An Innocent Wish

While Chaldea had researched and fine tuned the process of Rayshifting to reduce the strain on a human body, it was still very taxing.  However, the true strain is not in the separation of body and spirit, conversion of spirit into spiritrons to then send back to the target time period or existing for a prolonged period of time at the desired destination.  Those are factors that burden the staff who remain behind to monitor the Rayshifting subject and ensure their intervention into the past is not detected by the Counter Force.  Aside from the environmental dangers the Rayshifter may be exposed to, like dangerously high concentrations of Mana that are present during the Age of Gods, being sent to a target time period is relatively safe… so long as the Rayshifter appears on a solid surface.  The heaviest burden, and thus true measure of Rayshift capacity, is the ease at which the Rayshifter is able to return to their physical body in the present.  And even with all the measures taken to make this process as smooth as possible, the effects of frequent Rayshifting over a long period of time was not something the Chaldea Security Organization had been able to observe before.

As such, when the inept Magus, Ritsuka Fujimaru, returned from yet another Rayshift repairing a minute singularity with seemingly little difficulty, the remaining staff that have survived the Crypter’s attack on Chaldea’s main base in Antarctica were once again impressed at what the boy, who initially was only accepted into the Organization to fill out their numbers, had been able to accomplish.  Even though he bore minor wounds and injuries from the final confrontation with the source of the singularities manifestation, scrapes and bruises such as those would be easily tended to by the many Servants that specialize in healing and healthcare.

However, stepping out of her coffin to the applause and praised being heaped on her and her Master, the lilac-haired Demi-Servant in her form-fitting black and purple spiritron dress wasn’t as enthusiastic as the staff welcoming them back or the other Servants was had also returned with them and rushed to Ritsuka’s side.  “Once again, I wasn’t of much help to Senpai this time…”  Despite being by the young Japanese Master’s side throughout the entire event, other than handling mundane tasks in non-combative situations, whenever combat did break out she was rarely asked to stand on the front lines to intercept the enemy.  Those roles were almost always given to temporarily summoned Servants from Chaldea that would vanish at the end of the battle, leaving her on the back line waiting.  While the physical fatigue from their mission was easy to see and expected on his face, despite his best efforts to hide it was a charming smile, she had been with him the longest and knew him the best.  “He looks so tired, so worn down…”

As the merriment and concern for him carried the young Master out of the Command Room and towards the infirmary for a post-op physical exam and to get his minor injuries tended to, Ritsuka looked back over his shoulder to his trusted kouhai.  “Hey, Mash?  Could you make sure the Holy Grail we got gets into storage?”  The fact that he was able to resist the Heroic Spirits pulling him along at all to make this request wasn’t a testament to his physical strength, but their leniency to allow him to.

His voice catching her attention, the lavender-eyed girl looked up and smiled at him as he was dragged out of the room.  “Yes, Senpai!”  Even if they were drained of their magical energy, the residual Mana within the vessels was dangerous to leave alone.  Picking up the large golden chalice and hugging it into her chest, the Shielder Demi-Servant headed for the vault where all the other Grails they collected were in containment.  “Senpai’s eyes… he looked so lifeless behind that weary smile.”

It was true that Ritsuka had grown considerably since coming to Chaldea years ago, but she could still vividly recall the light of optimism and kindness in his eyes, the jovial tone of his voice, the warmth in his heart as he held her hand.  By comparison, his face as he left the Command Room was rigid as he forced a smile that tried to hide the pain in his heart and the light in his eyes had diminished greatly since his inexperienced days.  His optimism was filtered through desperation and his hands, like the rest of his body, now carried the scars and calluses of their long, tiresome journey.

It was hard enough to fight the enemies, monsters and Phantasmal beasts as a Demi-Servant herself, to say nothing of the Heroic Spirits, Elementals, Divine Spirits and even Beasts of Humanity, but because of his poor aptitude as a Mage, Ritsuka himself was forced to be right on the front lines himself to face such terrifying opponents.  It wasn’t fair to ask a normal human, an average teenage boy, to take such a risk simply to supply Mana to the Servants fighting or try to direct them in battle, and nobody would have blamed him if he hadn’t, but that wasn’t something their Master, her Master would do.  In the heat of battle, it was up to him to make life-or-death decisions, and take on the weight of the lives he couldn’t save, be they allies that joined them or friends that assisted them within the singularity.

However, by far what had taken the biggest toll on him was having to face and accept that, in their fight to restore Proper Human History, the denizens of each Lostbelt they denied were wiped out as a result.  This wasn’t like learning that the people in history that died in a singularity would not be restored by correcting it like Dr. Roman told them near the start of the Grand Order.  By his action and will, Ritsuka himself was deciding that their world took more president than another’s and was now responsible for essentially genocides.

“Maybe it would be more concerning if Senpai didn’t change after all that.  If he were to turn a blind eye to what we have to do for our own survival, Senpai wouldn’t be Senpai…”  She had noticed he was sleeping longer when time allowed, but he did seem to be well rested when he woke up, and when he thought nobody else was watching his smile would slip.  “For Da Vinci-chan and Director Goredolf to not notice and instead focus on his accomplishments is expected I suppose, but it’s not like Holmes to miss something like this… or maybe he already knows there isn’t anything that can be done for Senpai yet and is simply waiting for the right time to say something.”  She knew first hand how amazing, cool and heroic her Senpai could be, but everything he does is amazing because a normal human being shouldn’t be able to do what he has done… not forever anyway.

Entering the room where all the other Holy Grails are kept, physical trophies and reminders of all the hardships Ritsuka has endured and battlefields he’s survived, Mash clutched the one she was holding tight into her chest.

“I just wish I could do more and keep Senpai safe…”

Chaldea Security Organization, Headquarters

????, Antarctica

After thwarting the Human Order Incineration Incident and returning humanity back to the face of the Earth, there was a lot the saviors of the Human Order needed to answer to.  While there was no evidence of the impossible mission they had sacrificed so much to resolve, their unauthorized use of the Rayshifting technology, overuse of the Servant Summoning system, changing of personnel and revealing sensitive information to those without clearance to do so remained.  Thus a thorough investigation by the Clock Tower and UN threatened to see to the immediate disbanding and dismantling of the organization.  However, there were two major factors that allowed Chaldea to continue operating and being granted more autonomy than before.

First was the appearance of the Pseudo-Singularities, each caused by a remnant of the force that originally tried to wipe out the Human Order to recreate humanity as they saw fit.  Several of these events had a tangible effect on the modern world, and the perpetrators involved served as a measure of the evidence to prove the validity of their reports of Goetia and the Seven Singularities they overcame to complete the Grand Order.  However, this alone wasn’t enough to keep Chaldea’s continued functionality off the chopping block, as any form of time travel posed a serious threat to the modern era, which is why it was so heavily regulated to begin with.

It wasn’t until the investigation, and interrogation, of Chaldea and it’s staff was interrupted by a surprise attack for a  black clad, masked armed force that Chaldea was given the opportunity to redeem itself, though at a heavy price.  The attack of the Oprichnik, lead by the Crypter Kadoc Zemlupus and his Caster Servant, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, was only as successful as it was thanks to Koyanskaya’s subterfuge and sabotage.  However, even though all of the Servants previously contracted with Chaldea’s only remaining Master, there were a couple unexpected complications that lead to the failure of the otherwise perfectly executed attack.

First was the fact that Ruler Class Servant, Sherlock Holmes had manifested in Chaldea and kept a secret by Leonardo Da Vinci as a sort of insurance policy for the unexpected.  However, the other came in the form of the Spirit Origin that had been implanted in the Shielder Demi-Servant, Mash Kyrielight.  While her connection to the Heroic Spirit that had been manifested through her body had been effectively severed in the final battle against Goetia, the was an unexpected mutation in her Saint Graph during one of the later Singularities that stayed with her, her own, personal Noble Phantasm that manifested from her innocent wish to keep her Master safe.  During the Oprichnik attack, when her redheaded Senpai had the barrel of a gun directed at her, Mash was able to regain her powers as a Demi-Servant and thanks to the circumstance of the attack matching her Noble Phantasm perfectly, she was able to drive the invaders out of Chaldea.

While they weren’t able to stop the descent of the seven pillars of light, a measure of humanity was able to be relocated to Chaldea through the use of transportation Magecraft and the re-summoning of the Heroic Spirits that were still on file before the dome of white branches bleached the Earth’s surface and wiped out the human race.  Chaldea was able to resist the bleaching and has been launching assaults into the various Lostbelts that the Crypters maintain.

However, the Chaldea Security Organization wasn’t the only facility that was able to avoid destruction, as thanks to that fact that it exists in a realm between the world of man and the Reverse Side of the World, the Wandering Sea, Balderland, was also able to escape the whitening of the world and established communication with Chaldea.  Being an Independent Singularity itself, travel between the two bases was possible by Rayshift capable personnel and with the collective minds of heads from the Clock Tower and Atlas Institute, they were steadily pushing back against the Crypters attempt to supplant Proper Human History with one from one of their Lostbelts.

Having just returned from their newer facility built within the Wandering Sea for their joint operation, the figurehead of Humanity’s hope, Mash Kyrielight, was making her rounds to ensure all the other Servants, particularly the Evil-aligned ones, were behaving.  Even though she was mostly following her Master’s orders when they repelled the assault on Chaldea, it still stood as fact that she almost single-handedly fought off the merciless invaders by herself and that without her shield, Chaldea wouldn’t have been able to resist the bleaching of Earth.

So, for those residing in both Chaldea proper and even the somewhat jaded Mages that moved into the Chaldea Novum facility in the Wandering Sea, seeing the lilac-haired Demi-Servant was both reassuring and somewhat intimidating.  Adopting a new uniform while performing her non-Servant duties, the form-fitting, short black office dress was reminiscent of the loose dress she wore before, as it still had the white collar for her tie, but her sleek silhouette wasn’t hidden under her white and grey hooded sweater anymore.  With her shoulders exposed and professional, short heels, she carried herself with the air of maturity that she had been lacking before.

The sharp ‘clack’ of her heels on the tiled floors drew the eyes of the staff as she passed, most looking away when she turned her sharp gaze towards them.  The amber of her eyes was reminiscent of the many Alters that took no issue with threatening anyone that annoyed them, which was mostly anyone that wasn’t particular Servants or the Master that summoned them.  While the aversion to maintaining direct eye contact with her concerned the young Demi-Servant at first, now she took a bit of pleasure in it, since it also served as a measure of the progress she had made.  The stronger she became, the more others avoided meeting her gaze, that is with the exception of her Master, the other Servants and the remaining original staff of Chaldea.

“Uh… um, M-Miss Kyrielight?”  Calling out to the Shielder as she passed, a young man in the Mage’s Association Uniform approached her nervously.

Stopping, she looked over her shoulder at him.  “Hm?  Yes?”

Trying to gather himself, it wasn’t clear if his nervousness came from admiration of her reputation or intimidation of her demeanor, but he was blushing quite a bit.  “W-Would you happen to kn-know where Miss Gudako is?”

“Looking for Senpai?  Then that should mean…”  As the self-appointed personal aid and secretary of Chaldea’s most important Master, there were times when Mash was the only one who could get in contact with the spirited redhead, though only the higher-ups seemed to understand why.  “If you have business with Master, I can deliver your message for you.”

“R-Right… um, well…”  Fumbling with the tablet he was holding, the dark haired youth showed her the screen.  “Technical Advisor Da Vinci noticed a minute Singularity is forming, and with the other Teams busy preparing to investigate the other Lostbelts, wanted Miss Gudako to handle this.”

Taking the tablet from the young Mage, Mash reviewed the readings from the Singularity.  “With readings like this, it’s likely just a Holy Grail fragment or something.”  Handing the tablet back, she smiled but crossed her arms under her bosom.  “Master just recently resolved another Singularity and formed four more contracts with Heroic Spirits just the other day.  She’ll need another two days of rest before I’ll allow her to be deployed again, understood?”  When it came to the health and safety of her Master, there was no question.  Mages thought of little other than getting results, preferably the results they calculate they should obtain, but results were paramount.  They were often quick to neglect the well-being of others, though from the energy levels of the reading she saw, Da Vinci likely noticed this even earlier and held off on reporting it to give Gudako more time to rest already.

“W-Well, I was told this n-needed to be resolved as soon as possible…”  Despite being taller and just a bit more muscular than the girl in front of him, he felt like he was being stared down upon by a mighty predator deciding whether he was prey or not.

Or rather, it felt like his life was already within her grasp, standing on her palm with no way to escape.  The gleam in her gaze as she narrowed her uncovered eye and the glistening of her recently wetted, soft lips made his back start to sweat.  He knew of the feats Servants could perform and that Mash was no weaker than most, but for all the files and records he had read and watched, all the enemies he knew she had vanquished, he couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth.  His legs began to shake as they tried to support his body, which now felt like a lead weight atop flimsy beams of straw.  The original staff of Chaldea assured everyone that the Shielder Demi-Servant would never hurt them… but rumors were abound about all the different kinds of Servants that the redheaded Mage had summoned.  Man-eating monsters, world-ending calamities and fickle deities walked the halls of the facility, and Mash kept them all in check.  While he couldn’t confirm it himself, there were also rumors of people disappearing without a trace…

When she opened her mouth to speak though, he panicked for some instinctual reason he didn’t understand.  “B-Bu-But if you say two days is the soonest it can be done, th-then that’s what I’ll report!”  Bowing politely, he quickly turned and hastily retreated down a nearby corridor.

Surprised by his abrupt outburst, Mash giggled to herself and smiled a sweet, but also slightly menacing smile as she likewise turned to continue towards her original destination.  “It’s not like I was going to impose a ‘Punishment’ on him.”  As much as she wished she could use her new Noble Phantasm on some of the more… abrasive Mages from the Clock Tower whenever they’d belittle her Master for her poor aptitude as a Magus, Mash wouldn’t actually do something like that.  “Senpai?  Senpai, can you hear me?  Are you awake?”  Establishing a telepathic connection with her beloved Master, she heard a long, drawn out yawn in her head and sighed.  “Senpai.  What did I tell you about sleeping in the middle of the day?  I can’t have you up all night.”

“Hmm…?  I…  I’m not sleeping… you’re sleeping…”  With another very noticeable, drawn out yawn, the last of the original 48 Master Candidates brought to Chaldea replied groggily.  “Also, morning Mash.”

Smiling to herself a bit, it was understandable that Gudako would be so tired given all the missions and deployments she is constantly asked to complete.  If she had her way, Mash would allow her precious Senpai to relax forever, just resolving the Incineration of Humanity had earned her at least that, yet the Crypter, her former teammates, had robbed the redhead of that.  However, Mash also knew that she couldn’t spoil the young woman either, despite all of her hard work.  “Da Vinci detected a new, minute Singularity and since you have so much time on your hands, I volunteered you to go resolve it, Senpai.  Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

“Ehhhh?  Another deployment?  But I just got back from a mission…   Can’t I just stay in my Mashtopia instead?  I’m tired and just want to relax here forever.”  While she generally composes herself with much more maturity while performing her duties, there are few times outside when it was just the two of them that Gudako allowed herself to behave so childishly.  Sure, she can be goofy sometimes or just go along with the insanity that comes with the people they meet and circumstances they become involved in, but this was a side of her very few got to see.  “Besides, couldn’t you just go resolve it Mash?  There aren’t a lot of enemies that can withstand your Punishments anymore.”

“Senpai, if you’re going to become a layabout, good-for-nothing, I’ll be forced to kick you out until you can earn your keep again.”  Even though she appreciated the full confidence her Master had in her abilities, as Gudako’s secretary Mash couldn’t allow her to become complacent.  Relying on her is fine, she would always be her Master’s shield and sanctuary, but that also meant she could perform her duties without worry.  “And here I was thinking I could reward you if you were a good girl when we got back.  Now I’ll have to think of an appropriate ‘punishment’ for my lazy Master…”

“...Fine!  I’ll go investigate the stupid Singularity… but I want two more days at least…”  Even without seeing the young Japanese girl’s face, Mash could envision the pouty face she was making.

Giggling to herself as she opened the door to her room, Mash loosened her tie and undid the top few buttons of her shirt as she laid down on her bed.  “I had a feeling you’d say that.  What am I going to do with you, Senpai?”

“Keep me in your ‘Camelot’ forever?”

“If I could, I would.”  Keeping that thought to herself, there had been many times the diligent Demi-Servant thought about running off with the overburdened redhead.

With so many other Mages in Chaldea now, she wasn’t the only one able to summon Heroic Spirits anymore… though she was the only one, even with support from the FATE system, who was able to maintain more than just a couple contracts at the same time.  It was still a complete mystery how some of the best and most powerful Mages of the modern era struggled to contract with more than three Servants at a time while Gudako by this point had well over two hundred ongoing contracts.  But it wasn’t like Gudako herself still needed to be at Chaldea, just forming the connection and recording the Saint Graphs in Chaldea’s databases was enough for other Mages to form their own contracts now.  Having Gudako around just meant more Servants could be on hand in the base.  If Mash were able to take her somewhere far away, a place where she’d be safe and could live happily, she would in a heartbeat.

Rubbing her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling, she poked at an area a bit higher than her belly button and smiled.  “My, you’re rather deep today.”

Mash’s Camelot

Undisclosed

Laying on a floor of undulating flesh, even without a light source, Gudako was able to see just fine.  It was warm and comforting, and while others may take issue with calling it a utopia, she had no better word to describe it.  Wrapped in a gentle aura that sustained her body, the redhead had no need to breathe and could even forgo eating and sleeping if she chose to do so.  The warmth of her surroundings was never uncomfortable and the heavy odor hanging in the air was something she had long since grown accustomed to.

Even without anything to do in the paradise her kouhai created, Gudako wasn’t bored.  Just listening to the steady beat of a distant heart was so relaxing, and it wasn’t always just her either.  Through her Noble Phantasm, Mash could invite anyone into her utopia to visit the redhead whenever she’d allow.

“My, you’re rather deep today.”  As the world around her settled from some turbulent motion that changed up the orientation of the gravity, Gudako stretched out and inhaled deeply of the pungent, addictive scent swirling around her.

“Yeah, well somebody decided to order beans and toast from Boudica last night.”  Remembering the powerful winds that rushed through Mash’s Camelot the night previous, she wasn’t exactly complaining, simply stating her reasons.  “I was almost blown out of your body while you were sleeping, so I traveled deeper to avoid being unknowingly evicted.”

Remembering the tasty, traditional Welsh dish the red-haired queen prepared for her the night previous, Mash couldn’t help but giggle that such a small thing caused her Senpai a bit of trouble.  It wasn’t so easy to exit her utopia that a bit of gas could blow someone out, but having Gudako crawl deeper into her intestines to avoid it was a pleasant reminder of how much she enjoyed herself in her.  “Senpai, how could you be worried over a bit of g-huh?”  As she was about to tease the tiny Master residing in her bowels a bit, Mash felt something grab hold of her senses.  While the sensation was different from drowsiness or intoxication, it’s effect of creating a dissonance in how she perceived the world was similar.  It was as if she was sinking further into her bed while simultaneously floating off of it, and the room was fading from her view.  “What’s happening?!”

“I just wish I could do more and keep Senpai safe…”

Recognizing not just the voice, but also the tone in which it was spoken, Mash empathized with the innocent wish.  The wisher was just like how she used to be.  A self with a fragile strength, not yet resolved to do as was needed for her Senpai.  Still too afraid to impose her will on those around her without being pushed to the point that she couldn’t turn away anymore…  A self that just watched helplessly as her Senpai broke down in tears from the weight of responsibility she had taken on herself.  Images flooded her mind of a journey she never embarked on, with a dark-haired man she never met before but loved with all of her heart as she did with her Senpai.

“Ah… so there is another Senpai that needs this strength.  Another Senpai to protect… to guide…”  The force pulling on her too strong to resist even if she wanted to, Mash closed her amber eyes and smiled as everything faded to white.

The Wandering Sea, Novum Chaldea

????, Northern Atlantic Ocean

Clutching the most recent Holy Grail they collected tightly to her chest, just thinking of all the hardships she had witnessed Ritsuka endure made Mash feel so powerless.  He protected the world countless times, got no recognition for it and instead got interrogated for his efforts.  Yet when the ones that denied him needed his help again, he didn’t hesitate to step onto unknown battlefields once again.  But she could see the cracks forming in his heart with each Lostbelt they denied.  “Senpai…  Senpai…”  Falling to her knees, sitting on the floor, with nobody watching Mash couldn’t keep her tears from welling up as she wondered what would be her Master’s breaking point.  “Senpai… please…  You’ve done enough.”

As selfish as it was, a small part of her wanted to care for the teen boy more than protecting humanity.  When weighing the nebulous concept of the ‘world’ with the person she could hold in her arms, she’d toss the world aside for her Senpai, her Master, her friend and most cherished, if she had too.  Especially if it was the cause of the pain and anguish that he desperately hid from her and his other Servants, even if he’d never ask her too.  From this one small, despairing, part of herself, she could vividly see what she feared the most to come, the young Magus doubled over on the floor, a hand clutching his chest as he beat his fist against the ground until it bled.  His charming face scrunched up as tears stained his cheeks, wailing out as the pain was too much, the pressure too heavy and sacrifice too great for him to process.

But from that image, she started to hear it.  A voice unfamiliar and yet all the same unmistakable, screaming until her voice went hoarse only to cry out even.  Her vision of Ritsuka, continuously beating his fist against the ground shifted, his shoulders becoming more slender and soft, his arms thinner and less muscular.  The black pants of his uniform turned into stockings and a skirt and his dark hair grew out, blossoming into a vibrant, brilliant red, tied off to the side of her head with a yellowish-orange scrunchy.

From this vision of a girl she had never met, memories she had never made flooded into Mash’s head, of a meeting and journey similar to hers with her Master, but different altogether.  An alternative route to stopping Goetia, traveling to Singularities that seemed as beautiful, wondrous and dangerous as any of the lands she traveled to with Ritsuka, with fights no less perilous and encounters no less forgettable or enjoyable.  Even with the heat radiating from the object she held to her chest, Mash couldn’t help but be fascinated by the adventure that she hadn’t witnessed play out in her mind, all leading up to the scene before her of a Master finally succumbing to a responsibility too great for any normal human to endure.  It was a failing on her part that she had yet to commit, but inevitable if she did nothing, changed nothing.

“But what can I possibly…?”  While she had been able to regain some of her abilities as a Demi-Servant since the attack on Chaldea, Mash’s new combat capabilities paled in comparison to those she had while Galahad still dwelt inside of her.  She was all too aware of the drop in her strength, and it was only by a miracle of circumstance that she had been able to support Ritsuka well enough to postpone such a breakdown so far, but with the shape her Spirit Origin was in now…

“Be stronger.”  Inside her head, a voice identical to her own whispered to her from within her Spirit Origin, like an echo.  “Protect our Senpai.”

“But how- yeeep!”  As the voice faded, Mash felt something pass into her from the Grail she was holding and bounced from the unexpected sensation.  Looking at the golden chalice, for a moment it looked like her reflection was smiling back at her with a stern but supportive expression in her amber eye which vanished with a blink.  “What was that?  Oh no!  I… there was still some magical energy in this and I used it!  What do I do?”  Panicking at the accidental use of a powerful relic, the lilac-haired Demi-Servant couldn’t even understand why it did what it did.

“Hey?  Mash?  What happened?”  In her head, she heard the voice of the red-haired girl she just had a vision of trying to communicate with her, seemingly just as confused as she was.  “I don’t know what it is, but everything feels… different now.”

“Huh?  Who-!?”  Even though she hadn’t met the girl before, a name as precious to her as ‘Fujimaru Ritsuka’ came to mind as Mash was trying to figure everything out.  “Gudako… san?”  Referring to the girl with ‘-san’ felt weird and wrong.  “But how is a person from fake memories…?”

“Fake memories?  Mash, what are you…?  Wait, that tone.  You’re not my Mash!  Wh-Where am I?  Mash?  Mash, where are you!”  Freaking out, the teen girl called out for her Servant but received no reply.

Or at least, not the one she was expecting.  “Wait, wait.  Please calm down, Gudako… senpai(?).”  There was generally no end to strange visitors showing up in Chaldea, but they were usually Servants wandering in for some reason or another.  Somehow, Mash knew that the girl she was communicating with wasn’t just human, but also bound to her in a Master/Servant contract if she was able to establish a telepathic bond.  “I don’t know what you mean by ‘your’ Mash, but I am the only Mash Kryielight here, Demi-Servant to Fujimaru Ritsuka.”  Trying to quickly grasp the unprecedented situation she found herself in, Mash had already formulated three possibilities for what had actually happened.  “And you’re Fujimaru Gudako… are you not?  Where are you, and how are you talking to me?”

“Y-Yes, I am, but I don’t know what’s happening.  I was just relaxing in my Mash but then there was a sudden jolt and everything felt… off.”  Even without speaking, there was a trepidation to the girl’s words.  “Mash and I were just talking, then I was talking to you.  Do you know where she is?”

Looking around, there was no sign of anyone other than herself in the room.  Having multiple versions of the same Servant wasn’t anything Chaldea, but with the exclusion of Divine Spirits possessing compatible human vessels, the only current case of two Pseudo-Servants sharing an altered Spirit Origin on file were Assassin and Saber Ryogi Shiki.  While the nuance of her own circumstances were a bit different than those of Pseudo-Servants, it was probably possible for another version of herself to one day come to Chaldea.  However, there was nobody else in the room with her.

“I’m sorry, Gudako-senpai, but I am not seeing anyone else here.  I believe I heard someone speak in my head with my voice before you started talking to me, but if you meant to speak with that version of me instead…”  With no real evidence to support the prominent theory she was formulating, if the new memories in her head were indeed the experiences of an alternate version of herself residing within her, then it would stand to reason that rather than cross over into this world as a new existence, the other Mash instead synchronized with her Spirit Origin.  The main difference between a Demi-Servant like her and Pseudo-Servants was that she lacked a Spiritual Form that would make it easier to travel to different dimensions.

“This… this doesn’t make any sense.  I was just relaxing in my Mash, and then in the middle of our conversation I was talking with you.”  Not being able to wrap her head around what was happening, Gudako’s panic was starting to get to her.  “Where is this place?  What’s going to happen to me?”

The question of what was going to happen to the alleged interdimensional traveler raised a more important revelation.  While Chaldea had been infiltrated a number of times in the past, it generally took some sort of Presence Concealment skill or interference by a powerful being to not set off the alarms in place to warn of intruders.  If Gudako really was in the facility somewhere, why were there no alarms going off?

Sure that the resident master detective would have put all the pieces together by now, as an avid Holmesian herself, Mash wanted to get to the bottom of his mystery herself.  However, even as she asked the question, she felt like she knew the answer already and held a hand to her stomach.  “Um, Gudako-senpai?  You keep saying you were ‘in’ your Mash, not ‘with’ her.  What do you mean by that?”

“Huh?  What do you mean ‘what do you mean’?  You obviously have ‘Form Camelot’… don’t you?”  This news was not helping the redhead’s anxiety of being transported to a strange place by herself.

“‘Form Camelot’?  Is that a Noble Phantasm different from ‘Lord Camelot’ and ‘Mold Camelot’?  Please, I’m just as confused as you are, Senpai.”  Nothing was becoming any clearer, nor would it if they panicked.  The first thing Mash needed to focus on was calming Gudako down.  “Could you tell me more about it?”

Unknown Camelot?

Mash(?)

Even though she was different from her Mash, the kindness and concern in her voice was exactly the same, which went a long way in helping Gudako compose herself.  It wasn’t like this was the first time she had found herself in a strange place, completely cut off from her friends and allies, with nothing but the Mystic Code on her back.  If anything, despite being in the bowels of another living creature, this was likely the safest place she’d ever been transported to.

There was something that was different about this ‘Camelot’ as opposed to her own Mash’s utopia, but it was difficult to put into words.  With all the time she spent in her Mash, it was a feeling that likely only she could notice, since even the most affectionate of Servants back in her Chaldea couldn’t stand residing in Mash for extended lengths of time.  Yet at the same time, it was familiar enough that, deep down, reassured her that she was still in good, if a bit inexperienced, hands.

Taking a deep breath and savoring the heavy scent of another Mash’s bowels, Gudako got her emotions and thoughts in order.  “You’re right.  Sorry about that Mash, I lost myself for a second there.”  Sitting down she reclined into the warm, squishy flesh tunnel that surrounded her.  “My Mash lost her Noble Phantasm after we defeated Goetia at the Temple of Time, so I don’t know what your ‘Mold Camelot’ is, but ‘Form Camelot’ was the strength she manifested to defeat the Crypters when they attack our Chaldea.”

“You actually fought them off!?  We were forced to flee and perform a Zero Sail at the last moment when Kadoc, Anastasia, Koyanskaya and Rasputin attacked with the Oprichnik.”  Impressed by the great achievement, given the size of the invasion force and the strength of ones that led them, Mash had to wonder what kind of powerful Noble Phantasm ‘Form Camelot’ had to be.

It was a memory that was burned into the teen girl’s mind, as unforgettable and inspiring as it was terrifying.  “I can still see it, the barrel of a gun pointed at my head and the unfeeling mask of the Oprichnik soldier that was ready to execute me.  There was nothing any of us could do, they were strong enough to fight Servants, and we had been forced to cancel all of the contracts I made with Servants over the course of the Grand Order.  Mash’s body was unable to handle the strain of transforming into her combat form too, though it was a miracle she was even alive at all, but even that was about to be snuffed out.  We were defenseless, which was exactly what they were waiting for.  Sure, they didn’t know about Holmes since he and Da Vinci-chan falsified the report of his departure since he manifested on his own, and had been on his way to save us but before he could act, Mash’s emotions outweighed her rationality.  She knew if she fought that she'd likely die, but chose to use her barely functioning Spirit Origin to protect her friends and punish those that dared bare their fangs at us.”

Within her own memories, Mash could vividly recall the similar events of their own experiences with assault that forced them to abandon their home, and the sacrifices that came with that escape.

“Her new Noble Phantasm, Form Camelot, was the manifestation of that desire.  Da Vinci-chan, after the attack was repelled, formally named it ‘Form Camelot - The Distant Utopia That Resides Within Me’ since it sequestered allies into a sanctuary inside of her body, which is what I mean when I say I’m ‘in’ my Mash.  Since it is supposed to be a place where no fighting is necessary, it cleanses all buffs and debuffs affecting everyone while they’re inside it and applies a number of defensive buffs and continuous healing to someone that leaves it for a short time.  It also can trap and continuously damage enemies, using their own Mana to heal her own wounds and perpetuate the duration of the Noble Phantasm.”  While she was still very fond of her Mold Camelot, Mash couldn’t help but be envious of the powerful offensive capabilities and impressive protective properties of Form Camelot.  “Because there were so many Oprichnik soldiers, Mash was able to constantly redeploy her Noble Phantasm, defeating Kadoc’s Servant as well as Koyanskaya and Father Kotomine and capturing Kadoc.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!  We still haven’t been able to defeat Koyanskaya or Rasputin, so they sometimes come and interfere as we’re clearing the Lostbelts.”  Even though they had been forced to cooperate with the founder and leader of the NFF Services a couple of times already, Mash couldn’t deny that she was still more than a bit upset with the Alter Ego Servant ever since she used such a deadly poison on her Senpai.  Hearing that there was a version of her that beat her before she could do the same in an alternate timeline was both satisfying and reassuring.  “But, wait…  If you were currently in Form Camelot, does that mean you were in combat just now?”

Mash’s Camelot

Large Intestines

“Oh, no, no.  I just like it in Mash.  Technically, after the first time she used it, Form Camelot doesn’t create a new utopia each time she deploys it, but instead transports allies and enemies into the permanent ‘accommodations’ that remain in her permanently.  While I was able to keep myself together during the Restoration of Humanity… clearing Lostbelts has been difficult for me.”  Remembering her more foolish, and in a way self-destructive coping methods in the past, Gudako hugged her knees into her chest and leaned back into the comforting fleshy walls around her.  Even if it wasn’t her Mash, it was still comforting all the same.  “If you’ve been fighting Crypters over here, then I’m sure you’ve experienced it too.  The… responsibility of denying a Lostbelt establishing itself as a foundation of humanity.  It’s heavy.  Too heavy.”  Through the subtleties of how a person’s body physically expresses their emotions, because Mash is Mash no matter which world she is in, Gudako felt the Demi-Servant’s confliction with their mission.  The change in breathing rhythm, the quickening of her heart rate, the tensing of muscles.

“Senpai… he’s doing everything he can, but…”  The depth of her concern for her Master in this world was profoundly conveyed, and the redhead didn’t need elaboration to understand.

“Since we defeated Kadoc first, clearing the Russia Lostbelt wasn’t difficult, especially with how effective Mash’s new Noble Phantasm was against large armies.  But when I learned what denying a Lostbelt meant… I bottled it up.  Even if I didn’t fully know it at the time, after what I did in Russia, I couldn’t let myself stop or else I wiped out all of those people for nothing.  I couldn’t stop, I wouldn’t stop.  And with each Lostbelt after that I worked that much harder to make the sacrifices worth it.  Even as I was questioned and asked if the Proper Human History was worth denying all of those peaceful timelines, I couldn’t just let myself and my friends vanish without a fight.  So I fought, and fought, and fought, and fought.  Through South-East Asia, Mash tried to stop me so many times, telling me to rest, to take care of myself or just to talk to her… but I wouldn’t listen.”  Looking back now, she could see how unhealthy of a mind set that was.  Even in the moment she knew, but the weight of entire worlds pushed her forward.  “My smiles became a mask to hide the pain, and each time someone tried to talk to me, I’d always say the same thing. ‘I’m fine’, ‘Really, it’s no big deal’, and ‘I’m the only one who can do it’.  Nobody could get through to me… until after that mission where I ran into Peperoncino, when we cleared the second Lostbelt.  She saw right through me, and while she was able to escape in the chaos of the final battle, she got to me with her parting farewell.  If it wasn’t for Mash, I don’t think I would have escaped.”

Until then, her Mash had never used Form Camelot on her, or anybody, without their consent, but that didn’t stop the Mages and non-combat staff, all the people that she had rescued that knew from fearing what she could do.  Mash had the ability to keep non-Servants in her Camelot indefinitely if she so wished, it took next to no effort for her, so those that didn’t know the lilac-haired girl as well as the surviving members of Chaldea’s original staff felt they were only free from her bowels of her own benevolence.  While Gudako knew Mash would never leave someone in her for longer than to guarantee their safety, the fearful attitudes of those in charge that knew of her ability spread to those that didn’t.

“And when we got back to base… I broke.  I cried and screamed until I passed out, questioning if what I was doing was right.  Despite me yelling at her to leave me alone, Mash stayed by my side the entire time, holding me down by force to keep me from hurting myself then embracing me gently when I finally calmed down.”  As belligerent as she was at the time, Gudako wasn’t able to see how much it hurt her adorable kouhai to see her like that.  Behind the kind smile in the face of unwarranted insults and self-deprecation, Mash was in as much pain as her.  “After that, Mash stopped being so… lenient with me.  She acted as an intermediary between me and the higher ups, whether they liked it or not, and managed my schedule so that I’d never overwork and stress myself out like that again.  There was resistance from some of the Clock Tower Mages, of course… but Mash wouldn’t back down and kept pushing them as far as necessary to get her way.  I don’t think she ever actually threatened any of them, but she wouldn’t correct any misinterpretations either, which alienated her from everyone who didn’t know her.  And of course, she had me spend more and more time in her body after my breakdown.  While I trusted Mash with my life, at first it felt a bit odd but after I got used to it in here I became more and more reluctant to leave.  Surrounded by Mash, I was so safe and protected, I could rest comfortably without worry and I could talk to her about anything that bothered me.  It was a paradise like no other.”

And even if the new ‘utopia’ she found herself in wasn’t the same as the one she was so familiar with, Gudako could feel the same sort of assurance and potential comfort as she nuzzled into the intestinal walls around her.

Relieved that her other self was about to help and properly support the redhead in their world, there was only one thing of immediate concern to her.  “I’m so happy to hear that, Gudako-senpai.  I’ll have to do my best to help Senpai so he doesn’t have to experience something similar… but what kind of place is this ‘utopia’ that Form Camelot creates?  You keep saying that you’re ‘inside’ of your Mash, but is that because the Reality Marble it creates was contained within her body to make it easier to maintain?”

“No… not quite.”  Thinking about how to best explain how the Noble Phantasm functioned, and why it unnerved so many people, Gudako wasn’t sure she even understood it well enough herself.  “Hmm…  Well, if you have my Mash’s memories, you should already know how to use it and what it does.”

Though she had been receiving snippets of the other Mash’s memories whenever Gudako mentioned an event or person, Mash was avoiding actively searching through the massive amount of information that she had received.  It didn’t feel like another person’s life that she was prying into, but at the same time it was distinct from her own and she didn’t want to get the two confused.  However, through a combination of visions of enemies and monsters flying towards her as well as conversations with a number of allies and enemies pulled into her Noble Phantasm, Mash understood the underlying principles of how Form Camelot functioned and blushed.  “I eat them!?”

There was no better, succinct way of summarizing the activation of the foreign Noble Phantasm.  Both allies and enemies are drawn towards her mouth through a powerful vacuum force and reduced in size to pass through the opening to her personal ‘Camelot’, her mouth!  She can then send her allies to her intestines, keep them in her mouth, send them to her breasts or hide them away in her uterus or womb and can move them between each location at will.  Her enemies, however,  are trapped in her stomach where she’d attempt to digest them and use their magical energies to perpetuate the combat functions of the Noble Phantasm.  In particular, she recalled her conversation with Koyanskaya and how she teased the cold, merciless woman each time she’d manage to escape her stomach only to reactivate the Noble Phantasm from the energy she got from the Oprichnik soldiers that she was able to digest.  It only took a couple of uses, but the pink-haired disguised fox woman perished in the other Mash’s belly, which she was able to tell contributed greatly to the ease they had to clearing their Lostbelts.

Giggling at the innocent reaction to the true function of the powerful technique, Gudako remembered teasing her Mash after she fought off the first assault.  “My Mash was such a glutton too.  Even though the enemy’s Magic Resistance can protect them from it, near the end of our fight in South America she was actually able to use it on the Lostbelt’s King, Tezcatlipoca and defeat him with it.  I told her her waistline was going to hate her for that one.  Luckily for her, Form Camelot transforms enemies into 100% Mana.”

An image of the powerful Aztec deity flashed through Mash’s mind at the mention of the battle, an immense jaguar-like creature that stood at the shoulders taller than any of the Demon God Pillars she had faced before.  In particular, the look of utter shock on his face as he was sucked into a body so much smaller than his own was a bit humorous, if she was being honest.  “But there’s no way I could…  Wait!  Does that mean you’re…”  Poking at her midsection, Mash’s face turned a uniform shade of red as she realized where the girl she had been talking to had been the entire time.

“Your bowels are a lot like my Mash’s.  Very warm and squishy, it’s very relaxing.”  By her tone, it sounded like Gudako had no problem with where she was and no intentions of asking to be released.

Freaking out that she had been holding a person in such a filthy space, let alone someone who felt as precious to her as Ritsuka did, Mash quickly found the method to release occupants from her ‘paradise’.  “Hold on a moment!  I’ll get you out in a moment.”

“Wait, don’t!  If I really am in an alternate timeline now, that means I’d be a foreign existence in your world.  Form Camelot protects those inside it, but there’s no telling how your world might reject me if I come out.”  There was some truth to what the redhead was saying, enough to make Mash reconsider her course of action.  “Right now, we know I’m safe in here, plus I basically lived in Mash back in my world.  Could I stay for now?  Or is it too much trouble?”

“I mean…  It's not a problem for me.  I probably wouldn’t have even noticed you if you didn’t call out to me, but I can’t believe that someone would want to stay in my… my…  in there.”  The embarrassment becoming her main concern since it seemed like those inside her were granted various protections, Mash wasn’t sure if she’d ever get used to the idea.  “Musashi was able to travel between worlds just fine, are you sure you don’t want to come out?”

“But Musashi is… different, a special case among special cases thanks to her Mystic Eye.  It literally makes the wielder’s desired result as ‘inevitable’, so she wouldn’t travel to any world that would fundamentally reject her.  I might not have been so lucky.”  Though it might have been a pessimistic way of looking at it, there was merit in that despite the hardships she encounters on her travels, Musashi does seem to manage to not get the attention of the Counter Force wherever she goes.  And as someone strong enough to fight Servants, that was quite unusual.  “C’mon Mash, please?”

Rubbing her belly, Mash couldn't think of a counter, as much as she wanted to.  Though with her persistence and lack of even a single complaint, Mash sighed and gave in.  “Okay, but if you want to come out, just let me know.”  Standing up, Mash finished what she actually came into the room for, namely safely storing the now truly empty magical wish granting artifact in a containment field.

“Thanks Mash!  You’re the best.”  Taking comfort in how content her little tenant was with her living arrangements, Mash smiled as she exited the room.  Now she could fully understand the final message from her other self.

“Be stronger.  Protect our Senpai.”

“I promise I will.”

The Next Morning

After spending most of the night talking with Gudako about her adventures and missions, Mash was worried that getting up and going about her duties would disturb the sleeping redhead.  While getting up proved to be fine, she was still a bit more conscious of how she was walking to ensure she didn’t wake her up.  Standing more straight, taking more controlled steps, keeping her arms folded in front of her as she walked, it had far fewer unnecessary movements compared to how she normally walked.  As she turned the corner to approach the dark-haired teen Magus’ room, she was surprised to see him coming out, already dressed in the black and grey Arctic region version of the Chaldea uniform.

“Senpai?  Where are you going?  You only just got back yesterday, you need to rest properly!”  Rushing over to him, she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt to keep him from walking off.  Thanks to Servants like Irisveil, Medea Lily and Asclepius, his external injuries were all healed up, but he still looked to be in terrible shape.

However, he still did his best to offer her a weak smile.  “Oh, morning Mash.  You’re looking as cute as ever.”  Resting a hand on her head, he tried to get her to let go of his shirt.  “We need way more Genesis Eggs for all the new Servants I’ve been summoning, so I was about to head out to collect some.  I’m sure Rama will be happy to get to throw around his Noble Phantasm too.”

There was little risk to him going out to gather resources, but it didn’t look like he had gotten much, if any, sleep at all.  Even if it was just a minute Singularity that they cleared the day prior, the strain of such frequent Rayshifts only added to the deterioration of his mental health.  “Can’t you do that tomorrow?  You need to sleep more.  Please, just rest for today.”

Chuckling softly, he pulls her hand away from his sleeve.  “You’re such a worrywart Mash.  It’s no big deal.”  As if to dismiss her concerns entirely, he turned to head towards the Command Room.  “I’m fine.”

The young Magus’ nonchalant dismissal of his own well being, the words that he chose to try to reassure her, instead brought memories from her other self to the surface of her mind.  Seeing the red-haired teen dressed in a similar outfit as she pushed herself further and further, not resting or taking care of herself until she was doubled over on the ground crying her heart out.  Because of the differences in their journeys, it had taken Ritsuka a bit longer than Gudako, but he was nearing his breaking point.

Clenching her hands into fists, Mash reached out and grabbed the young Master before he got too far, dragging him back into his room.  “Please, Senpai… if only just today, rest.”  Blocking the door so he couldn’t get out, it was all she could do to hold back the tears as she stared at the floor.

Ritsuka, while surprised a bit by her forceful methods, could see that she had his best interests in mind.  However, he couldn’t afford to simply do nothing for an entire day.  “Mash, I know you’re worried, but we need more resources to fight the Crypters.  I’m the only one who ca-!”

“I SAID ‘REST’!”  Cutting him off, her voice almost cracking from the frustration at herself for allowing him to push himself for so long, she wasn’t going to let him burn himself out.

To see the timid Demi-Servant assert herself so uncompromisingly was a rare sight, especially out of combat.  Ritsuka couldn’t think of the last time she raised her voice at him, so he was taken aback by it.  “Uh… s-sure.  Yeah, you’re right Mash, sorry.”  Despite still wanting to spend the day gathering more resources, he couldn’t fight those fierce, tearful eyes.

Equally surprised by her own actions and the result of them, Mash quickly composed herself and turned to leave the room.  “G-Good…  I’ll bring you some breakfast in a bit.”  Leaving before he could even reply, the lilac-haired girl leaned against his door as she reflected on what she had done.  “I… I can’t believe I raised my voice towards Senpai!”

“You did good, Mash.  If he’s anything like I was, he wouldn’t have listened to you otherwise.”  While she wasn’t able to hear Ritsuka’s side of the conversation, Mash’s words were much easier to comprehend.

Placing a hand on her belly, Mash calmed down rather quickly and began walking towards the kitchen to fetch her Master something to eat.  “Oh, good morning Gudako-senpai.  I hope I didn’t wake you with that.”  In seeing her Master neglect his health yet again, she had momentarily forgotten about the redhead in her bowels.  Strange as the thought was that there was now a person living in her large intestines, she had to admit it was a oddly pleasing too.

“I’ve gotten pretty used to Mash moving around while I sleep, so no worries there.  I see being a stubborn fool seems to be something he and I share, but you shouldn’t worry about it.  I’m sure he understands you were just thinking about his well being.”  Trying to make sure that Mash understood how important it was to not be lenient with the young man, Gudako was happy that she was at least taking the first few steps in the right direction.  “You just need to keep convincing him to take better care of himself.”

“That’s not quite right, Gudako-senpai.  I didn’t, couldn’t, convince Senpai to listen to me.  In the end, I told him to rest and he didn’t agree with me.  He didn’t want to.”  Remembering the shock on the handsome Magus’ face, she giggled a bit since she didn’t see him like that too often.  The awe mixed with just the tiniest bit of fear as he realized that he no longer had a say in the matter was both adorable and exhilarating.  “Senpai obeyed me.  It… it felt really good.”

Mash’s Camelot

Large Intestines

As she was rocked back and forth by the swaying of Mash’s hips as she walked, Gudako was pleasantly surprised by the Demi-Servant’s development.  Perhaps her Mash’s experiences were the catalyst she needed to commit to ‘saving’ her Ritsuka.  Of course, this was only the beginning.  “It seems like this Chaldea also has no shortage of Servants trying to monopolize their Master’s attention, but it’ll be interesting to see how the relationship between Mash and a male Master will develop.”  Keeping her thoughts to herself, she snickered in anticipation of some good old, possibly awkward, senpai/kouhai romance shenanigans.  “Though, she’s still being far more gentle than when my Mash had to stop me.”

Fondly remembering how she was pinned to her bed with her faithful Servant holding her down, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a bit disappointed that something similar didn’t happen this time.  She looked so beautiful, desperately trying to keep her safe and despite some half-hearted protests, agreed to sleep with her that night.  Outside of Mash’s body, it was the most comfortable and sound sleep she had ever gotten, wrapped in those thin, yet powerful arms.

While she was initially worried that her Mash had left her, absorbed by this other Mash in this other timeline, Gudako felt her presence in that little outburst just now, and in the satisfaction this Mash took in forcing her Master’s compliance.  “I should have known she wouldn’t leave me so easily.”

As he put away his Mystic Code so he could go back to bed, while the thought of just slipping out now that Mash was gone had crossed his mind, Ritsuka had decided against it.  She was obviously worried about him and his health.  Looking into the mirror in his closet, it was easy to see too.  Heavy bags under his eyes, lifeless eyes and not even the hint of a smile on his lips, it was no wonder she yelled at him to go back to bed.

“Mash always was able to pick up on things like this before I even realized…”  Laying back down, he realized just how tired he still was, so now he had to agree with her.  “But still… Mash seemed a bit… different this morning.”  Unable to forget the way she stared at him, the furrowed brow and tearful eyes.  Her body language told him that she’d resort to physical confrontation if necessary, though she was trembling slightly as she dug in her heels.  She had acted in his best interests, even if he didn’t want to listen, and left him with no other choice.  “And maybe I am too tired, but for a moment… it looked like her eye flashed Alter amber…”