Chapter 63: The Tomb of Albion
The Tomb of Albion
When Shirou first stepped foot into the Tomb of Albion, he did so with exceeding caution and a healthy dose of apprehension. He'd heard only bad things about the place, from both Arcueid and Lorelei, and the first impression he'd gotten, back at the Carillon Observatory, did nothing to prove them wrong or ease said apprehension.
The tunnel he had entered might smell good, like fresh air and flowers, but it also looked very ominous, with its oppressive darkness and heaps of corpses just beyond the boundary, and it positively oozed danger on top of that.
Shirou had anticipated a maze clad in darkness, haunted by countless monsters, spectres, and other horrors. A veritable labyrinth that would try to drive him insane, all while the ridiculous quantity of Magical Energy in the air did its best to flatten him. A journey that would tax and challenge him, push him to the brink of death even, and possibly beyond it.
In the end, he was only partially correct.
The quantity of Magical Energy in the air was indeed ridiculous. He'd only descended a few dozen metres so far, yet it was already thrice as potent as it had been in the Carillon Observatory. However, despite that potency that would have poisoned even the greatest of Magi in a fraction of a second, Shirou felt just fine. He could sense the massive amounts of Magical Energy around him perfectly well, but it just didn't affect him. He was like a fish in the ocean, completely at ease.
It also wasn't as dark down here as he and Waver had initially feared. There was no sunlight of course, that went without saying, and no electrical light either, but the rocks, thoroughly soaked and saturated with Magical Energy as they were, produced their own soft glow, providing him with just enough light to see his way in front of him.
As for the monsters and horrors he'd expected, they weren't nearly as problematic as predicted either. He did encounter numerous Phantasmal Beasts, each of which pounced on him like starving dogs the moment he came in sight, but they were relatively weak, easily dispatched by a single blow from Mjolnir or one of the Noble Phantasms he'd copied from Gilgamesh. Better yet, most of them even fled with their tails between their legs the moment they caught a glimpse of his hammer, their rabid aggression turning into terror in an instant.
Arcueid had been adamant that the creatures were too dumb to know when they were outmatched, meaning they wouldn't run from anyone, not even a god, but it seemed an outerversal weapon was too much even for these dumb brutes.
All in all, things were actually going pretty well for him, much better than expected. Not once had his life been in serious danger so far, and he was making excellent progress, steadily descending deeper into the Tomb, with the scent of fresh air to point him the way.
But he knew it was too good to last long. Sooner or later, the other shoe would have to drop.
This wasn't a calm stroll through a few man-made tunnels. Down there, he was practically in the Reverse Side of the World, where the Ancients still dwelt, their power undiminished by the World of Man. Soon, he would have to face creatures and beings that he could barely imagine, so far above the rabble he'd fought so far that the comparison itself was meaningless.
Case in point, the creature that was producing the loud, groaning sounds that made their way up the tunnels with regular intervals.
"_RRRUUUUUUMOOOOOOH!"
There it was again, a low, reverberating sound that made Shirou's bones tremble from the intensity.
The Phantasmal Beasts he was currently fighting, a giant, twelve-legged spider and a three-headed snake, visibly recoiled at the sound. They swayed back and forth for a few seconds, before they hastily retreated, apparently considering their safety to be more important than the intruder in their territory.
Even Mjolnir had not scared them off, but the rumbling did.
Their terror boded ill for Shirou himself, especially since the source of the sound seemed to be right in his way. If he continued following the fresh air, he would inevitably encounter the roaring creature.
Going back wasn't an option though. He had a world to save, and very little time with which to do so.
He gave some thought to finding a way around, which was probably possible, considering all these tunnels seemed to be interconnected, but that might result in him getting lost down here, which was almost definitely even worse than just facing the creature head-on.
Waver and Rin would have advised patience at this point, to take a moment to think things through, but that was not an option either. Standing still to think was a terrible idea right now. In this Domain of Monsters, his remaining humanity stood out like a sore thumb. He had to keep moving, or risk being swarmed.
In short, he couldn't go back, he couldn't go around it, and he couldn't stand still. That only left going forward as a possible option, which, while not ideal, did fit the redhead better than the other possibilities. It was an approach that hadn't failed him yet, with Sakura, Rin, the Meluastea, Lorelei, and nearly all of his other problems, and he fervently hoped it wouldn't fail him now.
So he buckled up, clutched Mjolnir a little tighter, and resumed his march with renewed vigour, following his nose and coming ever nearer to the rumbling creature.
Not long after, he noticed several changes to his surroundings.
The number of Phantasmal Beasts he encountered on his way declined rapidly, until there were none left at all. Simultaneously, the amount of Magical Energy in the air rose even further, more than it should at this depth, and it became erratic, stilted, to the point where it had to be actively painful for Mystic creatures whose existence depended on it.
The rocks and stones surrounding him produced more and more light, resembling proper lamps and torches even, until Shirou rounded a corner and they went nearly dark again, as if something had squeezed the Magical Energy right out of them.
And all the while, the rumbling increased in volume and frequency, until it was a constant background noise.
"_GGGGRRRROOOOOAAAAHHHH!"
A pause.
"_GRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!"
A pause.
"_GGGGGRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAHH!"
A pause.
It was even and constant, never once stopping, and Shirou found himself wondering not just what manner of creature was producing the sound, but also why. What was the point of constantly emitting such noises?
Or was it naïve of him to assume that he could understand the reasoning of inhuman beings?
As he continued on however, Shirou noticed that there was something nagging at the back of his head. Some kind of sense of familiarity, as if he should recognise the constant rumbling from somewhere.
The idea that he had heard its like before seemed ridiculous, as he'd never encountered a Phantasmal Beast like this, but the more he thought about it, the more Shirou's mind strayed not towards the Moonlit World, but towards the Fujimura-clan, the Yakuza of Fuyuki, headed by old man Raiga, who lived next door to him.
Surprised at his own thought-patterns, Shirou allowed his mind to go where it wanted, and it soon arrived at one man in particular.
Little Koji.
Little Koji was one of old man Raiga's most trusted underlings. He was loyal, clever, cunning, ruthless when needed, and always got the job done. His nickname was aptly chosen however. His capability and efficiency might be immense, and his heart was big indeed, but his stature was positively tiny, even for a Japanese man. He was even smaller than Sakura. Furthermore, he always ate very little, spoke softly, and his footsteps were silent as those of a mouse.
'Little' truly was a perfect description of him all around.
With one exception.
When Little Koji slept, he snored, and he snored loudly indeed. The noise was almost deafening in fact, making the windows shake and chasing away all animals in the vicinity, from the most skittish of mice to the most well-trained of dogs.
With his excellent hearing, Shirou had picked up on those snores more than once, and now, he heard that sound again, making him realise at last what he was listening to.
It was snoring!
Deafening, constant snoring, here in the Tomb of Albion, that had frightened not just him, but also every Phantasmal Beast in hearing distance.
"_GGGGRRRROOOOOAAAAHHHH!"
A pause.
"_GRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!"
A pause.
"_GGGGGRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAHH!"
A pause.
It was unmistakable, painfully obvious. Now that Shirou had made the link, it was impossible not to see it. Something down there was asleep, and its loud snores were spooking the animals, not to mention Shirou himself, just like little Koji once had. It was almost enough to make him laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Almost, but not quite.
A creature that was able to scare away Phantasmal Beasts with nothing but its snores was no laughing matter. It had to be extremely powerful and influential, sufficiently so that it almost had to be part of a higher class of beings.
Not so much another twelve-legged spider, three-headed snake, or Red Ogre, but more akin to a Sphinx or a Dragon, or perhaps even a Fae or Dwarf. A Phantasmal of the Millenium-rank at least, the sort that hadn't been seen on the surface for centuries.
Shirou couldn't be certain that he was right, and he frankly hoped that he was mistaken, but if he was truly about to encounter such a being, that was both good news and bad news.
Good, because Phantasmals of the Millenium-rank almost always had human-like intelligence, which meant peaceful negotiation was an actual option here, depending on the exact species he was dealing with. He could, for instance, offer them a bounty from his Vault in exchange for safe passage.
Bad, because a fight with such a creature, while not unwinnable for him, would be immensely challenging, not to mention a terrible waste of time. To make matters worse, the chances of this affair ending in battle were uncomfortably high, as Phantasmal Beasts, even the clever ones, were not known for their love of peaceful resolutions.
So even as he considered possible deals, making a list of items in his Vault that might interest a Phantasmal Beast, Shirou never once lowered Mjolnir, holding the hammer in front of him, ready to strike should it be needed.
It was all he could do at the moment. That, and hope that, if he absolutely had to face a Phantasmal Beast of the Millenium-rank, it would be a Sphinx or Dragon rather than a Fae or a Dwarf. The former two could be reasoned with in some way, shape, or form, through bribery or wit, but the latter two? No chance.
In this instance, the less human-like they were, the better.
In the end however, when Shirou finally laid eyes on the snoring figure, it was none of the above.
It definitely wasn't a Sphinx or a Dragon. It was, distressingly, too human-like to be either.
It couldn't be a Fae either though, or a Dwarf. The bodily proportions were all wrong, or actually correct, when judging from a purely human perspective, which didn't correspond to beings like Fae, Dwarves, or even Elves. They were supposed to be human-like, not fully human.
Okay, it could be a very human-looking Elf, but even with only his tiny bits of knowledge, Shirou was rather sure no Elf would sport such a powerful mane of hair or such a big, scraggly beard. That seemed more fit for a Dwarf, but the figure definitely wasn't a Dwarf either. It was too tall.
In fact, the more he looked at the snoring figure, the more Shirou got the idea that it resembled an actual human most of all. A big, burly, hairy human, with power matching or exceeding that of a Millenium-ranked Phantasmal, red hair, and clothes that…
That most closely resembled the armour Shirou himself had inherited from Thor.
The redhead blinked slowly, seeing the dots but not quite connecting them, until it hit him like a bolt of lightning.
It couldn't be…!
Could it?
But he was dead!
Shirou balked at his own conclusion, the very idea that he was now entertaining, and he took a clumsy step back, inadvertently making a tiny bit of noise.
"_GRRRRRROOO-"
The snoring stopped. It stopped, and intense blue eyes opened, fixing themselves on Shirou at once.
"Kuh?!"
It was as if a mountain had been dropped on him. An immense pressure, seemingly coming from the World itself, attempting to force him to his knees. A show of power and dominance, from a being that should long since have departed from the World of Man.
There was no doubt about it anymore. This was…
This was an actual god.
The next moment however, the pressure disappeared, as that powerful gaze eased up a little.
"At last." The god spoke, rising from his prone position and grabbing his horned helmet from the ground nearby. "After months of waiting, you have arrived, exactly as the Norns predicted. This makes all my effort to get here worth it."
His voice was like an earthquake, as if the mountains themselves were speaking. A rumbling every bit as mighty as his snoring, each syllable carrying enough power to break the bones of a normal man.
"Are you…?" Shirou was not so much bothered by the god's voice though, his own Divinity granting him immunity from its effects, but more by his appearance. An appearance that most closely resembled that of a certain native God of Thunder.
"Yes. It is I." The god confirmed, stepping even closer. He exuded majesty despite his scraggly look, he made the world bend with his sheer presence, and his every step shook the tunnels around them. He towered above the redhead, dwarfing him almost, looking down at him with a solemn and weighty gaze.
But then his face split into a thousand-watt grin, and all the majesty disappeared like a bubble that had been popped.
"Your older brother!"
And with that baffling declaration, he threw his arms around Shirou and pulled him into an enthusiastic, manly embrace, squeezing him so hard that his ribs creaked in protest.
"B-Brother?!" Shirou nevertheless managed to squeak out, absolutely gobsmacked by this latest turn of events, before he somehow managed to reconnect the dots after all. "M-Magni?!"
"Yes, brother. It is I!" The now named Magni confirmed enthusiastically, his hug somehow becoming even tighter. "I've been wanting to meet you since I first sensed your presence, almost a human year ago, and now the time has come at last!"
Magni.
The real, actual son of Thor.
Which indeed made him, in a way, Shirou's older brother.
Born from the union of Thor and the Giantess Jarnsaxa, Magni was the god of might and, according to some, war. Very little was known about him, either in the Moonlit World or the mundane one, though he was at least a bit famous among historians and mythology fans for being one of the very few gods who survived past Ragnarök.
The idea of this actual god, this mythical figure, being here and hugging him made Shirou's jaw hit the floor, as the little bit of common sense he had left decided to permanently vacate the premises, but he couldn't deny the evidence of his own eyes, not to mention his strained ribs.
Magni was actually here.
"…?" Shirou wanted to ask him a thousand questions and more, to demand an explanation for how this was possible, but he found he couldn't. He was still being squeezed in the bearhug, and that meant he couldn't produce a sound. "…!"
He thumped Magni on the back, and to his credit, the god understood immediately.
"Ah, a thousand pardons." He released Shirou at once, taking a small step back and inclining his head. "I allowed my enthusiasm to get the better of me."
"How can this be?!" Shirou did not acknowledge the apology though, too busy wanting proper answers. "How can a god be here?!"
"I could ask you the same question." Magni pointed out. "You have been wandering the Earth for far longer than I, brother, and without fearing banishment by grandmother Jord in the slightest. Perhaps you should look at yourself for answers?"
"I-I… My circumstances are a bit… special." Shirou replied, somewhat lamely, but he rallied again. "And I am confident that you could not have copied me! You used another way. A-Also, how did you manage to keep such a low profile?!"
Magni's snoring might have been audible all the way up in the Carillon Observatory, and his immense presence had warped the Magical Energy and scared away all Phantasmal Beasts in the area, but frankly, for an actual god, that was incredibly tame.
By all accounts, every single Magus in the Clocktower should have noticed his presence, or at least noticed the fact that an eye-wateringly powerful being had set up camp right beneath them, but they hadn't. None of them had noticed a thing.
Norse gods weren't that stealthy or subtle, and that wasn't even mentioning the fact that Gaia's influence should still be more than strong enough here to banish any deity straight back to the Reverse Side of the World, no matter their power or influence.
"I might have used a few tricks I picked up from Loki." Magni smirked mysteriously, before his expression turned a tad sheepish. "Do forgive me for not elaborating, brother, but I fear I do not understand the specifics well enough to explain them to someone else. Frankly, I am amazed I managed to apply the tricks well enough to come here in the first place. It was quite an ordeal."
"Yet you came here all the same?"
"Yes, I needed to meet with you, so that I may take your measure. We have been watching from afar until now, but when we saw that you would enter old Albion's Tomb, we realised it was a golden opportunity we'd never get again. Some of us preached patience of course, but I knew that with things like this, it is always better to take the initiative rather than sit back and wait." Magni thumped himself on the chest once, flashing a proud grin. "I was the first to volunteer, and, boy, I am glad I did so. You do not seem like a trickster or a Jotun, like we initially feared."
"Yes, I am not a Jotun." Shirou agreed, glad to have that out of the way already.
"Evidently, which is why I have decided to help you."
"…Help me?" At first blush, that sounded like a kind offer, but cold sweat nevertheless broke out on Shirou's forehead at the god's words. Help from the Divine could just as easily be a curse. Every writer and story-teller from the ancient times agreed on that. Still, refusing would be just as bad, unless he could perhaps refuse most graciously indeed. "Lord Magni-"
"Come now." The god interrupted him with a huff. "There is no need to call your own brother a lord. I never was one for stuffy titles anyway. Call me Magni."
"Magni?"
"It is my name. Use it."
"I-I..." It didn't feel right to be so familiar with a god, but then, neither did disobeying a direct order from that same god. "Are you… Are you sure it is alright to call me your brother?"
"It is what you are."
"But we are not related."
"Aren't we? I can sense my father's blood and power inside of you. How can we not be related?"
"It isn't what you think." Shirou hesitated for a long moment, wondering whether it was a good idea to be so open to a god, one he'd never met before at that, but then again, it wasn't like the information was all that sensitive for a divine being. "Look, I am not so much a son of Thor as I am the successor of a Thor from another universe."
"Oh?"
"I have no connection with your father aside from the superficial. We are not related, Magni, I am sorry."
For a very long while, Magni said nothing, staring at Shirou with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow.
"Ah, I see." He then spoke at last, sounding remarkably composed. "So that is why some parts of you remind me, ever so vaguely, of the White Titan, or those Southern American deities. You are, in a way, like them."
"I… Perhaps?"
"But how did you come to inherit this power? What manner of Magic managed to cross the boundaries between universes?"
"Mjolnir did." Shirou materialised his faithful hammer and showed it to the god, feeling oddly self-conscious all of a sudden. "It… It probably isn't as mighty as your father's version, but…"
"Odin's beard!" Magni suddenly reared back in shock, his mouth falling open in the first show of naked surprise he'd displayed so far. "That is Mjolnir?!"
"Huh? Uh, yes."
"What an incredible weapon! I have never seen its like before!"
"Huh?" Shirou blinked, wondering if he'd heard that correctly. "No, this is Mjolnir. You must have seen it many times before."
"Another Mjolnir perhaps, but not this one." Magni stared at the hammer with something akin to worship, inching closer again. "If Father had been armed with this Mjolnir during Ragnarök, the gods would still be ruling from Asgard, and it would be Surtr and his giants who lay dead and buried in the bowels of the Earth."
"…Oh." It was a very weak reaction, but then, how did one even react to such a statement? To the fact that his Mjolnir was apparently superior to the native one?
"But if you are the successor of a Father from another universe, would it then be more accurate to consider you a cousin of sorts?" Magni then wondered, before he shook his head. "No, nonsense. You are my little brother."
"We are still not related."
"Not by blood perhaps, but family doesn't end with blood, lad. You are Father's successor, the one who wields Mjolnir in his stead, and in my eyes, that makes you family. I'm sure Father would agree, if he were here." Magni placed a huge, meaty hand on Shirou's shoulder, surprisingly gentle for such a large man, before he grinned widely again. "Besides, you haven't given me any other name to call you by yet."
"Emiya Shirou." Realising that Magni was right, Shirou promptly introduced himself. "Emiya is my family name and Shirou my given name."
"Shirou then." Magni nodded, tightening his grip on Shirou's shoulder for a short moment. "Well met. Now tell me, Shirou, what brings you down here?"
"I am on a mission, to save the world." Shirou chose to reply honestly again, quite certain that Magni would not hinder or impede him. In the myths, he and his father were always on the side of humanity, and even if they weren't in this instance, they had no reason to want the world destroyed.
"Oh?" Magni's eyes gleamed with interest, as Shirou had expected. "Do elaborate."
The redhead did, quickly sketching the big picture of what he was doing. He still did not know what he would be saving the world from, so he couldn't tell Magni, but he did make sure to mention that he was acting with the support of Arcueid Brunestud.
"Ah, our sister." Magni nodded.
"…Yes, her."
He then explained that he was meant to descend into the Tomb of Albion to find a weapon of sorts, and that he needed to follow the scent of fresh air to get where he needed to be. After he'd done that, there were probably other steps to follow, until he had vanquished the mysterious threat.
"You are burdened with great purpose." Magni didn't look as enthusiastic anymore as he previously did, his smile having dimmed considerably. "I had hoped for a fun adventure, but it sounds as if you have a dire and challenging quest ahead of you. It will take everything you are willing to give, brother, and if you are not careful, much of what you don't want to lose as well."
"I am not afraid." Shirou was more than willing to pay the ultimate price if it meant keeping the world safe. That was what being a hero meant.
"You will be." For a moment, Magni's eyes radiated nothing but pure pity. "You will be."
"…"
"I wish I could help you, brother, I truly do, but in this form, I fear I am of no use to you." The older god continued, gritting his teeth in impotent frustration.
"What do you mean?" As far as Shirou could tell, Magni might not be at the height of his power anymore, or anywhere close to it, but he was still a god. Mightier than any Magus and even most Phantasmal Beasts. "You look plenty powerful to me."
"It is but an illusion." Magni shook his head, and Shirou nearly reared back in shock when the god's presence suddenly dimmed, becoming muted and distant. "Grandmother Jord would not allow me to travel this far up to the surface, no matter how much I begged or what I tried. In the end, all I could do was use some of Loki's old tricks."
"You are not actually here?" Shirou could not believe what he heard. "B-But, I touched you, and the Phantasmal Beasts fear your very presence."
"Tricks and illusions. I Projected myself here, but my true body still lies deep within the Reverse Side." Magni explained, and as if on cue, his form flickered several times before steadying again. "Speaking and touching are well within my capabilities, but I can barely fight, nor can I leave this cavern. It is not what I wanted, but this is the most that grandmother was willing to tolerate."
"Are you well?" Shirou really did not like how faint Magni's presence suddenly felt, his fingers starting to glow gold in preparation for helping him. "I can give you some Magical Energy-"
"Don't!" Magni immediately backed away however, holding up his hands. "It is kind of you to offer, but if you give me any more power, grandmother will banish me."
The golden glow around Shirou's fingers died at once, and a few puzzle pieces clicked in place.
He was now starting to understand what Magni had done. Rather than coming up here himself, which would never have worked with Gaia still banishing all gods and Divine Spirits to the Reverse Side, he'd created a sort of Astral Projection and linked it to this specific location in the Tomb of Albion, knowing that Shirou would pass through at some point. In essence, it was nothing more than an elaborate videocall. Magni could see Shirou, hear him, talk with him and even touch him, but he couldn't fight or even move far from his current position.
He truly was powerless to assist in any meaningful way aside from giving advice.
"I see." Shirou inclined his head in understanding. "It doesn't matter. I was already prepared to go down there on my own."
"Then I will not keep you much longer. You have your quest, and you have people waiting for you back home at that. You should not dally." Magni visibly swallowed his frustration, before he looked behind him, further down the cavern. "In fact, that is good advice all around. Arcueid Brunestud was correct when she warned you about the dark ones hiding down there, creatures that would attack even her and me. You have an advantage though. You are a sort of being unknown to them, and if you travel quickly and quietly enough, you might just slip past them and cross their territory while they contemplate your nature."
"What are they then?"
"Fallen Nature Spirits. Corrupted Fairies." Magni grimaced, though there was a smidge of pity in his voice as well. "Soulless and purposeless, they are life that can no longer see or hear, wandering around and smothering all else in their vicinity. Neither god nor beast frightens them, for that is an emotion they no longer feel. Individually, they are no match for you, but they are tenacious, and worse, never alone. Let us hope that your descent will remain unnoticed from now on."
"I will be as stealthy as I can." Shirou resolved to use every trick he'd learned while being Rakurai to stay under the radar. He knew little about Nature Spirits and Fae, but what he knew did not flatter. "What about you though? Will you be alright? I guess you don't have to worry about the journey back, since you never left your home and all, but are things, you know, okay down there?"
"Ha! It is kind of you to worry, but I will be fine! The Reverse Side of the World is not such a bad place. It can't compare to Earth of course, but it is hardly the hell that some of the bards believe it to be." Magni laughed, waving Shirou's concern away. "At most, it can be mind-numbingly boring, still and unchanging as it is, but thanks to you, that will not be such a problem for the foreseeable future. There's plenty for me to discuss at length with the family."
"Family?"
"Yes, my family, and now yours too." Magni nodded happily, before he frowned slightly, a smidge of concern visible in his expression. "Certainly, you are familiar with the legends and myths of your people? Are the sagas of the Aesir no longer told on Earth?"
"Oh no, they are. You are not forgotten." Shirou quickly reassured the god. "It's just that those legends claim that you are just about the only one of the gods who survived Ragnarök."
"That is sadly correct. There's Hoenir, Modi, Njord, Vidar, Vali and me, and I suppose aunt Skadi can be considered one of us too, but no one else managed to withstand the fury of the end-times." Magni confirmed sadly, his moustache drooping.
"Right, so you'll be speaking with them?"
"Absolutely, and the others too. Father in particular will be thrilled to hear about this. He'll laugh for days no doubt."
"Magni, I'm really not following you." The more they talked, the more Shirou got the idea they were talking past each other. "How can you speak with gods who are dead?"
"…By going up to them and opening your mouth." Magni replied as if it were obvious, before he laughed when Shirou cast his eyes to the ceiling in desperation. "I kid, brother, I kid. I understand your confusion, but what you must understand is that being dead is not the same to a god as it is to a human. To a deity, being dead is merely an inconvenience, rather than actually troublesome."
"An inconvenience?" Shirou deadpanned.
"Well, yes. If a god dies, they lose their original form, but they continue to exist as a Divine Spirit. Greatly diminished of course, but still quite powerful, and more than capable of carrying on a conversation."
"Right." Now the redhead finally understood, letting out a breath of relief that neither he nor Magni had gone insane over the past minute. "Right, that makes sense."
"Bwahahaha!" Still laughing at the little prank he'd pulled, Magni thumped Shirou on the back, though with surprising gentleness. "Do not worry. Our entire family still lives, and we are all supporting you from afar. I might not be able to help you with your quest, diminished spectre that I am, but if there is anything else I can help you with, do not hesitate to ask."
It was a kind offer, though one Shirou was about to politely refuse, before he realised that there was in fact something he very much wanted help with, or at least advice on.
"How do I protect humanity against Phantasmal Beasts?"
"Hm?"
"My apotheosis is causing a return of Magical Energy and Mystery to the world, and thus also of Phantasmal Beasts. They are threatening humanity, and we do not have the means to fight back against them effectively. How did you handle that in your time? You had Phantasmal Beasts as well, right?"
Shirou let it all come out in a few hurried sentences, hoping fervently that Magni would have a solution, and his heart jumped when the god nodded slowly, passing a hand through his scraggly beard.
"Aye, in our time, there were many Phantasmal Beasts as well, from the Far North to the Deep South. They threatened humanity, some by conscious design and others by pure instinct. Of course, it was their world too, but even so, something had to be done." Magni's moustache drooped at the memory, his eyes momentarily staring at something in a distant past. "Our solution was to separate you. We forbade the Phantasmal Beasts from coming anywhere near humanity, using our Authority to make sure your paths never crossed. The only exceptions to this were the Divine Beasts, whose power even we could not control, and the Phantasmal Beasts that we allowed to attack humanity, either as trial or as punishment. I am told the Greek gods were particularly fond of the latter."
"You separated them, allowing both to exist while not allowing them to hurt each other." It was a very simple solution, and one that Shirou rather liked, though simple did not mean easy of course. "Can you teach me how?"
"Of course I can. You have the power required, as well as the skill and intelligence." Magni gave him an approving look, before reaching out and drawing a few Runes on the cavern's wall. "Each pantheon of gods used their own methods, and we used our Runes, those which humanity has now dubbed 'Primordial'. The Allfather developed quite the defence system in fact, one that managed to function for centuries even past Ragnarök."
"A defence system?"
"A network of interconnected Runic Stones, which he called nodes, placed across Northern Europe. Their power has waned since the Rise of Humanity began, but the nodes should still be in place. Your task will be to find those nodes and restore them to power, before expanding the network to cover the globe."
"First step, find the nodes." Shirou promptly Traced a pen and a piece of paper, writing down the instructions. His memory might be excellent, but this was something he absolutely could not afford to forget. "I will start searching for them as soon as I'm finished in the Tomb of Albion."
"Spare yourself the trouble, brother. I will give you their locations." Taking the paper and pen from the redhead, Magni rapidly jotted down several rows of numbers, which Shirou soon recognised as coordinates. "Once you have found them, you must follow a step-by-step process to restore their glory."
On the cavern wall, Magni gave Shirou a rapid lesson in proper usage of Primordial Runes. Though he was not one of the smarter gods, being outright dumb in comparison to the Allfather, he still knew more than even a thousand human Rune-Mages, teaching Shirou things that would drive other Magi mad with jealousy, if not outright mad in itself.
As for Shirou himself, he paid better attention than he ever had in school, writing down Magni's every word. The Return of Phantasmal Beasts was something that had given him many sleepless nights, and now that a solution was being handed to him on a silver platter, he was not going to pass it up.
Unfortunately, the lesson came at a cost. Gaia might have been willing to mostly ignore Magni as long as he remained a powerless spectre, but she wasn't going to overlook so many Primordial Runes being drawn so close to the surface of the Earth, even if they weren't being used for anything. Shirou could get away with that because he was an alien, something partially outside of the Human Order, but Magni was not.
His Spectre was soon banished entirely from the Tomb of Albion, but not before he both managed to finish the lesson and say his goodbyes.
"Grandmother must really like you if she's willing to give us this much time." The look in his eyes was nothing short of wondrous as he spoke. "Normally, she would have crushed my Projection-spell into so much dust if I even as much as considered drawing a Primordial Rune."
"I don't think Gaia is conscious to such a degree that she can 'like' anyone." Shirou was sceptical however, quite certain that the being that they all called Gaia was more of a terminal than a sapient goddess. "It's probably a coincidence."
"Either way, it was most fortunate for us, but our time is now truly at an end." Magni's presence was getting fainter by the second, and this time, not just as proof that he was but an Astral Projection, but because he was being erased. "I hope my lessons proved valuable to you."
"They did." Magni had given him so much information that his mind was nearly overflowing, but Shirou had still managed to process it all. Once he was finished in the Tomb of Albion, he could set out to create a Separation between humanity and the Phantasmal Beasts, just like in ancient times. "I cannot thank you enough for this."
"Nonsense. Family must help each other." Magni gave him a grin, broad and genuine, before holding up a hand. "I would embrace you again, brother, but I lack the corporal stability. Take it as a promise from me though, that we will meet again and that I shall embrace you, come hell or high water."
"It's a promise." Shirou nodded, holding up a hand himself. "Farewell, Magni Thorson."
"Until next time, Emiya Shirou."
And with that final greeting, Magni fell apart into motes of light, and his presence completely disappeared.
It left Shirou all alone in the Tomb again, and the redhead found that, surprisingly, he almost missed the god already.
He'd been nothing like how the gods were described in the old tales. He'd been astoundingly kind and good-natured, and if he was any indication, however slight, of what the Norse gods were like in general, Shirou could not believe anyone would ever write a bad thing about them.
But then, most of them probably weren't anything like Magni.
In any case, he should not stand still for long. He still had a mission to accomplish, and if he could trust Magni, which he did, speed was of the essence, before the creatures in the dark had enough time to figure out what he was exactly.
Shirou departed again, heading into the dark, Mjolnir once more clenched in his hand.
While Shirou was off gallivanting in the Tomb of Albion, Lorelei and Rin were carrying on as usual with their duties, both of them recognising that fretting over him was useless and that there was still work to be done, regardless of where that lovable fool currently was.
Hard-working and conscientious, they had little trouble focusing their attention on what lay before them, remaining cool and level-headed as they worked to further their goals. Lorelei had to manage her Faction, her department, and whatever troubles popped up in the Magus Association every day, while Rin had to use every minute she had at the Clocktower with the greatest possible efficiency to become the best Magus she could be.
They were important and busy women, who refused to waste their time worrying about matters they could not change anyway.
That was not to say that they weren't concerned about Shirou, because they were, but he was far beyond their reach, somewhere they couldn't possibly help him, so they let go of that concern and focused on what they could do for themselves instead.
Soon, it was time for another one of their daily lessons, and as they got to work, they both did not even mention Shirou.
They talked about Magecraft for over three hours, going over various fields and theories while getting side-tracked with every sentence. It started out as a standard lesson, with Lorelei imparting knowledge onto Rin, but it soon turned into a discussion, in which they pulled apart every detail, claim, or rule they encountered with a ruthlessness that would have been cruel had they been dealing with living things instead.
They were debating fiercely, competing to see who could put together the best theories while poking as many holes as possible in the other's, and it wasn't long before it reached such intensity as to resemble a blazing row.
It only superficially resembled a row though. They were both having far too much fun to actually call it such.
The Vice Director was an immensely demanding teacher, who accepted nothing less than Rin's full effort, was quick to criticise and slow to praise, expected unwavering dedication, and considered pushing one's limits to the breaking point to be the most important part of educating a student. She seemed to take pleasure in throwing Rin into every deep end she could find and then watching her struggle not to drown.
It was harsh to the point where it bordered on cruel, and Rin could not be happier about it.
"You have improved, slightly." Lady Barthomeloi allowed when the discussion came to a close, looking marginally satisfied, which to her was the equivalent of giving Rin a good pat on the back. "Are there any questions you still have that need to be asked now?"
"Yes, is there any word about Shirou?" Now that the lesson was practically over, Rin thought it time to ask about her man. Yes, she had resolved not to worry, but there was nothing wrong with trying to get an update.
"None so far." Lorelei replied, easily shifting gears as well. "It has only been a day however, and we do not expect him back for another two. There is no reason for concern just yet."
"I wasn't concerned, merely wondering if he'd already crawled his way back up in failure." Rin smirked, though she knew already that such a thing was never going to happen. She wasn't marrying a quitter after all.
"…Shirou does not crawl." Lorelei seemed to take offense on Shirou's behalf however, turning back to Rin with a troubled frown. Likely, if Rin had been a random noble on audience with the queen, she would have been in for a scolding, but since she was very close to Shirou, Lorelei did not know what the proper response would be to such a casual insult.
It resulted in a strangely adorable look of indecisiveness, one that reminded Rin she had something she needed to talk about with Lorelei in private.
No time like the present.
"What exactly are your intentions towards Shirou, lady Barthomeloi?" She asked directly, dropping the question out of nowhere in an attempt to take the Vice Director by surprise.
The attempt failed though, as surprise was an alien notion to a woman like Lorelei.
"I intend for him to prove himself a man of character still, despite his inhumanity." She replied easily and immediately, as if she'd long since anticipated the question. "He has challenged me to a duel, and I accepted. Battle is the best way to test someone's mettle."
"So you're definitely going to fight him?"
"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" Lorelei lifted a single, immaculate eyebrow. "Do you disapprove of settling disagreements in such an overt manner?"
"Of course I don't. I would have told you if I did. I know perfectly well what Shirou is like, and your reputation precedes you, my lady." The final two words were quickly tacked on to the end of the sentence, as Rin remembered she had to show some respect still. "Fight all you like, as long as no one gets killed. I do not care. I only want to know about your romantic intentions towards Shirou."
"An impertinent question."
"But one I must ask." Rin wasn't going to be cowed or dismissed on this. She wanted to know what the Vice Director was up to, for herself, Sakura and Ayako, Shirou's actual girlfriends. "The Clocktower is abound with rumours about the courtship between you and him, and the Burial Agency even seems to believe you are married outright."
"Why is that a problem?"
"Need I remind you that I am his fiancée?" Sometimes, it was important to stake a claim and defend it, and that was what Rin now did. "Those rumours were good for a laugh at first, especially since you didn't seem to take them too seriously, but now it seems less like you are treating them as the gossip they are and more like you don't seem opposed to their contents. I apologise for the 'impertinence', as you call it, but I want to know whether you are after my man."
Back home, she, Sakura, and Ayako had joked often about Lorelei Barthomeloi joining their relationship, mainly to get a rise out of Shirou. When the attraction between the Vice Director and their lovable oaf had turned out to be more serious than expected, they had been surprised, but also seriously considered the possibility of adding a fifth person to their polyamorous romance.
But that might be easier said than done.
The potential fifth person wasn't just some random girl Shirou had met in London, someone they could accept into their midst without a hitch. It was the Queen of the Clocktower herself, a woman of immense pedigree, dazzlingly high standing, and meticulous breeding. The quintessential noble lady, who warped and upset any sort of relationship she came close to by pure virtue of her power and influence.
It made the whole situation a lot more complicated.
It was entirely possible, and even likely, that she would categorically refuse to even consider the possibility of joining a polyamorous relationship. It was utterly against the norm, exceedingly rare particularly in the Moonlit World, and not something a proper noble lady should engage in. Even Rin, who lived thousands of miles away from the heart of Magus Society and actively worked to care as little as possible about what others thought of her, had hesitated to join Shirou, Ayako, and Sakura on account of the potential scandal it could cause, the loss of face. She'd squashed that part of her, of course, but it had definitely been there.
For Lorelei Barthomeloi, it had to be a thousand times worse.
Lady Barthomeloi choosing not to join their relationship was not what Rin, Sakura, and Ayako were worried about however. It would be unfortunate for her and Shirou, particularly if they really did genuinely like each other, but it wasn't a terrible outcome.
Far worse was the possibility that the Vice Director would try to monopolise Shirou. To take him for herself and push the other three out of the picture. Nobles could be selfish and greedy after all, queens doubly so and Magi most of all.
That was the one thing that Rin would never allow, and she intended to make that crystal clear.
Her question turned out to be a fairly difficult one however, as lady Barthomeloi remained silent for a while, the gears behind her eyes turning at top speed. She was not someone to speak idly or to bandy words, so her reply, when it came, was cautious and measured.
"I have little experience or familiarity with matters of the heart, so my reply may sound ill-considered or even juvenile to your ears, but yes, Shirou is a very viable candidate for the position of my future husband. Need I explain why?"
"No. I know why. I gather it's for much the same reasons that I want him as my husband." Rin was not here to extoll Shirou's virtues and adorability, she was here to either negotiate or fight. "But the fact that I understand your attraction does not mean I accept it. I repeat, I am his fiancée, and for the record, we have two more women at home."
"I am aware of that." Lady Barthomeloi assured her, still entirely calm and composed.
"Yet you do not seem to view it as a problem." Seeing that calm expression rather rankled Rin. It suggested that the Vice Director thought she had nothing to fear from Rin, Sakura, and Ayako, that she could waltz in at any point to take what she wanted and that no one could stop her. "What exactly makes you so confident, my lady?"
"I do not believe 'confident' is the right word." Lorelei slowly shook her head, appearing a bit bemused at Rin's anger towards her. "I merely thought that if there was room for three, there would perhaps be room for four as well."
"?!"
"Was I wrong?"
"Ah, w-well, no, n-not exactly." With a single sentence, Lorelei had just taken the wind out of Rin's sails, completely throwing all her expectations on their head. "W-When you say four, d-do you mean you, me, Sakura, and Ayako? A-All of us?"
"Yes, I do." The bemusement on Lorelei's face didn't wane in the slightest, showing she too was not quite keeping up with the conversation. "What did you think I meant?"
"What did I think?" For a moment, Rin considered pretending that nothing was wrong, that she hadn't just acted antagonistically towards the Vice Director of the Clocktower for reasons that had turned out to be entirely ungrounded, but ultimately, she decided to play open card. Right now, clarity was more important than saving face. "I thought that a queen would not be willing to share the man she has fallen in love with. I thought a Vice Director would never accept the humiliation of having her husband cavort with other women. I thought you had your position to consider, making it impossible for you to join a polyamorous relationship."
"You thought wrong."
"Evidently."
"You and Shirou truly are quite alike in many ways. You share your misconceptions about my place and role in the Magus Association." A faint smile played on Lorelei's lips as she said so, one that really brought out the smug beauty that she normally concealed beneath utter neutrality. "I am the Vice Director of the Clocktower, the one overseeing its laws and speaking on its behalf to outsiders, but I am not actual royalty. My authority over the Magi in this association is determined by my strength and influence, not by my title, and is in truth quite limited. They can do as they please, as long as they don't violate any laws, and I have no right to stop them. Similarly, I can do as I please as well, provided I don't break the law. If I want to join a harem, no one in this institution or outside of it has the right to prevent me from doing so, irrespective of how 'improper' they might consider it."
"Oh, I see." So basically, Lorelei was the same as Rin herself. She'd taken a look at societal norms surrounding relationships involving multiple people and then decided to ignore them. "I… I am very glad to hear that. We thought you'd try to take Shirou from us, or that you'd refuse a relationship with him the moment you heard about his other women."
"Why would I do that? This arrangement is convenient for me as well." Lorelei blinked in slight confusion, showing that such lowly tactics hadn't even occurred to her. "I am not looking for a husband who will be looking over my shoulder at all times. I want someone who is there when I need him, who can father my children, and knows when to keep his distance. If Shirou has you as well, it will be all the easier to find a correct balance."
Rin couldn't help it. She laughed. She laughed in joy, relief, and amusement, realising that she wasn't dealing with lady Barthomeloi here, the dreaded Vice Director of the Clocktower, but Lorelei, the practical woman who saw a polyamorous relationship and decided she wanted in.
"You are a marvellous woman." She smiled at her teacher, before she sobered up. "But if you are serious about your intentions towards Shirou, there are several details that we must discuss, as soon as possible. Preferably right now."
"Of course." Lorelei nodded. She knew that in this situation, she was the junior, the green rookie with zero experience, so she gave Rin her undivided attention.
"The first matter is perhaps not the most important, but I still want to address it first. Earlier, you called our relationship with Shirou a harem. We do not refer to ourselves as that. That term is most generally used to refer to the wives of a sultan, who are constantly infighting and backstabbing each other for influence, or to the women who have fallen for the protagonist of an anime or manga, who are largely without personality and also seem to be slaves with Stockholm Syndrome half of the time. Instead, we call what we have a polyamorous relationship."
"I see. I did not realise it was such a loaded term. I shall avoid it going forward." Lorelei promised sincerely, not one to make a fuss over small matters.
"Excellent. The second topic concerns us women, and the relationship we have with each other." Rin took a step closer to Lorelei, bumping their shoulders together very softly, which was the limit of what she dared right now, though she did also waggle her eyebrows a bit. "We all love Shirou of course, but we also enjoy spending time together when he's away, if you catch my meaning."
"I believe I do." Lorelei gave her a contemplative and entirely platonic look, showing that Rin's impromptu seduction attempt had fallen flat on its face. "I have studied the matters of love over the past months. I am aware that two women can love each other and make love together just as well as a man and a woman."
"Two women, definitely, but what about four?" Rin wasn't giving up on her advances, putting on her best smile, one that was both naughty and inviting.
It proved enough to make her intentions clear, for Lorelei's eyebrows went up in realisation soon after. A reply was not forthcoming however, most likely because the offer was too surprising.
"What is the third topic you wish to discuss?"
"How far you've gotten with Shirou." Taking her loss with grace, Rin dropped the smile, adopting a more serious expression again. "This is just curiosity on my part. Has either of you already made it clear that you have romantic feelings for each other? Confessed in any kind of way?"
"I do not believe we have. It is evident we are fond of each other, but I have done nothing to suggest attraction to him on my part." Lorelei sounded so certain of herself, and Rin could only deadpan at her.
"You invited him into your room in the middle of the night."
"I did." The brunette nodded, though with an expression that suggested she didn't know why Rin was bringing that up.
"You changed your entire wardrobe for him. You even wore a skirt!"
"It was not for him, but if he approved, then that is an added if unexpected benefit."
"You did not attack him when he revealed himself to be inhuman."
"…" That actually seemed to get through to her, as the brunette stilled, before placing a thoughtful finger on her lip. "I… do not know why I did not. Are you saying my hesitance was caused by my romantic inclinations towards him?"
"That's definitely a possibility, and a likely one even. I had the same thing myself." Rin herself might never have heard Shirou out, back when he revealed himself to be a Magus to her, if she hadn't been romantically inclined towards him, as Lorelei put it. "But you haven't shown your feelings in any other way?"
"…"
"You have." The silence was telling, so Rin took a step closer to the brunette. "Spill."
"I accepted his challenge to a battle." Lorelei admitted, holding Rin's gaze even as a very faint dusting of red appeared on her cheeks. "But I did not tell him about the possible… consequences."
"Consequences?"
"My family has demanded that I marry soon, to create an heir and pass on my aptitude for Magecraft. To prevent them from selecting a husband themselves without my input, I decreed that I would only marry a man if he should prove himself capable of defeating me in battle. Were a suitor unsuitable, I could defeat and dismiss him. Were a suitor suitable, I could simply lose." Lorelei explained, easily admitting to the fact that she had no issue whatsoever with throwing a match. "I have never met a man who proved to be my equal, but Shirou might be. If he proves himself superior, I will marry him, or at least give him the option."
"Well, it's good you're making it an option instead of an order." Rin huffed, not a fan of forced marriages, to say the least. "But what will happen if you win? Will you demand his hand as a prize?"
"That is an excellent idea, miss Tohsaka. If I lose, I shall marry him. If he loses, he will marry me." Lorelei decided, her voice solemn as if she were making some kind of grand declaration, nodding appreciatively at Rin for her valuable input.
"That's the same thing!"
"It is, yes." The brunette didn't even deny it, looking pleased as pie with herself.
It was enough to make Rin roll her eyes.
"Well, if things do come to that, make sure to be clear about your feelings and intentions, as he can be a bit dense." It was the understatement of the year, but then, Lorelei seemed like a very practical and direct woman. If she were to confess to having romantic feelings, she'd make it so clear that even a rock would understand.
"I always strive to be clear in my conversations." Lorelei confirmed Rin's suspicions, though the satisfied look in her eyes rapidly bled away nonetheless. "But that does not make me any more experienced in matters of the heart. Since you are an expert, miss Tohsaka, do you have any advice for me?"
"A kiss is always a reliable way to start a relationship." Rin divulged a piece of wisdom with the air of a sage. "It worked for me, it worked for my sister and it worked for my best friend. It should also work for you."
"A kiss?" Lorelei seemed tentatively interested, cocking her head to the side and narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. "Just like that?"
"You do need some build-up of course. Kissing him out of nowhere would be sexual harassment. Based on my own experience, the best thing for you to do would be to confess your feelings for him and then kiss him to prove your sincerity and seal the deal, nice and simple." Rin smiled as she remembered the night of her own confession, which had happened pretty much exactly like that, before she straightened her back and licked her lips as an idea suddenly occurred to her. "Although, while it might be simple, giving someone a good kiss is not necessarily easy. Some say that you need to practice to do it right."
"Sounds imminently reasonable." Practice made perfect, even Lorelei knew that, in spite of her monstrous natural talent at basically everything. "How would I practice such a skill though?"
"By doing it. Experience is the best teacher." Once again, Rin smiled invitingly at the brunette, cocking her hips slightly to the side. "I would be more than happy to help you practice of course."
The idea of kissing the Vice Director was thrilling for multiple reasons. She was a beautiful woman for starters, but she was also an unobtainable flower and terrifying in all the right ways. Stealing a kiss from her would be quite the feather in Rin's cap, even if no one would ever hear about it.
"A kind offer, but not one I can accept right now." Lorelei shook her head, though the lack of actual revulsion or unwillingness in her expression prevented Rin from giving up hope entirely. "First, I must revisit the audio-visual support that lady Montmorency provided for me, detailing possible carnal activities between husband and wife."
It took Rin a moment to decipher that statement, before her mouth fell open when she realised the brunette was likely talking about porn.
"Carnal activities?!" Her voice was an octave higher than usual, showcasing her shock. "B-Between a man and a woman?"
"Or two women." Lorelei's expression was unbelievably straight, showing she thought nothing of discussing porn with her apprentice. "I have noticed that kissing seems to occur far more often in the provided footage between multiple women than between individuals of opposite sexes."
So basically, lesbian porn involved more kissing than straight porn.
Rin learned something new every day.
It wasn't what she'd expected to learn at the Clocktower, but then, she had no one to blame for that but herself. She had initiated this conversation, and frankly, despite all the craziness, she was still happy that she had. Now at least she knew where she stood in relation to the Vice Director on matters involving Shirou's heart.
It had been quite enough for one day however, so Rin returned her focus to Magecraft rather than lesbian porn, quickly joined by Lorelei.
On his way further down the Tomb of Albion, Shirou soon arrived in the territory of the Fallen Nature Spirits, exactly as Magni had predicted.
The systems of tunnels and caverns he'd grown used to suddenly made way for a vast, open and circular expanse, a massive hollow in the Earth, large enough to fit downtown Fuyuki into with room to spare and with a ceiling so high it could barely be seen.
Its presence here made no sense at all, as it was far too vast and open to possibly exist so far below the surface without caving in on itself, but that was just an indication that Shirou was truly starting to cross the boundary between the real world and the Reverse Side.
He could sense it clearly. From here on, the laws of physics and reason ceased to be cast in stone and would become far more flexible. Impossibilities, such as the existence of a gigantic hollow kilometres below the surface, would soon be commonplace.
Not the greatest of prospects, but it didn't change what he had to do.
The exit of Shirou's current tunnel was a good fifty metres above the hollow's floor, giving him a decent vantage point. From said vantage point, he could see many more tunnel-mouths in the hollow's walls, well over two dozen even, and it took him a moment to figure out which one he needed to enter.
To his eye, all the tunnels looked basically the same, but fortunately, there was only one that smelled of fresh air.
The good news was that the tunnel wasn't too far away from his current position, especially not if he flew there. The bad news was that he probably shouldn't be flying through the hollow at all, as he could see multiple titanic, bat-like creatures soaring through the air. They looked very mean and dangerous, positively predatory even, and Shirou didn't doubt they'd see him as a tasty morsel if he tried to fly past them.
In other words, he would have to float down from his vantage point in order to travel on foot. The hollow's floor was covered in a dense fog, essentially Magical Energy packed so tightly together that it became visible, which would give him some cover from the bats.
It probably also hid all sorts of other nasty creatures from view, but when faced with the choice between a possible battle with the creatures in the mist and a definite battle with the giant bats in the air, Shirou still chose the former. In case of an emergency, he could always take to the skies anyway.
He floated down, making not a single sound, until he entered the fog and landed on the ground, also completely soundless.
"Ugh."
Shirou couldn't suppress a sound of discomfort however when he discovered that the ground wasn't rock and stone, as he'd expected, but rather some kind of black, oily substance, damp and slippery in all the wrong ways.
There were trees too, and plants, growing from said substance, matching absolutely none of the trees and plants that Shirou was familiar with. Malformed, hideous, and looking quite dead, they only added to the hollow's unpleasant atmosphere.
And that was before he noticed the inhabitants.
From one second to the next, something appeared, startling the hell out of Shirou and making him lift Mjolnir in a defensive position.
The creature was shaped roughly like a black bowling pin, if a bowling pin stood taller than him and had dull purple eyes staring blankly ahead. It seemed made out of living shadows, shadows coalescing together into a rough outline without any sort of discernible features, that was nevertheless alive.
It certainly looked ominous and foreboding, but it did not attack him, instead staying at a polite distance. No teeth were bared and no claws were shown. If one didn't know any better, one might even think that this was a harmless creature, only there out of curiosity.
Shirou wasn't fooled though. Even as the worst of his shock ebbed away, he did not lower Mjolnir for a single second, pursing his lips in distaste at the sensation exuding from the creature.
It was a void. A complete and utter lack of presence, emotion, or substance. It was there, yet at the same time, it was not. It was more akin to a wound in reality than to a living being, possessing only the merest bits of instinct and dark curiosity.
Whether this was a Fallen Faery or a Nature Spirit, or perhaps even both, Shirou did not know, but it was monstrous indeed.
It hadn't turned aggressive yet, but the redhead knew that was only a matter of time. Magni's warning about moving as fast as he could rang through his head, and he quickly made his way around the creature, before heading for his destination with all haste.
He couldn't go nearly as fast as he wanted to however. The malformed forest was dense, the fog obscured even his sight, and he still did not dare to make too much sound, out of fear that the bats above would pick up on it. Not the ideal circumstances for a sprint.
To make matters worse, the black monstrosity followed after him, still staring with those horrible eyes, and Shirou could sense far more of its kind nearby, sometimes even see them lurking in the shadows of the woods.
Most hadn't noticed him yet, fortunately, but there were plenty who had. Several dozen of them were on his heels in less than a minute, and more kept emerging from the mist every second.
It wasn't just limited to black bowling pins either. More and more species crawled out of the woodwork, the one even uglier than the other.
There were a few who resembled the malformed trees around them, some others who looked like half-melted Golems, a good half-a-dozen that resembled failed science experiments, with rotting limbs and far too many eyes, but the vast majority were shaped like hybrid animals without skin, eyes, teeth, ears, or any of the other things that would normally make a living creature.
These were corrupted Nature Spirits alright. A reflection of the most disturbing sights that nature had to offer. Rot, death, and decay, all wrapped together into hideous packages that held nothing but hatred and contempt for the world around them.
They might have been beautiful once, these creatures, and of humanlike intelligence too, but that time had long since passed. They had been corrupted beyond salvation, fallen as far as was possible, and now, only husks were left.
The black bowling pins remained the worst of them all though. The others were cruel, angry, jealous, and bloodthirsty, hunting down the living out of sheer spite and hatred, but the bowling pins remained utterly devoid of any emotion aside from mild curiosity. Their mere presence dimmed the light, and their gaze was like an icy breeze. They were completely empty in a way that even machines could not match, making Shirou's skin crawl in ways that even the most horrible deeds of the Meluastea had not quite managed. Truly, they were like horror-film creatures come to life, creatures that seemed made solely to frighten the living.
Even the other horrors gave them a wide berth, understanding with their meagre bits of instinct and intellect that getting close was a very bad idea.
For now however, they all seemed content to watch from a distance. Not out of fear, as that was an emotion unknown to them, but out of confusion. Like Magni said, they had never seen something like him before, and their puzzlement caused them to forget about attacking altogether. They merely stared at him as they followed in his tracks, trying to work out what he was.
It was just as well. In an emergency, Shirou could probably outrun them, or beat a few in a fight, but he'd rather not test that assumption if he didn't absolutely have too. If he could avoid fighting them, he'd gladly do so.
Avoiding them proved difficult however. They were everywhere, meandering through the malformed woods without rhyme or reason, making his journey into some kind of obstacle course.
"?!"
But then a ghoulish horse-like creature popped up right in his way, settling down in the middle of the road.
Its frosty gaze roamed over his body, six black eyes studying him like a spider might study a fly it had caught. It was still curious rather than aggressive, staying well out of arm's reach, but its increased boldness did not bode well, nor the fact that it had bared hundreds of sharp teeth.
It seemed his time was up.
Indeed, the dam had been broken. More came, having grown tired of watching from a distance. They pursued, slowly dragging themselves forward in his wake, curiosity and confusion being replaced by a horrible hunger.
A hunger not for food, but for suffering and pain.
Cold sweat broke out on Shirou's forehead, and he quickened his pace even more, well aware that the fog was getting denser by the second, all while every creature in the hollow seemed to be converging on his position.
He'd read about Faeries and Nature Spirits, a little, and he knew that even the normal ones saw very little difference between curiously poking at a creature and tearing it apart to hear its screams. He did not want to know what they would do after they'd been so thoroughly corrupted.
Fortunately, outrunning them turned out to be trivial. They were slow, and lacked the intellectual capacity to use their numbers to their advantage. If anything, they only hindered each other, continuously colliding as they failed to pay attention to anything but Shirou.
The skinless beings soon started fighting amongst themselves, their hatred causing them to lash out at everything in sight. With fresh meat in their midst, their aggression began to overwhelm them.
But the bowling pins did no such thing.
There was no anger there, no disappointment over failing to catch their quarry. They just continued staring blankly, feeling absolutely nothing as Shirou got away.
It sent shivers down his spine, and Shirou outright broke out into a sprint, rushing through the malformed woods faster than a speeding car, uncaring about the noise he made as he crashed through branches and roots.
When he eventually reached the correct wall, with the tunnel smelling like fresh air only a hundred metres above him, the relief was so intense it nearly made him collapse on his backside.
Crossing the hollow wasn't the most dangerous thing he'd ever done, but gods above, it was exhausting! It sapped his strength like nothing he'd experienced before.
These Fallen Nature Spirits were something else!
Never before had he been so glad to take to the skies, and his relief at escaping the corrupted blights was so great he barely even cared about the bat-like creatures anymore.
They had noticed him after all the commotion, but they were far away, and quite slow besides. Before they were even halfway to his position, the redhead had slipped into the narrow tunnel, safe and sound.
He sure didn't feel safe yet though. Still shivering from those unnatural cold gazes, Shirou continued sprinting down the cavern, intent on putting as much distance as possible between himself and that hollow. It was very unlikely that the corrupted Nature Spirits would pursue him, but he didn't want to take any risks.
"HSAAAH!"
The sudden angry hiss made him stiffen for a moment, before he let out a massive sigh of relief when a gigantic spider came into view.
It was just another Phantasmal Beast!
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you." He laughed out loud, knowing it wouldn't be here if the creatures from the hollow tended to visit this area, before showing off Mjolnir.
"SHHIII?!"
The spider nearly jumped in fright, before hastily scurrying off, back into the caverns.
From there on, Shirou fell back into a comfortable pattern. The Phantasmal Beasts might be even stronger here, since he was crossing the boundary between the human world and the Reverse Side, but they continued to behave in essentially the same ways as before. Some of them fled immediately once they noticed him, others attacked at first but turned tail and ran when they caught a glimpse of Mjolnir, and some rabid beasts didn't stop until they were slain.
Which was perfectly fine. Shirou much preferred straightforward battles over having to cross a cursed forest filled with eldritch bowling pins.
It was too good to last though. The next big challenge was already approaching.
"You know, when Illya said you had a special talent for restraining others and that you should practice it, I doubt this is what she meant." Ayako protested weakly, her cheeks a flaming red in embarrassment over her current position and utter lack of clothing. "T-This is not how you capture prisoners of war! This is a war crime!"
"Ayako, dear, when I put you there, I meant for you to be something nice I could look at while I worked. I didn't want to hear you chatter." Sakura turned up her nose at the brunette, looking as arrogant as arrogant could be, though the glimmer of amusement broke the immersion and revealed they were playing around again.
Mostly.
"Ahaha, 'something nice to look at', am I…?" Ayako clearly didn't know what to make of that, struggling a bit against her bonds, which made her gently sway from side to side.
She had been thoroughly trussed up and suspended upside down, though not with ordinary rope, as one might expect, but with bands of light that resembled rope in function yet were a thousand times softer, tougher, and more pliable. Sakura's newest invention, one that she might use against Servants who were of strong moral character but had to be gently restrained, or against her lovers, should the mood strike her.
An invention she was now testing thoroughly on Ayako.
The bands of light snaked over her body, ensnaring her limbs, coiling over her hips and looping between her legs. Tied in an elaborate pattern, they accentuated every curve and slope of the brunette's body, becoming as thin or thick as needed.
Her arms had been tied behind her back in a reverse prayer position, leaving not an inch of slack.
Her left leg had been extended straight upwards as far as it could go without actually hurting her, while her right leg was bent in such a way that its ankle rested against her left knee, together forming a kind of cross.
She was suspended about halfway between the ceiling and the floor, though she wasn't hanging from anything solid. Instead, small, purple, gravity-defying Magic Circles had been placed around her ankles, her waist, and her neck, making sure her body weight rested comfortably on several different points.
In short, Ayako made for a very pretty picture right now, one that Sakura enjoyed very much as she continued working on her Magecraft.
"Were you always this cruel?" Ayako whined, ceasing her struggles when she realised she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.
"Yes." Sakura confirmed casually.
"Yes, I suppose you were." The brunette sighed, shaking her head in dismay.
Of course, for all her protests, she wasn't actually being held there against her will. Sakura had made sure to get informed consent from her beforehand, and although it was a little embarrassing to be hanging there like that, naked as the day she was born, it was also strangely riveting.
At first anyway. When several minutes passed without any further action, with Sakura so buried in her research that she didn't give Ayako another glance, it started to get boring. There was only so long she could look on as her girlfriend shuffled with papers and did calculations.
Honestly, it was almost like she was dealing with two Rins lately. For years, Sakura had either actively hated Thaumaturgy or been indifferent to it, depending on the field and specialisation, but now that she'd found her area of expertise and a reason to improve, her motivation and drive rivalled that of her older sister.
Yes, it was nice to look at someone doing something they enjoyed, but not after the mood had been set and Ayako was feeling all ready for a little action.
"Sakura." She eventually spoke up, drawing the plum-haired girl's attention. "Kiss me."
Sakura blinked once, not having expected that, before her mouth formed an adorable 'o' of realisation.
"R-Right! T-That was my intention! I-I am sorry, I got a little, uh, side-tracked."
"You know, that feels rather insulting somehow." Ayako huffed. "Being passed over by my own girlfriend for a bunch of paperwork."
"A thousand apologies." Sakura hurried over and showered her girlfriend's face with kisses, her cheeks burning red in embarrassment over forgetting about her. "That's… It… It won't happen again! I swear!"