Fate/Trite and Trivial Trifles (IC)

[zikari8]

It was a world where the sun never shone. Atop one of the highest mountains, the area was eternally wrapped in a heavy storm. Sometimes snow, sometimes thunder, sometimes hail, the most extreme weather raged endlessly on that mountain peak. On no day of the year could the blue sky be seen; it was a world as cold and desolate as the depths of the sea.

Yet despite these conditions, a lone facility endured the forces of nature. With walls as white as the snow outside, its interior was always lit. At all times, the lights inside protruded through the few windows of the building and cut through the sunless world outside. The shadows that often ran past the lit windows moved quickly. Always huried, always bustling, the human figures dashed in an out of sight. Moving here and there, never ceasing even past the fall of night. Continuing to struggle no matter what.

“Well, this seems to be the final list for better or worse. 48 candidates in total, scouted across the globe.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a lot or too little… is this okay? There are a few normal people mixed in here too.”

“It’s fine. For the betterment of the world, such things can be allowed.”

“Even if they die? If they fail?”

“You’re such a pessimist you know that? It’s fine. We have that trump card too.”

“I’m actually more worried about the trump card than the muggles.”

“Ah, shut up, will you. I’ll handle it when the time comes. Let’s just be happy for now that we found 48 potential masters.”

“… you think they’ll join us?”

“They will. Definitely. Humans are not that dumb.”

"When it really matters the most, mankind is an expert and not dying. It's our one and only specialty."

How ironic was it that it was in this place separated from mankind where the fate of humanity would lie?

Fate/Trite and Trivial Trifles
Chapter One: The Common Sense of Man
================================================
===============================

Sven Mcfareed
Chaldea Surface Level, Residential Area Corridor
3:46 PM

Your eyes are greeted with the sight of white. It takes a moment to realize it’s a floor.

You awaken to find yourself collapsed on the ground. Your body had been sprawled across the marbled floor beneath you. You seem to be in a corridor. On your left is a wall, the same colour as the floor, lined with equally spaced doors. On the right, windows that reveal a snowy landscape and gray sky. Nobody else is around.

You’re drenched in sweat. Your body feels strangely tired, not exhausted or beaten but simply slightly fatigued, and your throat is dry. Most of all, you have trouble forming thoughts quickly. Your consciousness seems to flick on and off for a few seconds.

You recall the events leading up to your awakening. You were at Chaldea, a secret organization for elongating the survival of mankind. Upon arrival, you had been hurriedly greeted by staff and then rushed into a series of rooms where you were strapped into chairs and had electrodes and such put on you. The last test, in particular, was rough on your mind. After you had been released, the fatigue finally took over and you collapsed on the ground.

You’re not sure how much time has collapsed since you’ve collapsed and nor are you certain what the rest of the facility was up to. You do, however, vaguely remember being told that their would be a mission briefing later that day.


Eleanor Larkholm
Chaldea B2, Simulation Room #2

“You’re free to go now. Don’t forget the mission briefing at 5. The Director is very strict about punctuality”

The voice of the man in the lab coat signals your freedom. Electrodes are taken off your body and head, and the door to the testing room is opened. The other Master Candidates who had been taking the tests alongside you got out of their chairs and made their way towards the door.

You had arrived earlier that day and had just settled into your assigned room before you were called upon and dragged into a series of tests.

You notice your colleagues leaving the room. Some of them seem to be walking unstably; others were gripping their heads. You feel completely fine though, with maybe the slightest bit of lightheadedness.

As your colleagues leave the room, you notice that several of them are being formally greeted by staff members who seemed to be waiting there for them. The staff members, dressed in office uniforms, seemed to engage the masters they were talking to humbly, adding in bows and such in their conversation. Many of the other Masters, though, aren’t met by anyone and are left to their own devices; you happen to be one of them.

Either way, you have just been given about an hour of free time and have nothing much to do. The sight of your colleagues, some walking away, some chatting with each other, and the winding corridors that comprise Chaldea’s infrastructure expand before you.


Swallow
Chaldea Surface Level, Foyer

Things seem to be getting busy lately.

It has been perhaps 3 days since you’ve arrived at Chaldea. It seems that all the staff there has gotten acquainted with you and has accepted your presence as natural. In their magnanimity, they had even provided you with their idea of luxurious accommodations: a three story, polysynthetic house made to look like similar to a large log mansion, an automated food and water dispenser, and free reign to roam the facility.

However, this morning, more people other than the staff that have come to know you have started to arrive at the organization. They made quite a ruckus as they all came in, sometimes one by one, sometimes in a wave of bodies and chatter.

You are not sure what’s on the schedule today, or rather you’ve never had a schedule you had to follow. One thing was certain though. The arrivals of these new people signaled that something was about to start soon.

[Draconic]

Eleanor Larkholm
Chaldea B2, Simulation Room #2
3:47 p.m.

Ellie stretched her arms above her her head, careful not to let her shirt ride up her navel. Sure, it might attract attention and spare her the trouble of having to break the ice with some of the boys nearby, but she didn't really want that kind of attention.

"Well, after all that, I'm glad they're not rejecting me. Gosh, look at this place! If this is their budget, Maria won't have to worry about funding for her studies back at the Clock Tower ever again."

"I really hope she's okay."

Truthfully, Eleanor knew that her sister was more independent than she was, but she couldn't help worrying. She'd had to coerce her parents into paying tuition for someone who wasn't even the heir. The thought made her fume. Honestly, how could they justify that? Giving away the family inheritance to a stranger their six-year-old daughter picked up off the street and then not even teaching her the family trade. She was their only daughter! Maria must be a saint not to resent her for everything she'd stolen from her since she was adopted.

That was why she was here. Even if Maria never got anything from her parents, Ellie was going to make sure she'd never need them at all.

She looked at the form-fitting glove on her right hand and held it over her heart. Could she really do this job? She didn't even know what it was yet. What did it mean to be a Master candidate? No! No doubts! She was already out here in the middle of nowhere. Even if the job sounded kind of sketchy, she'd do this right, no matter what it took.

Wow, some of those others must not have had a lot of fun doing those tests. And that was putting it lightly.

She hopped on over to one of the others who were struggling to stay on their feet; a boy around her height.

"Hi there. My name's Eleanor. Do you want any help there?"

[Spartacus]

Sven Mcfareed
Chaldea Surface Level, Residential Area Corridor
3:46 PM

It was an unusual sight, I have found my self in a world where the color white is the only thing that exist within my vision.

Did I just died?

That is what I immediately thought at the moment. I heard there is a place where dead souls that never sin, nor faithful sent for eternity in limbo. It is said such place have no horizon, expanding from every direction on an eternal white. A place with no meaning, a place where both wander and lie down will reach the same destination, no matter how far or how long I go.

After what they did to me, of course I would assume that my body can't keep up with such torture.

But reality is far more comical than that. As my sense started to coming back, a sense of heat can be felt in my body. It was cold, the same coldness that can be feel if someone try to touch a marble floor with their bare hand drenched in water.

It was a spot on guess : I literally lying face down on a marble floor.

When some of my sense started coming back to me. I found my self in a place where there is no difference from the imaginary world of the dead that I described earlier. It is very monotone, tasteless, with only functionality in mind during its construction. The wall that surround the left part of the area is colored white, even lined the same way as the floor, even its material is the same.

The right side however, gave a slightly different flavor as it mostly made of glass that show clearly the snowy mountain range outside. The mirror slightly reflect my pitiful state as my blond hair is in a mess and my white sleeve drenched in sweat which almost see through. At the moment, I realize that I'm in Chaldea.

Chaldea...

As I try to stand up, simply lifting my left leg cause my non existing balance crumble and once again fall down to the ground. I feel dizzy, all my muscles feel tensed up so much as if I just taking a 10 km marathon without a break. This kind of feeling is rare to me, as far as I know, I am a proud athlete that train his body everyday with a very healthy diet. Not only that, my eyes barely able to look straight and unable to see anything clearly.

Damn it, my throat hurts. I need water... What did just- what did those bastards do to me!?

If I try to remember, I was discussing about their noble goal to protect humanity from extinction. Despite I behaving formally, they just straight up strangled me with straps and locked me on a weird chair, I think its look like those improvised dental engine that you can find many times in cheap horror movies. I was being electrocuted over and over again, and god knows what other things they did when I desperately try to remain sane.

Those morons! I said I can take hits, not electric shocks! Can they even do a basic science!?

The last test, I don't want to remember that. It was so horrid, it was so frightening and inhuman that I better take hundred of electrodes than experiencing it again. In the end, I lost consciousness and collapsed here. They didn't even bother to hurried me to my bed, what a first class treatment. Now, I feel very worried to the normies that experience this kind of 'just usual Magus' thing, I bet they thought it will be some kind of fitness test until the last second.

Saving humanity my ass, they are the same as the others. Always view other people like guinea pig!

But if I remember correctly, they said that there is an important briefing about our first mission? So after barely able to keep up with their test, we will be send to a suicide mission from the get go?

Give me a break...

With my first taste of humanity's strongest front is far from pleasant, I started to think that joining Chaldea is a very bad idea.

Heh... but still, if I can give those trashes back in the home a slight edge of fear. I think such treatment is not a big deal.

Whatever joining Chaldea, or doing other stupid thing in the past, I'm still the same. It was the same as back then, it was the same motivation that drive me from years ago. I will never be able to forgive them, not when they did such immoral action in front of their own child. Thought humanity survival is something that can't be ignored, my personal reason is mostly what I concerned about.

But first thing that I need to do, I must attend this mission briefing. I gathered all my strength to stand up, I try to walk to the meeting room as my feet stagger without stopping, while gradually regain my strength.

[Milbunk]

Swallow

It mattered not to the swallow what happened to the world around it. As a simple creature with simple desires so long as its basic needs were met it was content to wander the world aimlessly seeing sights most human could only dream of going.

For the Swallow who had already lived for countless centuries the people gathering around and leaving in their large groups were completely nonsensical. Why bother integrating with one another? It was the Swallow's belief that a life left to wandering was far more enjoyable than anything a human could ever imagine.

Opening its wing slightly to pick at a stray feather that had caused a mild itch the Swallow continued to look out at its newfound kingdom remembering its journey here with no more joy than any other day had brought.

It had come not out of a mission or calling, but out of simple gut instinct and intuition, a feeling that the Swallow had mastered over the course of a millennia. One may wonder how a Swallow such as this would be able to survive the terrible might of a snowstorm or climb the heights needed to reach the place known as Chaldea with such a small bird like body, but to the Swallow it was only natural.

When it had first arrived people were stunned to see the Swallow, there had even been a few who recognized the infamy this particular Swallow had caused, with a body that should no longer exist the scientists sought to capture the Swallow for all manner of research. But the swallow would have none of it, anyone who attempted to reach upon the bird was met with the masterful evasion that the Swallow had perfected. No spell, or technological device, could even come close to reaching the Swallow's little body. And so after many a day spent in fruitless attempts the scientists simply gave up and allows the Swallow to simply live as it has always done, on its own whims.

Letting out a small tweet in remembrance at watching the silly humans in their ways the Swallow pecked at a small pile of birdseed. Of course being a creature from such an ancient era the Swallow had long lost any need or requirement for nourishment but it still could not help but enjoy a tasty meal or two every now or then. 'Wouldn't a ghost enjoy such a similar endeavor despite no real need for food?' With such whimsical thoughts the Swallow continued to enjoy life as it passed him by.

It was then that the Swallow decided, perhaps it was time to see just where these silly humans were going? Finishing with a tiny dab of water the Swallow leaped from its newfound home and flew off in the direction that the people seemed to be gathering at. Ignoring the cries of people as they saw the little bird in such a hostile environment the Swallow was content to follow its every whim.

'Just where would this newfound whim take me now?' The Swallow thought to itself.

[zikari8]

Eleanor Larkholm

The boy Eleanor hopped next was startled by her greeting. He gazed at her for a moment, clearly processing her words, before his face abruptly harshened.

“I don’t need your help.” He practically spat the words out before violently turning away. Though still unstable, his pace hastened as he aggressively stomped away without looking back His fists were clenched and his head was hung low.

A brief moment after the boy had stormed off, a voice came from behind.

“Don’t worry about him, you did nothing wrong.”

The owner was a young adult male with dirty blond hair. He was of considerable build and had a roundish face that could be considered handsome if it were a bit more lean. His attire consisted of a white dress shirt, indigo vest and similarly coloured trousers and bowtie. He was clearly dressed to impress.

“You just hit his sore spot probably.” He began to explain with a tidy smile, regardless of whether Eleanor was looking for one. “Everyone has their reason for coming here and I’m guessing that boy was looking to prove himself. Getting offered help probably hurt his pride more than he wanted hence the aggression.”

He made a sharp smirk, as if he had said something profound, before stretching out his hand.

“Larkholm, I believe? Name’s Damian Poindexter Jr. How do you do?”

Sven McFareed

You trudge down the hallway with increasingly steady steps. As you do so, the fuzziness in your head lessens. You become able to recall with better accuracy the details that had been imparted regarding the mission briefing you were heading towards. It was scheduled for 5 P.M. and supposed to be held at the Meeting Room in the basement. The corridor you walk down truly was deserted now that you got a better look. You can hear a myriad of speech further down the corridor the same way you’re heading though so it’s not as if you’ve been isolated. Facing that direction, you notice someone else approach as well.

Once the figure got close enough, it became possible to make out its details. It was a petite girl with a slim figure and skin as pale as snow. Her hair was a chestnut brown, tied in a French Braid at her nape. She was wearing a pure white apron on top of a white collared black one piece ornate dress cut a little above the knees and a frilled white head band. In other words, she was dressed like a maid.

The maid-like lady seemed to notice Sven as well but seemed to pay little heed until she got closer. Noticing his obvious instability, she tilted her head in worry and quickened her pace towards him.

“Are you okay? Are you injured anywhere? What happened?”

She rushed over, bobbing up and down as her black heels clacked on the marbled floor. Upon getting close, she stopped to appraise the situation. Her pale hands levitated in the air, bordering between the desire to go and help and that to respect his personal space.

“Do you need any immediate medical attention?”

Swallow

Immediately upon leaving your abode, you find several people bustling through the halls of the facility. Though it wouldn’t be considered crowded, every area had at least a group of people just loitering or moving around busily. Many of them are ones you recognize as having seen before, wearing a stylized uniform associated with the staff. Others are newer arrivals chatting leisurely. At the same time as it flew past them, the people responded accordingly. The staff, familiar with the infamous creature, took a quick glance and then went back to their work. The newer arrivals, however, were more likely to stare a bit longer, even have their focus completely stolen away by the bizarre sight.

“Oi, what’s a bird doing flying about?”

“That’s a good omen, right? I think I’ll catch it.”

“Hey, stop that. It’s probably someone’s familiar. Leave it be.”

“Keh, that’s more reason to stop it.”

Such chatter could be heard from the masses. Despite having come out to see what fuss these humans were doing, they weren’t doing anything particularly exciting, just chatting or doing their normal work. No massacre had started nor was there a fantastic party going on. On the surface that is.

Your honed animal senses picked up on a few things beyond the scope of man. With your kinetic vision, you notice a general flow of movement among the humans. Many were just standing but a few here and there seemed to all be moving towards the elevators. With your sharp hearing, you pick out the soft distant humming of machinery. While something technological was always at work around these parts, this was a distinctly different sound from the usual ones that ran in the building. Finally, your smell, which bird’s were not particularly skilled in, could make it a very familiar scent. Though clouded out by the odors and perfumes of the masses, it was clear what the aroma was: fresh blood.

Perhaps one of these things may prove interesting for you.

[Spartacus]

Chaldea's Hallway
4.15 PM

*Glug glug glug*

Venturing through the hallway has relaxed my stiffen muscles and I found myself in front of a vending machine. Of course, I have money to spent for a few bottles of mineral water, but it was free of charge that make me questioned : why vending machine when its free? Well, at least it shown a little bit of Chaldea's good will, so there is that.

With my mind now clear as day (by the help of mineral water), I realized that I was 45 minutes early and knowing that the meeting will be held in the basement, so I have some time to spend before the meeting. Compared to the corridor where I collapsed earlier, this hallway is far more lively, since I can heard few chatters and hate speeches from afar... not that I can blame them.

As I get close to the gathering of people, I can recognize some of them back in the day during my Clock Tower life. However, there is two 'person' that catch my eyes. The first is a swallow flying around in the hall, which I assume it someone's pet, or perhaps a specialized familiar that owned by the staff. The second is a girl with small stature and braided chestnut brown hair. Her black and white uniform make a good match with her pale skin, along the frills and head band she wears, there is no mistake she is some kind of a maid. However, what make me curious is her appearance is way too familiar, it almost remain me to-

A sudden electrical like shock struck to my vision.

Without warning, I found my self in that fateful day ten years ago, the day when my fate has been sealed forever.

The clear blue sky, the green field with breezy wind and the solemn sound produced by the river, it was a familiar scene that always make me smile whenever I think of it. There is me, there is also that girl who always accompany me no matter where I go. There, we cheerfully playing with each other, playing various dumb games, then stop below the giant tree as we tired, and continue to play again, again and again, without care.

That girl's waist length braided blond hair will stop wavering if I trip, that girl's fair white skin will gone blue if I cry, that girl will cut her own light blue dress and white apron to stop me from bleeding, that girl with dazzling light will gone rainy if I hurt myself.

Alicia Mkenzie, that was her name.

She become a laughing stock to the other kids because she always carry a toy sword made of wood and proudly swing it around, in turn she gave those guys a lesson with said toy as she hide her embarrassment. But most of all, her embarrassing speeches that make me skip school is something that leave a sparkling mark to me.

Sven, I was assigned the role to be your guard.

It was my duty to accompany you to anywhere you like,

And it was my wish to grant you anything you wishes.

So let me protect you and in return you will protect me.

Thought what she said was cringe worthy, there are truths behind those words. She indeed a protector that the McFareed assigned to me, she was tasked to serve me until her very end. The Mkenzie was an old order of knights that attached directly to the main Fareed family, their ability in swordplay and archery is surpass any trained soldier.

Some of them might despise the Fareed as they robbed their freedom, serving their assigned lord forever. But Alicia gladly serve me without complaint. The reason is simple, we found that we are compatible with each other, and such compatibility only grown to its logical conclusion : love.

But such thing is also a problem, at least for a Magus family. And things only grown worse and worse along with time.

Then someone make a decisions.

That day, I was playing hide and seek as usual with Alicia in the mansion. I hide myself in a very good spot, I confident she will never find me. Time passed, she still doesn't found me, so I come out and search for her to boast my ability in hiding. Room by room I search for her, but she was no where to be found.

The last room that I didn't checked yet, its the McFareed magecraft training room.

However the scene that shown to me as I opened the door is far from reality.

That small room which usually bright and lighten by glimmering stones now almost pitch black, the wall and the floor are all dyed in blood red. From the darkest corner, a little white hand crawls out from the pool of blood, its palm opened wide as it try to reach something far away. As it come closer, its- her shape start to be recognizable. Her blue-white apron and blond hair has been soaked red, her white skin and glossed lips that has been covered in blood suddenly move :

Why didn't you protect me? Sven-

"Alicia, hang in there-!"

Knowing that she really need help, I rushed toward her as far as I can, however...

*Slosh!*

Stream of blood- rapidly squirting and splashing to all direction. Blood has covered my front body part and my eyes, but I can clearly see what happened that day.

There is no way I mistaken, but there is no way it happened.

Because I, the person who know her the most, can identify her from a single glance no matter how she hide her face.

But I, the person who love her the most, will never be able to accept what happened to her.

My minds run amok in conflicts, confused, rejected, yet understood the reality in front of me. And then, not knowing what to do, I can only standing still frozen in shocks.

Then a man that I once feel save, the person where I once feel parental warmth suddenly hug me. It was hot, his body heat and the fresh blood splattered on his coat are so slimy as if its melting my body, but my heart can only feel shear coldness and terror. I was confused, the other day father was being nice with us, he always greet the elders that live nearby and yet-!

He slowly opened his lips and said :

I'm sorry, I did what I must to do.

The word 'sorry' resonated in my mind repeatedly. Again and again, as he understood he just did something very terrible.

“Are you okay? Are you injured anywhere? What happened?”

Before I realized, this girl voice bring me back to reality. If she didn't snap me off from my delusions, I probably see the continuation from that horrifying scene, which I really don't want to remember any of it. So I thanked her from the bottom of my heart. However...

"Uh no, I mean I just a little tired after the test..."

This girl... on a glance she remain me to Alicia. But as I check her appearance a little bit, she doesn't resemble her very much. Alicia has blond and waist length hair, this girl skin is way paler too and more importantly, I'm pretty sure she will grow into more mature looking woman. Still, am I already that broken? Just by looking to someone who resemble her a little, cause me to hallucinate the past? But there is no way its true, after all, back in the mansion I able to suppress my emotions despite meeting with her sisters everyday.

So why she remain me to her?

Why now, why here?

Or maybe did she cast magecraft on me? But no, she look as confused as me.

“Do you need any immediate medical attention?”

"Uh, aspirin will do... but more importantly..."

"Who are you? Why you dressed that way?" Thought I don't really suspect she is a terrible person, there is no way that I can ignore this girl that look like cosplaying my dead childhood friend.

[Draconic]

"Oh…" This boy… how could a simple name make her so uncomfortable? Can she even call him by his name? Would that be insulting?

"Yeah, you can just call me Eleanor." Because if he called her that, she wouldn't have to call him Poindexter.

This was so awkward…

"I was going to have a look around. Did you want to join me?"

Despite herself, she really hoped he didn't.

[Milbunk]

Swallow

A swallow flies where a swallow wants to fly, and for this particular swallow there was no force on earth that could force it to fly in one single direction. Should people attempt to chase it down it would simply evade their charges with the grace and mobility of one of the greatest creatures on earth. Such was this particular swallow's belief.

As it continued to aimlessly wander about the strange noise that felt different from the others perked its ears. Perhaps it was nothing unusual but this swallow was never wrong in relying on its own instinct. Such was one thing that had kept it alive for over a thousand years.

Curious at what kind of silly games the humans could be playing at the swallow made its way towards the room where the machinery grew louder and louder and then made its way inside to see just what all this ruckus was.