The barren ground around him was littered with swords. All from different parts of history, belonging to many wielders. Some unknown, their names lost to history. Many from notable legends and myths. Swords held by hero and villain alike all stood in the ground, their polished blades catching the gleam of the setting sun. He brought them to bear, giving them new purpose. For that was his prerogative with these duplicates, for as powerful as they were, they were all duplicates.
Yes, he was the bone of his swords.
He lifted himself, shambling as best he could. He was tired, bleeding. But that didn’t matter. After all, for one such as himself, it was of little consequence. There were still people he needed to save, that he could save. So he summoned his willpower and forged onward.
After all, steel was his body, and fire was his blood.
Through his hazy vision, he could see that from where he stood to the horizon beyond, it was nothing but blades. Yes, his blades. They all served a purpose for him, whether for a specific reason or simply as a weapon of destruction. It was an armory beyond reckoning. An armory he made.
He had, after all, forged over a thousand blades.
His journey had been one with ceaseless toil. He had discarded his past life over and over and over again. He granted salvation and aid to as many people as he could find, asking for nothing in return. People whispered at first in awe, then in fear and paranoia. Someone like him didn’t exist, after all, who was so generous. Someone so skilled in the art of war must have wanted for something.
For everyone, it seemed that he was unknown to both death and life.
They turned against him. But he didn’t care. They took their blades and some of his own and stabbed him while his back was turned. They betrayed him. They scorned him. But it didn’t matter. The pain was far nothing compared to what he had survived.
Despite everything, he withstood his pain to create all his myriad weapons.
But in the end, those whom he had saved didn’t value him. Those that had once loved him had disappeared from his life. As he was captured, his swords fell out of nerveless hands, and they were cuffed. All fitting in the end.
They were hands that would never hold anything worthwhile, after all.
As he approached the noose, he thought back to a time. It was in that power plant that he had barely managed to stop from melting down. The glowing ball of energy, so mesmerizing. He could hear its unspoken promise. Pledge allegiance to it, and he would have the power to save everyone. Pledge allegiance to it, and he would be able to forge onward to eternity. Pledge allegiance to it, and he would be a hero, unto the end of days.
And so, as he prayed, the world opened to him.
A world of infinite blades.
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The infirmary of Chaldea wasn’t a grand affair – it looked like a standard hospital floor. Multiple gurneys separated by curtains, with a desk and a computer on the side. There was a supply closet nearby filled with gloves and various other medical instruments, and yet another shelf – locked both with mundane locks and mysteries – filled with various drugs. Roman was at the computer looking over some data as Ren and Morgana sat on one of the gurneys.
It had been a small while since Ren had his last checkup. Roman had meant to do it earlier, but with the disaster, the infirmary had been occupied by three victims, laid up with concussions and burns. Thankfully, they had since recovered and were transferred back to their own rooms to rest and recover. Now Roman could turn his attention to Ren and Morgana – the first matter for a regular checkup (especially important for Morgana’s case as he never got one when he arrived at Chaldea and they had no decent comparison data as a result) and the second was to analyze their magic circuits. The two were an abnormality in all senses of the word so it was best to check and make sure there wasn’t anything wrong.
As Morgana sat on the gurney, looking over at Roman, Ren wrestled with yet more memories. This wasn’t exactly a doctor’s clinic, but… when he looked up, he could still see a short-haired doctor, her coat on top of her punk clothes, handing her the newest sample of her medicine to try out. He would drink it and bear with whatever side effects might occur – often times dizziness or passing out, though later and later sessions, the side effects were less pronounced. And in the end, it all paid off – Takemi managed to make that medicine. He wondered if she got the chance to see Miwa-chan like she said she would. She invited him to visit her as well. He hadn’t found time to.
Then he blinked. Suddenly, he saw a young woman with curly hair resting on one of the gurneys. She was tired, with massive bags under her eyes, trying to make light of her situation. Two people showed up, demanding yet more money from her that she kept scraping up by working multiple jobs at once. Ren’s blood boiled and flamed as he heard their demands. They said it was ‘restitution’. Bull. They didn’t give a damn whatsoever – they just wanted the money. He managed to convince the young woman to stand up for it. More things happened but soon, the matter was put to rest, and she was able to continue her passion. He gave a small smile. Kawakami had been a great teacher once everything had settled down. He idly wondered what her classes were like now. Probably informative yet entertaining.
Dismissing his memories, he thought back to the dream he had last night. He knew without a doubt, that was Archer’s dream. Or was it really a dream? It felt too real to be one. Maybe it was something from his past. He gulped a bit as he thought back to their discussion last night, when he confronted the two of them about being heroes. As much as he wanted to ask Archer about it, perhaps it wasn’t the best of ideas. Poking and prodding about his past would probably only be stirring a beehive. He would ask later, or Archer would outright tell him. He just needed to be patient and not force it.
His mind was brought back to reality as Roman was muttering to himself. “Alright, I have your files pulled up,” Roman stated, turning back to them two of them with a smile. He still looked exhausted from overworking himself, despite Mash and da Vinci’s best efforts (and Morgana whenever he was around). Ren felt a bit of pity for the man. He was running himself ragged trying to do what he could for the mission, simply because it was the right thing to do. He wondered if everything went well, if Roman would be like he was on the first day, where he just relaxed and slacked off.
Roman murmured a quick aria as a magic circle flashed underneath them, with what seemed to be a scanning light focusing on their bodies. “I normally prefer to do things the old-fashioned way,” Roman explained with an apologetic smile. “But given what’s been happening recently, I probably shouldn’t take any chances.” Ren nodded, understanding. Indeed, everything about their recent circumstances had been beyond abnormal, and both he and Morgana understood their bodies had been fundamentally changed. It was better to be thorough than have some sort of complication later on.
Once he was done, he looked over at his clipboard. The data gathered from the mystery was etched onto the papers of the clipboard, providing an easy way of recording. “Let’s see,” he mumbled. “Your vitals look good, no internal issues. High amounts of stress, though that’s to be fairly expected.” He glanced over. “Do you have any trouble sleeping, by chance?” Roman asked. “I could prescribe some sleep meds if you need it.”
Ren smirked and shook his head. Between Morgana insisting he went to sleep as well as the Velvet Room visits, his sleep wasn’t any worse than usual. Which arguably was pretty bad, but that was the norm for him nowadays. He certainly didn’t need the sleep medication.
With that, he continued going over Ren’s medical information. Then he flipped a page – and froze. He flipped a few more pages and froze again, his mouth dropping open and left gaping like a fish. Ren gave the doctor a concerned look. “Is there something wrong, Roman?” he asked. He hoped it wasn’t anything in particular. They couldn’t afford it if he was afflicted with something utterly crippling.
Roman gulped. “According to the scans,” he said slowly. “You have about… sixty magic circuits. High quality ones. With your magic crest providing another thirty-five, for a total of ninety-five magic circuits. Morgana has about thirty-five circuits, and with his own circuit has 70 in total.”
The two Thieves looked at each other, then looked back up at Roman. “So… is that good? Bad?” Ren asked for clarification.
The doctor took a very deep breath, exhaling for a long moment. “Ren,” he began. “Most magi have, on average, twenty circuits. The amount of circuits you have, Morgana, is something you would only see in a lineage of powerful Magi families. And yours, Ren… said families would go green with envy and would probably kill you on principle.”
Ren paled as Morgana’s jaw dropped. Not too long ago, he was just an ordinary high school student who was simply at the wrong place and at the wrong time. And then his world was twisted in a thousand different directions, leaving him here, sitting on a gurney, with a magic doctor telling him that he was essentially some super mage, if what he interpreted about circuits was right.
Still, the fact he was given so many of these circuits when the average was so low probably emphasized just how bad the situation was. Igor would never have granted him this much power off the cuff if he didn’t believe Ren needed it. When he first started his Phantom Thief business, he was strong, yes, and only became stronger. It may have been a false Igor, but he was still granted the strength needed to overcome his trials. To be granted this much power…
Roman sighed and gave a rueful smile as he sat back down at his desk. “At the very least, it seems that your magecraft won’t be replicated anytime soon,” he commented as if it was some reassurance. “Mysteries tend to be weaker the more people are able to use them, and your mysteries consume so much prana that any other magus would probably collapse just trying to do one of those summons. However…”
He placed the clipboard on his desk. “I think Olga told you before, but I’ll repeat the warning again – do NOT tell anyone outside of Chaldea you just randomly got these circuits.” His tired eyes gained a new sharpness as he warned the two. “Just the number and quality of circuits you have without any lineage is suspect enough, let alone every other circumstance. And magi aren’t known for leaving well enough alone. For now, I’m keeping the information here under patient confidentiality and deleting it as soon as it’s safe to do so. You guys got that?”
Ren and Morgana nodded. At the very least, they understood the warning. And while neither of them were comfortable with sharing such information – especially if it might led to them being hunted down – they didn’t have a choice at this point. Still, perhaps they could put their trust in Roman. Ren particularly remembered many people whom he bonded with figuring out he was a Phantom Thief and yet never betraying his trust. He had a feeling Roman was the same way.
Roman nodded, a smile coming back. “Okay, good,” he said, relieved he got his point across. “With that, check-up’s done. You seem to be in good health, Ren, all things considered. I’m no vet but your signs also looked good as well, Morgana.” He gave a nod to the catlike being. “If you guys have any problems though, please, come to me immediately. I’ll do what I can here. We should have enough supplies for most afflictions for now, anyway.”
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Morgana smirked. “We’ll hold you to that, doctor,” he replied as he hopped back down to the floor. “Don’t slack off with Magi*Mari now.”
The doctor’s face blanched as Ren looked confused. “H-How did you – when d-did you-?!”
The cat only snickered as he turned to the door. “Come on, Ren,” he called to his partner. “Archer and Lancer are waiting at the simulator for us.” Ren shook his head with a smile, standing as well. He gave a small wave to the doctor as they left. As the door opened, they saw Mash, who immediately started, blinking with wide eyes.
“O-Oh, senpai! I-I didn’t expect you here!” she stammered.
Ren smiled and shrugged. “Just needed a check-up,” he explained. “Doctor’s orders. You here for one too?”
Mash nodded. “Yes, Roman needs to check on my condition,” she replied. “We need to make sure there’s no complications of me being a demi-Servant. I can’t go on the field without being sure.”
He nodded, contemplating. “Hm, good idea,” he approved. “We’re gonna be in the simulator to train a bit with Archer and Lancer. Wanna join us when you’re done here?”
The shielder blinked, then beamed. “I’d love to, senpai!” she exclaimed. “I need more training fighting other Servants!”
Chuckling, Ren nodded. “Alright. We’ll see you in the simulator then!” With a wave, he walked off, Morgana following behind with yet another snicker at something he noticed yet Mash wasn’t sure as to what. She watched them leave until the door to the infirmary slid closed behind them.
Roman looked over at Mash. He could easily intuit Mash’s feelings for the most part, since he spent quite a bit of time with her. “Something wrong, Mash?” he asked.
Mash said nothing at first, chewing on her lip. She walked over and sat on a gurney with a sigh. “Lancer… said something odd about senpai the other day,” she quietly explained. “He pointed out that it wasn’t his first time in this kind of situation. Senpai agreed and… and said it wasn’t his first or even second time.” She looked up at Roman. “Senpai just looked so tired and sad. I… I don’t know what to do. It’s my job to protect him, and I trust him completely. But… does he trust us? Trust me? He sometimes looks and feels more like a Servant than a person. What happened to him?”
The doctor said nothing, lowering his gaze, wondering how to answer. “Whoever Ren and Morgana are,” Roman began slowly. “They’re what we need right now. Their magecraft and experience have been invaluable back in Singularity F, and it’s only going to get tougher from here. I know it’s tough, Mash, but I’m sure they have their own reasons for keeping quiet. But I don’t think they’re bad people. They probably have just been through a lot. If they want to tell us, they’ll tell. But for now, can you believe in them for a bit?”
The girl hesitated, then nodded. “The other magi are whispering about senpai too,” she added. “Talking about how he’s not a magus or he’s not capable of being a Master.”
Roman blinked then sighed. Of course they were. Even in the middle of an apocalypse, magi will be magi. “I’ll speak to them then, and get things sorted out.” Mash nodded and he smiled. “Good. Now, if that’s out of the way, let’s begin your check-up. Your signs are looking good so far…”
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The training area in the simulator was surprisingly serene. It consisted of a large grassland with an open training field. Training dummies lined one side of the field as well as several benches lined on the outside. On the far side was a forest and within was a strong stream coming from a waterfall, with the water pooling at the bottom in a clear spring. It was a serene area, well suited for anything from training to sparring to meditation.
The two Thieves entered the simulator where Archer and Lancer waited for them. The two were a distance away from each other, most likely to prevent potential arguments. They both smiled as their Masters approached. “Oi, nice place you got here!” Lancer called out with a grin, getting up from a bench that he had been laying on. “So, we’re doing some training, right? How are we gonna do this? And, uh…” He looked over at Morgana. “I’m not sure how you’re gonna train like that. You said your form in Singularities is… not a cat, right?”
Oh. That was a fair point. Ren looked over at Morgana. “Think you can transform?” he asked out of curiosity.
Morgana frowned in thought. “Haven’t tried before,” he admitted. “Well, guess there’s no time like the present. Morganaaaa, TRANSFORM!” He leaped into the air and glowed as his circuits activated. With a poof of smoke, he turned into his bipedal form. “Huh. Guess it did work! I’m so awesome!” he exclaimed with a proud grin.
Archer blinked in surprise while Lancer just grinned. Ren however rubbed his chin, then asked, “Say, Morgana, if you could transform into that,” he mused. “Maybe you could…”
The catlike being immediately got the hint. He jumped into the air, glowed once more…. And nothing, landing back down. He shook his head sadly. “Nope, sorry Ren,” he apologized. “Guess that’s too much, huh?”
Ren sighed, running a hand through his head. He figured as much. He noticed both Servants looking at him in confusion. “Morgana can turn into a bus,” he explained shortly.
Both Servants blinked. “He can what now.”
“At any rate,” Ren continued, ignoring further questions. “Lancer, do you mind training with me? Archer, you can make blades, right? Can you summon one for Morgana and train with him?”
Archer blinked in surprise, then nodded. He hadn’t expected his Master to grasp his capabilities so quickly. Then again, perhaps he figured it out after fighting his shadow self. Still, that only led to Archer thinking about their conversation the other day. Only someone who fought no small amount would learn so quickly in the heat of combat – if they wanted to stay alive, anyway. More questions started piling in his head, but he shook them off. They weren’t relevant at the moment. “Of course, Master,” he replied easily. Looking over at Morgana, he summoned a smaller sword he could use. “Will this do?” he asked.
Morgana grabbed the sword and gave it a few experimental swings, frowning. “You got something curved? Like a scimitar or a cutlass?” Morgana asked, looking up at the Archer.
Archer considered, then smiled. On a whim, he decided to summon one of his paired blades. A larger curved blade which glittered the light like fresh snow. He handed it over to Morgana. “How about this one?”
The catlike being grabbed hold and gave it a few experimental swings before setting it on his shoulder. “Hm, a bit bulky, but good balance,” he commented. He grinned up at Archer. “I like it! I’m gonna see what you’re about, Archer, so I’m not gonna hold back!”
The Servant chuckled. “I expect nothing less from one of my Masters,” he commented, summoning the blade’s partner – a black curved blade, with faint red hexagonal patterns near the base at the guard. He held it at the ready as Morgana charged, Bakuya at the ready.
Meanwhile, Lancer and Ren moved further down the training field, away from the sparring duo. Lancer hadn’t summoned his spear yet, curious as to what his other Master wanted. “So, how are we gonna do this?” he asked curiously. “You don’t have a weapon that I can see – are we doing hand to hand, then? Gonna warn you kid, I may be a Lancer, but my punches can still knock you flat on your ass if you’re not careful!”
Ren laughed. “I’m not about to get into a boxing match with a Servant, thanks!” he replied back in good humor. “No, I need your opinion on something, first off.” He wondered if he should explain it to Lancer, but that would be way too complicated. No, it was better to show it in turn. He raised a hand to his face, imagining himself once more tearing off his mask. “Persona,” he intoned. With a flash of blue flame, the Persona Cu Chulainn appeared, his red spear at the ready.
Lancer froze at the appearance of his other, his surprise soon deepening into a scowl. “Oi, what is this, Master?” he growled. “If I honestly didn’t know better, I’d say you’re mocking me.”
The accused waved the accusation off. “No, of course not,” he replied. The drain on his body was a lot heavier than he expected – certainly heavier than Arsene. He could maintain it for now though. He needed to get used to it. “I just wanted your opinion on this guy. What do you think of him?”
“What do I think?” Lancer asked incredulously. He glared at the persona. “It’s like looking in a damn mirror. Well, more like looking in a mirror and seeing someone different, but you know it’s you regardless. If you ask me, this just gives me the creeps. And that spear.” He summoned his own red spear, whirling it in the air before planting it in the ground. “I can’t mistake it from a thousand miles away – that’s my spear, the Gae Bolg, in every way possible. Kid, what the hell did you do?”
Ren chuckled. “Sorry, but that’s my own little secret,” he replied with a small smirk, trying to hide the growing pain and exhaustion from maintaining his new Persona as his magic circuits burned. “Now, one last favor – can you go a few rounds with it, see how it feels and how strong it is?” At that, the persona whirled his own Gae Bolg into a ready stance. It was a slightly different stance than Cu Chulainn’s own, but they were still the movements of a skilled spearman nevertheless.
Lancer clicked his tongue as he lowered himself into a combat stance. “Well, if it’s basically me, at least I’m guaranteed a good match,” he grumbled, trying to find the silver lining to this whole situation. “Let’s go!”
With that, the Servant and the Persona charged each other. The two red spears lashed out, fast as the rain as they crashed against each other, thrust going to a block going to a sweep, patterns waving in and out as sparks flew from the impact. The expression of the Persona didn’t change, but as Lancer fought, his turned from a scowl of displeasure to a fierce grin. Whatever this damn doppelganger was, it was good! It was him, but not him at the same time! Much of the same spearwork, but just different enough that he couldn’t predict his moves! If he let his guard down, he would end up with a spear to the gut, just as often as he almost stabbed the Persona in turn! He was just a bit faster than his doppleganger, but the doppleganger was a bit stronger, and it was a bit better in handling from a defensive stance. Perhaps he should get serious about this after all!
That was, until his doppelganger vanished in another flash of blue flames, leaving the sight of Ren collapsing on the ground. “Oi, kid!” he roared, racing over. He could hear Morgana and Archer cry out as well, converging on their position.
Ren curled up on the ground, clutching his chest as he tried to force breath into his lungs. Everything hurt so much, everything was so hot. It felt like he was dying. It was like someone injected molten iron into his veins, searing everything it flowed through. He could barely hear the others above him talking.
“Tch, overused his magic circuits,” Archer growled. “We can’t push his magecraft any further today or he’s going to ruin himself. You’re done for today, Master. Rest.”
“S-Senpai!”
The three looked over and saw Mash in her battle uniform racing down. Her eyes were full of nothing but concern as she saw the helpless Master. “What did he- is he going to be-!” she stammered, trying to get one question out.
Archer sighed. “He’ll be fine, he just overused his magic circuits,” he replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “That new magecraft he was testing must be a lot more strenuous than he expected. He’ll need more training with his circuits or he’ll just end up burning himself out. Literally.”
Morgana scowled and cried out, “Zorro!” His own persona appeared and rapidly tried to cast healing magic on him. Ren lit up with the healing power, however, it didn’t seem to do much. “Come on, heal!” he demanded, casting another healing spell. “Come on, why?”
“I wouldn’t bother, Master,” Lancer said with a scowl. “Overusing a magic circuit is like overworking your organs or muscles. It’s not the kind of damage that’ll heal so easily. Like what that bastard said, when he needs now is just rest. He’ll probably be good as new tomorrow. Though…” He grinned as he turned towards Mash. “There’s ways to speed up his recovery.”
Mash looked up. “Really? How, Lancer?” she asked desperately.
Morgana could only groan at the sight of Lancer’s grin growing wider.
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Ren felt groggy and feverish as he came to. Everything – from his limbs to his torso – was sore beyond belief. Everything felt far too warm. His forehead had something cool and wet pressing against it. He was laying on something soft, with his head in particular laying on somewhere particularly comfortable. His eyes weakly flickered open as he took in his location. He was in his room again. It was very quiet all around. Morgana must be out training still.
The only thing that was different was that Mash was looking down at him in concern, though her face was a deep red hue. He could feel a wet towel on his forehead. He blinked a few times and recognized his position.
Oh. His head was on her lap.
“S-senpai?” she asked, her voice soft. “Are you okay? You overused your magic circuits so you were unconscious for a bit. We brought you here and had Roman examine you. You just need to rest.”
Ren sighed. “Oh, I see,” he mumbled weakly. He gave a low laugh. “Guess I pushed myself too hard again.” He hadn’t felt this bad in a long while. Even their most strenuous adventures in the Metaverse didn’t leave him like this. He truly was helpless, wasn’t he? He could almost imagine Caroline and Justine admonishing him for being so careless and weak. “Thanks for bringing me in, Mash,” he added gratefully.
Mash blinked in surprise, then shook her head. “O-oh, it was no t-trouble at all, s-senpai,” she retorted, her face becoming slightly redder. “Um… sh-should I leave so you can g-get some r-rest? Or…?”
He considered it, then shook his head with a faint smile. “No,” he replied. “It feels nice here. I’ll just rest for a bit longer.” As he spoke, his eyes slowly drifted closed once more, the comfort of her presence lulling him to sleep.
Despite her nervousness and being caught off guard by his answer, Mash smiled. When Ren slept, he looked so carefree and innocent. He no longer felt like that battle hardened warrior she had seen in the Singularity or in the cafeteria as he spoke to Archer and Lancer. She had to wonder – just what had he gone through to turn him into what he was today? When would he tell her? But she remembered the doctor’s words. She would be patient. And when he was ready to tell, she would listen.
Her hand went through his hair. She giggled. So soft and fluffy.