A chance meeting between a Master and Servant who shouldn’t have met――――
――――Manaka Sajyou had a dream.
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A certain day in February, the year is 1991 CE.
In a certain place underneath Tokyo.
―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
In the darkness which couldn’t be seen by someone’s eyes, in the depths which cannot be touched by their hand.
Something was floating there.
Something which continued to sleep.
Something which awaited the time of awakening.
That, is the Greater Grail (Saint Graph).
It is an item which guides “something” which comes from the beyond, and is not of this world, just a thing which accumulates people’s wishes.
To be exact, it should be called a fake Holy Grail but――――
Now.
The Greater Grail which becomes this, has become owned by this one girl.
Or rather, carefully, protected by her.
Like a small fragile egg, which could be easily broken if it was dropped.
The Great Holy Grail, as something small and must be protected, Manaka continued to protect it.
For the sake of her beloved’s wish.
When she touched it.
She called out to it.
As she closed her eyes, she spun a melody which was like a lullaby.
Like this time, just now.
――――And then, in a few moments.
Manaka’s awareness shakes.
Originally, such things as sleep for the recovery of her bodily fatigue wasn’t necessary for Potnia Theron, who surely remembered at that time, the pleasantness of dozing off.
It was an impossible event.
If she wasn’t particularly aware of it, she had a body which shouldn’t have been able to carry out such things as rest.
That’s why surely, this situation wasn’t by chance, and it wasn’t even a certain kind of miracle.
Manaka could get to sleep under a clear purpose.
There was, a reason.
In order to have a dream.
Suddenly, it had just struck her.
“I should just try to do it like an ordinary human.”
Her consciousness separates from her body all at once, beyond the slumbering sea, surpassing the light which shines at the end of the world.
――――And then, she woke up.
Manaka opens her eyelids.
As if they glittered her glossy eyelashes tremble.
While her transparent eyes, shine so sweetly in the darkness.
Beyond the horizon of dreams and reality.
She was in a different world, from the world where her original self was.
In a different body, from the body that must’ve been her original self.
In a <labyrinth> squirming with Phantasmal beasts, Chimaeras, and a number of lethal magical traps.
――――And then, we meet.
A Servant, who would protect her as she had completely become a powerless being.
That fated partner, who she met by chance even if the world changed.
Servant: “I ask of you. Are, you my Master?”
Even though she must be the same person.
Even though she must be the King of Britain.
Certainly.
She had the figure of a girl.
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Fate/Labyrinth
Written by: Hikaru Sakurai
Illustration by: Nakahara
Translated by: PhoenixRising
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Manaka: “Oh――――?”
She tilted her neck.
The reason was all too clear.
It was because they had become so diverse that it was obvious――――even though they were both the King of Knights themselves, with her blue-green eyes which concealed her wish of saving her homeland, her cool and clear presence that she was clad in, and that appearance, the one that was there had to be the King of Knights which Manaka surely knew, too.
First, her height.
――――She was taller than Manaka.
But, she couldn’t be so small statured.
Next, her hair.
――――It was the same golden hair.
But, she couldn’t somewhat recognise her chignon (*A chignon is Saber's bun hairstyle)
Next, her armour.
――――Just the impression of it was the same.
But, the details of this and that were also different.
And then.
The one that decided it above all else was――――
Manaka: “Why, are you a girl?”
It was a question which spilled out from the Manaka’s lips.
Yeah, so….
That’s true.
The other differences, were enough that they seemed to disappear if she thought about that point.
Her beloved had somehow completely become a “she!”
If it was me surely, I’d be shocked and I wouldn’t be able to think of anything.
However I can say with conviction, I hadn’t really experienced something like honestly loving someone.
I’m surprised.
Surprised, and I was certain that it was chaos for nearly an hour as the contents of my face became completely white.
But.
Manaka is different.
Even if she was surprised, she wouldn’t mistake the person there in front of her eyes.
She was looking properly at reality.
If she was in an ephemeral world that was like a dream, and if it was my own world.
Our situation.
Our awareness.
Our arrangement.
Our understanding.
Manaka and I, are looking up at “her” in a situation where I was sitting down on the floor and basking at her.
It’s a cold floor.
In the middle of a passageway which was constructed far in the past.
A passageway made of stone.
A stone paved floor.
Here, with that reason she was in a corner of a famous <labyrinth.>
Although it was gloomy, it wasn’t pitch black because it had existing faint light sources in it.
Since I knew about the effects of the torchlights which was because of magic which strangely kept the flames from going out, naturally, Manaka will know it too.
See, already Manaka is taking in all of her surroundings which must be a shock to her.
Even though I seem to be fainting there in the height of the chaos, see Manaka, is totally fine.
Manaka: “Umm….”
Her white fingertips exposed her same coloured cheeks.
Manaka――――
The princess who was dressed in a bright pale blue dress, seemed to have decided to sort out her memories.
Yeah.
I think it’d be better if I did that too.
If I close my eyes, I could open Manaka’s memories intra-cranially until it was just before.
1991.
On a certain day while she was preparing for the end of the Holy Grail War, on a certain night, you who had dozed off while touching the Greater Grail in the Tokyo underground, adjusted her brain functions to her own wish.
I saw her dream.
I was able to see your favourite things because it was a dream, because according to literature it was surely you could build up everything.
However.
On the odd occasion.
What kind of things did you dream about, I don’t understand you myself, among other things.
You were the one who wished for things like that.
Just like, like an ordinary person.
Like me.
It was nothing special in particular, I saw ordinary people, an ordinary dream.
I didn’t know what happened.
So I thought, that I wanted to swim in the strange and curious, yet ever-changing and wondrous sea of dreams――――
Manaka Sajyou.
You saw a dream which was still to your satisfaction.
This one act which guided me only for your sake, didn’t exist in this reality.
Maybe you easily passed through “something” even more than that, a different space, a different time, clearing even the end of the world, to the other side of reality where fantasies sleep.
Your ego and awareness made a journey.
As you were gazing at something which could’ve easily smash a person’s ego, beneath an aurora, you flew gently in place which would’ve wore me out as if it was me I couldn’t keep up with you even for 2 seconds.
―――――You saw a dragon, Manaka.
A superior and kind dragon, a thing which continues to wait for someone which would take a long, long time to meet.
Manaka: “What a beautiful dragon!”
You said.
The dragon without responding to your words, saw the end of the world.
――――I saw a light, Manaka.
Just one thing which tied the two sides of the world, it was the light which shined at the very end of it.
Manaka: “What a pretty light.”
You said.
The light didn’t answer to words, and didn’t move from there.
???: “Hey!”
Someone said.
You should be remembering, Manaka.
In that moment, the surging seas washed away your consciousness to another place from your slumber.
A different place.
Where?
It was similar to a room in a small one room apartment which didn’t appear to have a lived-in feel to it, it wasn’t familiar to me――――you seemed like a whirlpool which was in the centre of absolutely everything, like the ultimate radiance, and you resembled the darkness of outer space.
Manaka: “That’s, not good. I have to leave it in here.
It was persistently deep――――
You saw me, with your shining blue eyes.
Straight after that.
You came here with your ego and consciousness.
You proceeded towards this dark garden, in order to complete just one mission.
You came over to this <labyrinth> which was carrying out a magic ritual which surely did not belong to this world even now.
No, let’s say it a bit more accurately.
You, had a dream which was still your wish.
It was a dream to you.
My reality.
From a place unknown to me, from a 1991 which I don’t know of―――――
――――You, came down to me through my brain.
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Originally Posted by Thedoctor
