Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Having given in to despair, to the point she placed herself under a semi-permanent state of hypnosis, Ciel was, as could be expected, an emotional wreck upon seeing her former lover, no back from the dead. In a manner reminiscent to Illya from the previous evening, years of pain and anguish could be heard in her strained voice; tears pouring from her eyes without any signs of stopping.

Shiki was more than a little confused with everything that was happening but, while he had a lot of questions, the crying girl in his arms took precedence. He was compelled to hold her close as he gently stroked her back, coaxing her with soft words in a futile attempt to stop the endless stream of tears staining clothes he didn't remember wearing. Rather, everything about the present didn't make any sense to him as, standing behind a rather 'intense' looking man, two people he almost convinced himself were illusions stood observing him...

Seeing Shiki only spare him a momentary glance, followed by him staring toward Arcueid and Aoko in abject disbelief, Vahn was tempted to release a light chuckle. Ciel's current state made this nigh-impossible, however, so he settled on turning toward the waiting duo, saying, "Take these two to the surface. I'm certain you all have a lot to talk about. When you're finished, make sure he gets to sleep so that the memory link can activate properly."

Hearing Vahn's words, Arcueid was broken from her momentary daze, albeit much slower than Aoko who, like a phantom, appeared standing over Shiki and the crying Ciel. She had a sly grin on her face as she looked down at the confused man, musing, "You have a lot of gall to make a woman cry for you. Come, let Sensei give you a loooong talk about the meaning of propriety~".

Without waiting for Shiki's response, Aoko pulled Ciel off of him by the scruff of her outfit before dragging the confused man by his leg across the hard stone floor. It was only at this point that he gained enough wherewithal to muster up an actual response, followed by him exclaiming, "Aoko-nee, is that really you!? Please, let me go, I can walk on my own...!"

Ignoring Shiki's cries, Aoko continued to drag him, even after reaching the stairs that led to the surface. Then, only after her figured disappeared behind the bend, did she shout out, "Are you waiting for some kind of invitation, Princess!?" This brought Arcueid back to her senses and, after giving a polite bow, she too alighted from the Welsh Dragon's Chamber...

Seeing the curious group depart, Vahn had a slight smile on his face as he shook his head and muttered, "I should take better care of Bell the next time we meet...".

Without mulling over the thought for too long, Vahn turned his attention back to the summoning circle, now powered almost indefinitely as a result of a Spiritron-Link that tethered the formation itself to Maxwell's residence. Now, he didn't even have to trouble the solitary Conceptual Entity who, if left to his own devices, spent most of his time just idling about within his manor's garden...

Finding himself in the familiar void, Vahn wasted little time in approaching the Throne's terminal to check the Parameters, Skills, Noble Phantasms, and other aspects of the people he intended to summon. This time around, he wasn't going to let Merlin pull a fast one on him so, after searching up the name suggested by the flowery Magus, Vahn couldn't help but snort through his nose.

Seeing confirmation of his suspicions, Vahn internally retorted, ("Well, at least everyone else is the proper gender. The real question is whether or not Nero has an appearance similar to Artoria...it really wouldn't surprise me, knowing that clown...")

At this point, Vahn was absolutely certain that Merlin was messing with, not just him, but Artoria herself. Though it was all but certain that Nero had some tragic and endearing past, especially with how they were presented in history, Vahn had misgivings about summoning other Emperors. While she would undoubtedly make a great ruler, as Nero had been an Emperor beloved by their people, Vahn wasn't really trying to find people to govern humanity...

Fortunately, Nero qualified for nearly every Servant Class, the only exceptions being Foreigner and Moon Cancer. She also had an exceptionally powerful Skill, [Imperial Privilege: EX], even in her Lily form. This Skill allowed her to effectively ignore other Skill requirements and, by virtue of nothing more than their own insistence, make use of virtually any other ability, even those derived from Divinity. It was a pretty ridiculous Skill, even eclipsing Scáthach's [Wisdom of the Haunted Ground], albeit for a very limited period of time.

Such a powerful Skill obviously came with strict requirements and, the more it was used, the greater the strain on the body. Still, so long as they lacked the means to completely overwhelm her with something like a Noble Phantasm, Nero could effectively fight with the same degree of mastery as any opponent, instantly. This was a truly enviable Skill to possess and, with both Nero and Ozymandius possessing a version unique to themselves, Vahn intended to study it a bit; after all, he too was an Emperor...

Since it was all but guaranteed that Nero would cause a bit of a scene, Vahn decided to put off her summoning until the very end. For now, he would get the easier summons out of the way, starting off with the eponymous Knight of the Round Table, Bedivere. He was one of Artoria's closest allies in life and, if not for his presence, the Round Table itself wouldn't exist. For this reason, he was the undisputed first member of the Round Table, even if lacking the strength and prestige of later members, chiefly Lancelot and Gawain.

Having already checked the attributes of every Knight of the Round Table during his previous visits, Vahn didn't spend too much time perusing Bedivere's data. The purpose behind him being summoned wasn't to serve as reserve combat force but, just as he had in his life, Bedivere would now become Castle Steward within the Ivory Castle. It was a role they had yet to fill and, having already decided to summon all of the Knight of the Round Table, Vahn felt it was only fair to start with those closest to Artoria.

After confirming his selection, Vahn found himself back in the real world as the pure ether from the summoning circle began to coalesce into a figure. Before it fully formed, he gave a knowing look toward Merlin, eliciting a smile from the whimsical man who, even without laughing, caused Vahn to imagine he was. Thus, as Bedivere formed before him, Vahn interrupted the atmosphere by saying, "Artoria, you should ask Merlin about Nero's appearance. I'm certain it is a topic you will find intriguing..."

Though he had been enjoying himself previously, Merlin's face paled when Vahn unhesitantly tossed him into the deep end. He could feel the temperature drop at his side, finding Artoria was staring at him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She didn't need a detailed explanation to know what Vahn was alluding to as there were very few things appearance-related that had any significance to her.

In an attempt to deescalate the situation, Merlin gestured in a placating manner as he said, "Now, now, there is no need for such hostility. We all agreed that Nero was a suitable-"

Before Merlin could come up with an excuse, Artoria cut him off by asking in a cold tone, "Remind me, Merlin, who was it to suggest Nero as a candidate? Who pointed out how fervently they cared for their people? My memory seems to have failed me...please, help me to remember..."

Fortunately, sparing Merlin the continued ire of Artoria, Bedivere had fully formed, attired in full battle raiment that matched the style of other members of the Round Table. What set him apart from them were his features which, rather than handsome, could be called beautiful as a result of his fair skin, angular face, leaf-green eyes, and pale-blond hair. In fact, perhaps as a result of his adulation of Artoria, Bedivere wore his hair in nearly the exact same manner, complete with a neat braided bun at the back of his head.

Seeing the somewhat familiar surroundings, combined with the presence of two 'very' familiar people, Bedivere was at a momentary loss. His first instinct had been to bend to approach his King and express his relief that they were still alive but, before his feet could move, Bedivere's eyes were drawn to his King's attire. Though this choice of garb alone didn't necessarily prove anything, there were a few noticeable aspects of the person in question that made it apparent they were anything but a King...

Since she was sensitive to the gazes of others, Artoria immediately turned her attention away from Merlin, her usual regal aura radiating out like the gentle rays of the sun. Then, causing Bedivere to question how they could have been so foolish, Artoria calmly stated, "Knight Bedivere, it is good to see you once again. You undoubtedly have many questions, all of which will be answered. For now, it is enough to know that I have always been female. Please, forgive me for keeping this from you..."

Though some people may consider it improper, Artoria had always treated her Knights of the Round Table as equals. She had no qualms about lowering her head if it was to apologize, much to the perturbance of those most loyal to her. As Bedivere fit this designation perfectly, he wasted no time in bowing even lower than Artoria, dropping straight to his knees as he exclaimed, "My King, please, do not lower your head to someone such as I. I...there are so...so many things I must apologize for. Your Majesty's words are like daggers that pierce me deeply...please, spare me this anguish...!"

Toward the end of his outburst, Bedivere had actually started to shed tears as, in his mind, having died after Artoria had been his greatest failure. History had not recorded it but, in the wake of his King's fall at the Battle of Camlann, Bedivere had watched over what he believed to be Artoria's corpse. For nearly three full weeks, he had not moved from his final post yet, instead of the death he believed he deserved; the darkness claiming his vision gave way to the present moment, one where his King was alive and well, regardless of their gender.

Even Artoria felt taken aback by Bedivere's behavior as he seemed distinctly different from the loyal Steward she had known much of her life. Fortunately, Vahn had been present from the very beginning so, while recuperating his mental energy a bit for future summons, he made a small exception, taking it upon himself to explain things to the distressed Knight. Then, as could be expected of someone who cried upon seeing their former Liege once again, Bedivere readily pledged his loyalty to the Empire...

While one drama was playing within the cavernous Welsh Dragon's Chamber, another had been taking place back on the surface. Here, after being pulled inside the Projection and taken into the Marble Phantasm of Arcueid, Shiki was brought up to speed on everything, his death included. This, however, wasn't a matter of importance to the mystic eyed man as, after being separated for more than a decade, Shiki was eager to know where Aoko and Arcueid had been. From them, he learned about many troubling topics, including the fact that they had both become the women of the man who had summoned him, the Sage Emperor, Vahn Aldrnari Mason...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Lamentation of the broken-hearted','Caught red-handed','Imagine coming back to life only to discover that two of your first crushes have been claimed by another man...')