire franchise.'
Setting that thought aside, stopping Ryuunosuke before the summoning would definitely save a lot of innocent lives.
As EMIYA had similarly said once. The want and desire to save everyone was nothing but a fairy tale's dream. This was real life and in life there will always be someone who can't be saved.
Still if it was in Akivili's ability to stop someone from needlessly dying he'd do it. He wasn't some kind of emotionless machine. He was a human being and like any other normal human he didn't like watching people die.
Being a child right now actually worked in his favor here. Ryuunosuke preferred victims who were young so he should be able to trick him by acting as bait for him.
.
.
.
He was still deep in thought when a voice cut through his thoughts.
"Akivili-kun, your mother has safely given birth to your new baby sister."
A Mother and little sister? It was so strange and yet new all at the same time.
He'd spent his whole previous life as an orphan and now, suddenly he had a family. The feeling inside of him right now was hard to describe.
Something close to the anxiety of finding out you were a Dad without any warning. He didn't know how to act around them. Didn't know whether to play the role of a child or just...be himself?
'No this is stupid. I need to stay focused right now.'
He turned to the doctor and carefully began to act out in the way a child should.
"Thank goodness! Please doctor, could I see my mother now I've been really worried about her,"
Akivil exclaimed while inwardly cringing.
The doctor chuckled and nodded.
"why, of course. I'll take you to her room."
He took Akivili's hand and led him down the hall. Akivili felt a flicker of embarrassment at the hand-holding.
'Damn it I am 18 years old this shit is embarrassing man!' he inwardly screamed.
"Miss Rosalyn, your son is here to see you."
A soft voice came from behind the door.
"let my son in doctor. I want to see him and so does his little sister."
The doctor opened the door.
Akivili stepped inside.
His eyes landed on the woman in the bed, and for a moment, his mind went completely blank. He nervously scrambled for something to say that wouldn't sound strange.
"...Yes, m-Mother."
She tilted her head with an odd, focused look.
"Huh why are you talking like that? Just call me Mommy, like you always do."
His emotional side immediately thought, "as hot as that sounds there is no way in hell I am calling her that.'
His rational side fired back.
'It's for cover moron. You'll sound suspicious if you don't. Also why are you even fighting this? It's a hot chick. What are you gay or something?'
'Great. I've been in this world for less than a day and I'm already developing a split personality.'
In the end his rational side won but rather than answer directly, he took a different angle entirely.
"Do you really have time to worry about what I'm calling you? You were screaming so loudly. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't know what to do. I kept... crying and covering my ears because I thought something bad was happening to you!"
The guilt trip came out naturally..
What he didn't expect was to immediately get pulled into a tight hug.
Rosalyn's voice came out heavily with guilt.
"I'm so sorry, Aki. I'm sorry I scared you. I know you were frightened but all of it was to make sure your little sister arrived safely."
She pulled back just enough to hold the newborn up gently, looking between them both with an expression that didn't leave any room for doubt about how much they meant to her.
Akivili glanced at the baby, then back at her.
"When are we going home?"
She tilted her head, with a look of fondness, "we have to wait a little. I just gave birth, and there's no one at home to look after you."
"You don't have to worry about that. I can take care of myself. If anything comes up, I can just ask the neighbors," he retorted.
She stared at him.
Then.
"Pft-HAHAHAHA-"
She bursted out laughing with tears-streaming while somehow managing not to drop the baby she was still holding.
Akivili stared at her with the flattest expression he could make.
"I'm serious. Why are you laughing? I can handle it."
The laughter cut off. Her expression shifted, not angry exactly but rather close to a type of coldness that could make an older man shit himself.
"Boy. Watch your tone."
She let that sit for a second.
"You are four years old. How could a reasonable, intelligent, and clearly stunning adult like myself possibly leave you alone in a large house?"
Then something seemed to cross her mind, and her expression relaxed slightly, settling somewhere between a smile and a worried frown.
"Actually... there's already someone staying at the house. Her name is Touko Aozaki. She's my old teacher."
She met his eyes carefully.
"I need you to understand this son don't tell anyone she's there. No one. No matter what. She'll look after you while I'm here."
Akivili's mind came to a full stop.
...Touko Aozaki.
There was no way that couldn't be a coincidence. After all, how many people out there share the same name? Yes there's no doubt about it, it's the same Touko from the Tsukihime series and Garden of Sinners.
And since his new mother had just called her teacher then that meant she was also a mage personally taught by Touko.
Akivil had to do his best to suppress the grin that threatened to appear on his face 'heh I just hit the jackpot!' he inwardly cheered.
Having Touko in the house meant a layer of protection against most things that weren't world-ending. So that was at least some genuinely good news. Maybe the best news he'd gotten since waking up in this world.
He steadied himself and nodded.
"I understand. I won't say anything to anyone - no matter wh-"
"Pinky promise me."
"Ehh?"
She held up her hand, little finger extended. He looked at her hand. Then at her face. Then back at her hand with a slight deadpan.
'People can really go from fully mature adults to complete children in under five seconds.'
He held up his own pinky and locked it with hers.
"Promise me," she said, quieter now, "you'll keep yourself safe and won't cause trouble."
"I promise."
She turned her hand over slightly and without him catching it let a faint trace of blue light curl at the tip of her fingers. Her lips moved almost imperceptibly.
"Tiwaz."
Akivili didn't notice.
He just smiled up at her, "thanks, Mom you're the best!" he exclaimed before he bolted out the door.
.
.
.
Five minutes later though he walked back into the room like an embarrassed penguin, his head slightly lowered.
"...So uh, is there anyone who can drop me off home?"
Rosalyn's smile lasted approximately one second before she collapsed into laughter again.
Akivili only lowered his head further in embarrassment.
"Don't worry, I'll call my friend," she wheezed, wiping her eyes.