「 Morgan's Pov. 」
Watching Sakura finish up her breakfast, I sent her used cutlery and plate flying to the sink with a thought, causing her to look at me with some confusion. Smiling back, I moved to the table and sat myself on the seat across from her, before placing a scrying orb on the table.
She glanced at the orb before focusing back on me, and gave a confused tilt of her head. Understanding the unasked question, I gave a slight nod before starting.
"I am going to visit your mother," I said gently, and I could see her tense up. Seeing her reaction at the mention of Aoi, I softened my expression. "I planned on bringing you with me, but after snooping around a bit, I stumbled upon this," I said while tapping the orb, causing it to be filled with green mist.
Sakura, who now looked far more nervous after mentioning anything to do with her family, locked her eyes on the scrying orb as it began to play out a scene that happened a few days ago, not that she needed to know that.
I watched on as the nervousness bled out of her, instead being replaced with the familiar hollowness I had seen in the pit, as Aoi all but renounced her on the basis that her father didn't want her back.
Pushing myself up from my seat, I started to move towards her, though she didn't even seem to register the fact that I had left my spot. Sidling up next to her, I gently pulled her into me to give her some comfort.
Admittedly, this level of emotional manipulation was a tad distasteful, considering the fact that I was originally hoping for her to be a future apprentice, but knowing that I'd likely need to fill in a maternal role in the future, it was for the best to sever any lingering affection so as to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Smoothly rubbing circles on her back, I glanced down at her, seeing that her gaze was fixated on the image of her mother staring at the turned back of Kariya. "Do you want to go back to them?" I asked gently, despite very well knowing the answer.
For a girl robbed of a lot of choice in her life, any semblance of control over herself would go a long way for her, even though in this case it was the illusion of choice.
"No," she mumbled, and I felt one of her hands gripping my dress. "I don't want to go," she stated shakily, before lightly pressing herself against me. I gave a low hum of understanding, before reciprocating the gesture and moving my other hand to thread a few fingers through her hair.
"Alright then, you can stay with us from now on then," I said with a pause, before gently moving my hand and tilting her head to look up at me. I was met with a pair of slightly red and puffy eyes, and I gave her the warmest smile I could muster. "That is, if you'll have us." I punctuated my words with a raised eyebrow.
That seemed to be exactly what she was hoping for, as Sakura's eyes started to glisten, before she broke free from my light grip, and flung herself into my embrace. "Please," came her muffled voice, as I felt some moisture wet my dress. "Don't leave me," she exclaimed.
Weaving my arms around her, I showed no hesitation as I hugged her. "I'll have you as long as you'll have me," I soothed, causing her grip to tighten.
Hearing the light sobbing from the girl in my arms, I couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. I wanted to go and dump the corpse at Aoi's doorstep, but doing so now would probably be detrimental for Sakura's mental health, and whatever bond we were currently forming.
Sighing slightly, I just continued forming soothing circles on her back with my hand. There was no rush regardless, Sakura needed this, and I would be remiss to not give her what she needs right now.
Aoi could wait another hour or two before I dump her deadbeat husband on her porch.
~~Fate/False Order~~
「 Morgan's Pov. 」
Donning my veil once more, I discarded the tiara part of my getup for now, and teleported in front of the gates of a large house, located on the outskirts of Fuyuki.
I could see a few subtle Bounded Fields littering the front garden, though none of them seemed to be harmful, more on the lines of warding anyone, other than those keyed in, from thinking of entering the premises.
Seeing that there was nothing to fear, I disregarded the house's 'defenses', and instead chose to bring out Tokiomi's corpse from my shadow. It was placed atop a stretcher I had taken from a burning ambulance, and I had done the courtesy of placing a white linen sheet atop his corpse.
As I walked up to the house's front gates, they swung open, allowing me to walk into the front yard, with the stretcher following me in tow. The moment I entered the range of the Bounded Fields, I felt their effects crumble upon contact, only to repeatedly try once more to affect my thoughts of closing in on the house.
Not minding it one bit, I made my way to the front door, and patiently pressed the doorbell.
I knew that Aoi was home, the same went with Rin, as I had scried to check if both were home before I had left, and I knew that Aoi had felt me pass through the Bounded Fields.
So I waited…
And waited…
Until finally the door creaked open, revealing a woman with dark green hair staring up at me, while trying her best to look as nonplussed as possible that someone had made their way to her front door.
There was one small problem with all of this… Aoi stood me up for six minutes…
"Tohsaka Aoi, I presume." I intoned neutrally.
The woman merely nodded her head, while subtly glancing at the covered body behind me. "Yes, that's me. May I know who's asking?" She probed with a slight edge to her tone.
"Morgan Pendragon," I said curtly, and I could see her tense up at the declaration, instantly assuming I was a Servant, which wasn't technically wrong I suppose, but it was best to nip her assumption in the bud. "Not the one you're thinking of," I drawled.
I could see her body slightly relax due to my explanation, though she still looked mildly on edge. "And what are you doing here, Ms. Pendragon?" She questioned, and I gave a slightly dismissive scoff.
"I am doing a house call, seeing as the Grail War is over," I explained, and like that her stance grew guarded once more.
Not waiting for her to question my statement, I waved my hand, and the stretcher rolled up next to me. "Even if you question my truthfulness, the fact of the matter is that the Grail War is certainly over for your family." As the last word left my lips, the white linen sheet flew off the stretcher, revealing Tokiomi's corpse.
A gasp left Aoi's lips as her eyes landed on the pale corpse of her husband, and her legs started to shake like a newborn fawn.
Not caring for her sudden change of demeanor, I pressed on. "Estimated time of death is sometime four days ago, and the cause of death was a stab wound on his back which managed to puncture his heart," I listed off clinically, watching as the woman seemed to rapidly pale, before wobbling past me, using the stretcher's handles to stop herself from collapsing.
"His body was found in the local church, on one of its pews, but after taking a sweep of your home, I found a large puddle of his blood in his office, which leads me to believe he was stabbed in the back by either his Servant or someone he trusted," I continued while idly observing Aoi, who had started sobbing over the body.
"Taking into account that Archer has been confirmed as one Kotomine Kirei's newest Servant, and the fact that the stab wound didn't completely skewer itself through Tokiomi, I can conclude that he was killed by his student, likely in some sort of test by Archer to see if Kotomine was a worthy Master," I added, and my words caused Aoi's head to snap in my direction.
"No," she exclaimed in a shaky tone of voice. "Kirei would never be so cruel to do such a thing to his teacher! He'd never!" She yelled desperately.
I couldn't help but feel some dark amusement at her fierce defense of her husband's murderer, but I tried my best not to let that amusement seep into the tone of my voice. "Ah, but you see, after looking through Tokiomi's office, I found an Azoth dagger lying around, which matched the dimensions of the stab wound. And from my understanding, your family hands those down to your students as a graduation gift," I said with some interest, before continuing. "I can only assume that Kotomine stabbed your husband in the back, right after receiving it when the opportunity presented itself."
At this point, her knees gave out, and she slumped to the ground, her hand loosely grasping on the rails to the stretcher.
The look on Aoi's face made the resemblance between herself and Sakura almost as clear as day, with the absolute hollowness present in her eyes, displaying no hope, was quite fitting for the woman who wouldn't take back her child.
Tilting my head down to look at her more properly, I slowly shook my head. "Disgusting," I said scornfully.
My words didn't seem to reach her, causing me to click my tongue. With a snap of my fingers, two scrolls fell into Aoi's lap, which seemed to knock her out of her daze.
"What, what are these?" She asked absently, while picking up one of them.
"That one is a Self-Geas scroll, which I have signed, stating that I have not tampered, altered or analysed the Tohsaka Crest when removing it, and the other is the crest itself," I explained, which caused her eyes to bulge out when she noticed that one of them was made out of skin.
Before she could be indignant, I spoke up. "Any longer, and parts of the crest would have atrophied, ruining decades worth of research," I explained, causing her open mouth to snap shut. "Do make sure that your daughter has the crest grafted onto her within the month, as any longer will damage it without using expensive restorative potions," I added, before waving my hand dismissively.
"I encourage you to have her do it when the two of you arrive in Britain," I drawled, before turning around, not wanting to stay and continue to watch the waterworks any longer.
"Wait!" The woman exclaimed before I could take two steps, causing me to slightly turn to look at her. "What do you mean when the two of us arrive in Britain?" She asked with confusion.
Her question caused me to slightly tilt my head, as if I was looking at an idiot. "Your family and the Kotomine's have just broken an agreement with the Church and Mage's Association. And thanks to your husband's inability to control his Servant and student, the two managed to almost reveal the existence of Mystery to the mundane world," I explained in a tone one would use to a particularly slow child.
"Your family will certainly be summoned by the Lords in under a month, and I expect there to be a trial, or at the very least a hearing on what happened and your family's responsibility in the disaster that was this Grail War," I continued on in the same tone, and I could see the color drain from her face.
"I advise you to distance yourself from your husband's actions, and lay as much blame on Kotomine Kirei as possible," I added, before turning back around, no longer willing to look at the pathetic woman. "If you try hard enough, you might still be able to keep the title of Second Owner," I finished, before walking towards the gate.
"I'll see you in the Clock Tower."
~~Fate/False Order~~
「 Alistair's Pov. 」
"Goodbye."
Snapping my eyes open, I greedily inhaled a desperate breath, before deftly pushing myself up into a seated position, and tugging at my connection with Rhongominiyad, causing a golden glow of light to encompass my right arm as I surveyed the room.
The light spilling out of my arm lit up the room, allowing me to see the familiar sight of my bedroom these past few days.
The sight caused me to slowly lower my arm, its glow vanishing upon recognising my surroundings.
As I got out of my flight or fight reaction, I could hear the erratic pulse of my heartbeat, along with the fact that I was almost hyperventilating, with the speed of my inhale and exhales. Trying my best, I started to regulate my breathing.
Leaning my back on the bed's backboard, I stayed there for a few minutes, calming my body down.
It was all just a bad dream.
Leaning my head backwards, I used a hand to rub the sleep out of my face. "Fuck," I mumbled, as I felt like absolute shit.
My body felt like it was burning, and my back still felt like it was one bad deadlift from snapping.
Rhongominyad was a blessing most of the time, but right now, it was an absolute nightmare with how it continuously siphoned my Magic Core. I felt that I could only barely use my core to enact some 'weak' spells right now, and Avalon was running on fumes, causing my recovery to be so heavily delayed.
Taking in a deep breath, I slowly pushed myself out of the bed, causing my entire body to groan, and I instinctively used an arm to lean against the wall to support some of my weight.
Words could not even begin to describe how disgustingly weak the one action made me feel, but I could only grit my teeth and make do with it.
Taking one steadying step after another, I could only bear to grab whatever clothing I could that was within arms reach, as I didn't feel up to even slightly bending my back if I could afford it.
With a cluster of clothes cradled in one arm, and using the other to steady myself, I slowly exited my room, and waddled over to the bathroom.
Entering it, I threw my clothing on top of the bathroom cabinet, before locking the door and turning on the bathtub's tap, and putting the temperature on the lowest setting possible.
Seeing the condensation form around the tap caused me to internally wince, but right now I really didn't care.
Slowly unbuttoning my pyjama top, I tried my best to not aggravate my injury, before slipping it off. But as I prepared to throw it onto the pile of clothes, I almost mechanically stopped my actions, as my eyes landed on my arms.
I had long since noticed the fact that my skin was almost as pale as a corpse, that was almost impossible not to notice after I first awoke, but this…
Three thick blood red lines ran down each of my arms, in a somewhat similar fashion to Aang's airbender tattoos, but unlike him, I do not recall getting any tattoos.
Quickly discarding the shirt, I started to move my arms around, trying to see what the hell had happened to me. Looking into the mirror, I twisted my torso to look at my back, not bothering to acknowledge the pain that soured up my spine, but the action bore fruit as I saw the six lines connect to a greater line on my back.
One problem, six more lines extended from my lower back, in two groups of three, seemingly trailing down each of my legs.
I unhesitatingly ripped off my pyjama bottoms, and saw that three more lines seemed to snake themselves down each of my legs.
Looking at the tattoos, I felt a light migraine form, before just sighing and pinching the bridge of my nose.
I may not be an expert on demigods, or whatever you call people with Divinity, but I was fairly sure that some, like Gil and Cú Chulainn, had random red lines on their bodies. And seeing as I now have similar red lines, together with the fact that Rhongominyad can turn someone into a Divine Spirit, I can only assume that I have some trace levels of Divinity thanks to the lance, which has caused the lines, which amount to twelve lines in total, along with one 'conjoined' line, which just so happens to number 13 in total, like the lance's restraints.
Moving to the bathtub, I turned off the tap, as the discovery of my new tattoos had killed my wish to bathe, as I'd rather bring this up with Morgan as quickly as possible.
Stepping into the tub, I felt the ice cold water surround my feet, causing me to slightly shudder.
Maybe the cold shower idea was overrated…
Looking up at the showerhead, I threw away any thoughts of backing down, and quickly turned on the tap.
The ice cold water quickly cooled me down, and with equal speed it became immensely uncomfortable, causing me to hastily drench my hair, and wash my body, before leaving the shower in great haste.
As unpleasant as it was, I no longer felt like I was burning, though I suspect that the feeling will come back sooner rather than later…
Using an arm to lean against the wall, I cast a basic spell to expel all of the water on my body, causing it to splatter on the floor, creating a small puddle.
Moving towards the bathroom cabinet, I stared at the clothes I had brought, causing me to groan.
Socks, pants and trousers would be an absolute nightmare to put on right now, at least with my back how it was right now.
Sighing slightly, I grabbed one of the robes hanging on the wall, and smoothly wrapped it around myself.
As long as I don't run around, and give high kicks, I won't be flashing anyone, though I don't think myself capable of doing any of that right now…
Opening the bathroom door, I stopped myself from leaving the room, as I was met by a small head of purple hair staring up at me with similarly colored eyes.
"Sakura?" I said with mild surprise, while trying my best to force out a small smile. "Good morning," I greeted, earning a slight nod from the little girl.
"Good morning," she said absentmindedly, as she was openly staring at my slightly changed appearance, causing me to give an amused sigh.
Extending a hand to her, she gave me a slightly perplexed look, as if hoping for an explanation. "My age is showing, and my back is not as good as it once was," I explained before slightly wiggling my fingers. "So could you do me a favour and help me to the living room?"
Somewhat gingerly, Sakura grabbed my hand, before she started to tug me forwards.
Wobbling next to her, I still used a hand to steady myself as I followed her. "Thanks," I said, causing her to nod once more.
The quiet walk didn't take too long, as Sakura guided me to the living room, and even tried her best to help me to one of the plush chairs decorating the room. Help which I obviously accepted with open arms.
As I slowly seated myself on the chair, I felt another pang of pain jolt up my back, as I tried to seat myself down.
The pain was becoming more and more of a nuisance, but I suppose I should not complain, as apparently I was eerily close to having completely fractured my spine in that incident, so I could deal with the back pain.
The second I fully felt my body relax into the chair, I heard the door open once more.
"Alistair?"
Turning my head at the familiar voice, I gave a small smile as I saw Morgan standing in the doorway.
"Good morning Morgan," I greeted calmly, before glancing at the wall mounted clock, then back to Morgan. "Or rather, good afternoon," I corrected with a slight raise of my brow.
Instead of speaking up, she practically glided over to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder, while giving me a once over. "How are you? Any pain?" She asked tentatively.
Patting her hand with one of my own, I gave her a dubious look. "I could be better," I said with a sigh. "My back aches like all hell, and occasionally I get a spike of pain whenever I twist my torso to the side," I explained, and I could see Morgan sigh slightly in disappointment.
Seeing her move her hand, I let go of it, allowing her to cup her chin as she fixed me with a contemplative look. "We have a lot to talk about, so let's go to the office," she stated, and I raised a brow.
"Why not here?" I questioned, only for her to glance to the side at Sakura, causing me to follow her gaze, only to see that Sakura was looking at me. "What's 'hell'?" She asked in a confused and innocent tone… but more importantly in English…
Blinking slowly, I didn't answer her question, instead choosing to pat her head while slightly nodding my head. "Your English is really good," I praised, while trying to sound as neutral as possible. Unnaturally good…
Glancing at Morgan, I saw that she was pointedly not looking at me, all but confirming that this was her doing, and she was unwilling to help in the fuck-up I had unknowingly done.
Looking back at Sakura, I gave a half-hearted explanation. "It's a place where bad people go."
My words drew a small nod from her, causing Morgan to decide that she was now willing to stop pretending that nothing was happening. "Good, then let's go," she said emphasizing her statement by patting my shoulder, before looking at Sakura. "We'll be gone for a few minutes, try to entertain yourself with one of the color books," she added, before gently pulling me up.
The little girl nodded, and I slung an arm over Morgan's shoulders for support. Winking at the girl, I spoke up. "See you in a bit."
With that, Morgan started to move me out of the room, and as soon as we left, I felt a privacy bounded field form.
"What happened to your legs?" She asked pointedly, while glancing at the six red lines coiling around my legs, that poked out of my bathrobes.
I let out a slight groan before answering. "I think it has to do with Divinity, but I'm not quite sure, but I have another set on each of my arms, and they all connect to a super line on my back," I explained, while slightly tugging down my sleeve, showing the lines starting at my wrist.
Morgan let out a hum, while guiding me into the office, before gently lowering me into the more comfortable of the two chairs in the room.
"I see," she said, before tapping at the odd red symbol on her chest. "It might be something similar to me, but that's neither here nor there," she said, before seating herself behind the desk.
"We need to talk about Ciel," she stated, before continuing. "What we're going to do about her, how we are going to handle our next interaction with her, and what I have told her to set our stories straight," she explained.
Leaning back into the chair, I gave Morgan a tired look. "So this… Ciel, is she the church's 'representative'?" I questioned sceptically, something to which Morgan nodded easily to.
"She's inexperienced, and from my observations, she is on track to accidentally creating an alibi for the… Emiya's," she stated the family name as if it was something dirty, not that I disagree with her sentiment.
Nodding slightly, I gave an impressed hum. "And how did you corral a Church Executor to create an alibi for them?" I asked, and Morgan smirked.
"It was surprisingly easy, but I'd rather tell you once she finishes her task, as it will make the explanation far more amusing for me," she explained, causing me to raise a brow. "And what do you need from me to make this work?" I probed, and I could see her mouth twitch.
"Well," she started, while leaning her elbows on the desk, and interlocking her fingers. "I may or may not have exaggerated your achievements in a way that utterly terrified the little girl, so I'll need you to act it up a bit, and I'll perform some 'special effects' to sell the performance."
I gave her a flat look. "I can barely stand up straight, and you expect me to be able to play this 'role' in my current condition?" I asked rhetorically, causing her to nod.
"I'll handle it, just follow my lead and you'll be fine," she soothed, and I could only sigh.
"Anything else?" I probed, causing Morgan to slightly straighten up, and fixing me with a serious look.
Of course there was more.
"Ciel knows we are married."
Huh?
Blinking slightly, I suddenly felt immensely confused. "I beg your pardon?"
In a blink, a bouquet of flowers fell into my lap from nowhere, and I could see Morgan showing some slight amusement.
"Consider yourself hitched."
----
A/N
Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.
Sorry for the delay! My luggage was left at the airport I had flown from, so I was delayed! So I'm super sorry for that! Know that I will repent for this by drinking a lot of wine, as I sunbathe on the beaches of Santorini!
Now, just a heads up, we are leaving Fuyuki next chapter, so we'll be returning to England soon, and with the conversation Morgan had with Aoi, you all should be able to see some turbulent times ahead.
Of course, if you all have any questions or suggestions for what will happen, I'm happy to have a peek, and I might even change a thing or two.
Hop onto my Discord Server, I'd love to have a chat: https://discord.gg/HAPhryp5M2
Now, hand over those Power Stones, can't you see they are lonely when not used? Give them to me, and allow them to socialize, it's for their best... I swear...