Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though she would normally embellish her tales quite a bit, Musashi knew it was neither the time nor the place to mess around. Thus, in order to avoid upsetting Alice, she gave a relatively brief summary of events before ending things by saying, "We underestimated the Emperor too much. Though I hate to admit it, I’m certain he held back during our fight. Though he doesn’t seem to be the strongest in the Empire, he gives off the impression of someone without any limits. In our fight alone, I could tell he became much stronger...even the air around him had undergone a qualitative change..."

Hearing Musashi’s recounting, and subsequent opinion, Shirou couldn’t help but release a tired sigh as he ran his hand through his pale-white hair and muttered, "I wonder what excuse Archimedes will give this time around...we never should have followed that man’s plans. The moment we stop caring about the methods used, we lose the right to call ourselves Heroes...what a drag..."

While he had ultimately been convinced callous and logical leader of their resistance, Shirou, and many others within the group, hadn’t been comfortable with the methods he had proposed. In fact, the original plan involved more than half of them working in coordination with each other, but, as it became readily apparent this wouldn’t work, Shirou had volunteered to get his hands dirty in lieu of his companions. Not only did he have the means to infiltrate undetected, but, in the grand scheme of things, he was more of an Anti-Hero than the True Hero he had strived to be in life, thus making him the most ’suitable’ for the responsibility of bearing their group’s sins...

Seeing the dull look in Shirou’s eyes, Musashi released a sigh of her own before crossing her arms and adding, "After this mission, I’m not even certain if what we’re doing is the right thing any longer. While I don’t believe his words outright, I get the feeling the Emperor’s words weren’t meant to be misleading. Based on how he has acted thus far, it is safe to say he is the type that faces challenges head-on...I’m not suggesting we just expose ourselves to him, but, if we continue to do things using Archimedes’ methods...I don’t think our group will last very long..."

Though he had yet to meet with Vahn directly, Shirou trusted Musashi’s judgment, so, while he had some personal grievances against the man, he nodded in understanding before stating, "A lot of us haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye with Archimedes for some time. If not for his Authority, I imagine he would have already been killed off by a number of our would-be allies...unfortunately, we still need him...without his power, this fight would be impossible to win."

Musashi didn’t completely agree with Shirou, but, as she wasn’t actually a Heroic Spirit, she didn’t have the same ’programming’ as the fourteen who had been summoned by Archimedes. She, like Caenis and a few others, had shifted backward in time alongside Archimedes while Shirou, and the rest of the actual Heroic Spirits, had only been summoned after reaching the current point in the Time Axis. Thus, she had a bit more freedom when it came to her way of thinking, but, unfortunately, the contract she had made prevented her from doing much about it.

In response to Shirou’s words, Musashi just shrugged her shoulders before looking into the distance where Berserker and Caenis had appeared. Her Empyrean Eyes reflected a peculiar glow even as the day gradually gave way to the veil of night, bringing with it an uncommon chill that normally came only later in the year. This was an ominous sign, and, despite feeling as though Vahn was no longer observing her, Musashi found this ’disinterest’ even more terrifying. It was almost as if he didn’t care what they did, almost as if he had seen through everything with his blazing golden eyes...

With the arrival of Berserker and Caenis, the latter of which had a dour expression on her face when she saw Shirou, it was nearing time for their departure. Alice had already returned to the group after ringing the Shrine’s bell, so, while waiting for the mass transportation spell to activate, Musashi gave the entire group a look before locking eyes with Shirou and saying, "I have a bad feeling...almost like something terrible is going to happen..."

As Musashi’s intuition was rarely, if ever, wrong, Shirou adopted a serious expression in response to her words, asking, "Do you think it has anything to do with the Empire tracking the two of you? Even if they have the means to fool our senses and scanners, the quarantine measures back at HQ should prevent all forms of tracing. Once we return, we should be able to lay low for a while before coming up with a method to deal a blow to the Empire..."

Hearing Shirou’s words, Musashi immediately shook her head, her own expression becoming more serious as she said, "We shouldn’t keep targetting the Empire. Even if he is our enemy, I don’t think the Emperor’s words should be taken lightly. Our future plans should target him directly...this is what my intuition is telling me. The fact they aren’t even trying to track us makes it seem as though Vahn already knows the location of our base...it’s like he is testing us..."

Musashi generally wasn’t afraid of anything, but, as they were preparing for their return, she began to feel something akin to existential dread. It wasn’t fear for her own life, but, after becoming rather close to many of her current comrades, she didn’t want to see them slaughtered by the unforgiving Emperor. His warnings echoed in her mind, and, though there were no guarantees he would have actually spared any of them in the long run, Musashi felt ’certain’ that he would slaughter them all if she didn’t take his words seriously...

Sensing the tension radiating from Musashi, everyone around her began to feel uncomfortable. Alice even hid behind Shirou’s back, clinging tightly to his hoodie as she whimpered, "I’m scared...big sis is scaring me..."

Since Musashi generally gave off a confident and easy-going vibe, even Shirou began to feel a little nervous, but, knowing it only took a bit of courage to keep hope alive, he forced a calming smile as he picked up Alice, hugging her close as he looked around at his allies and said, "No matter what the future may bring, we will face it together. The Emperor may be a terrifying opponent, but, so long as we stand united, there will always be hope. Come, let us return and discuss this with everyone else. If we put our heads together, we’ll be able to come up with a solution...I’m certain of it."

If Vahn had been present, he would have noticed the flow of fate around Shirou shift, wrapping up everyone else in its slow yet steady current. As a result, even Musashi began to feel more confident, the smile returning to her face as she answered, "That’s right, isn’t it? This has always been a war that put our lives on the line so it is senseless to start worrying about it now. I still feel it’s best to face the Emperor directly, but, as long as I have reliable allies on my side, I guess it doesn’t make much of a difference."

Musashi’s words weren’t exactly inspiring, but, immediately following her musing, Caenis adopted an eager expression on her face as she loudly exclaimed, "You’re lacking the spirit of a warrior, Musashi! if the Empire comes knocking at the gates, my spear will be the first thing to greet them! If I don’t at least give that bastard a good kick, I won’t be able to die with dignity...!"

Even if it wasn’t Caenis’ intention to be funny, Musashi nearly burst into laughter when she heard the former’s last few words. She just now remembered witnessing Caenis get kicked by Vahn during their previous encounter, and, while this wasn’t exactly funny, the fact Caenis never seemed to learn from her failures was strangely endearing. She was the type that could get beaten a dozen times, yet, even if her opponent was several times more skilled and powerful, she would unhesitantly throw herself at them, time and time again...

Seeing Musashi covering her mouth, Caenis’ expression turned dour, but, due to the presence of Alice, she decided to restrain her urge to lash out. Alice was the glue that unified many within their group, so, while she had never been especially fond of children, Caenis didn’t want to upset her. The doll-like girl could be especially troublesome when she was upset, and, despite a strong desire for battle, Caenis also wanted to just relax once they returned home. This would be difficult if Alice was upset with her, so, for the time being, she bottled up her frustration, deciding to expend it the next time she encountered the ’cowardly’ Emperor...

After waiting for several minutes, a massive magic circle, this one possessing a uniquely mechanical composition, appeared beneath the group. A few moments later, everyone within the confines of the magic circle began to glow with a pale-blue light as a mechanical voice echoed, "Scan complete. No anomalous readings detected."

Before the spell could complete, Shirou interrupted the process, stating, "Transfer us to the near-side Quarantine Bay. Have a team on standby for a comprehensive analysis of personnel and make sure to sever any connections between HQ and Gaia for the next couple of hours. Also, inform the Chief Administrator that there is a reasonably high chance the position of HQ has already been exposed..."

In response to Shirou’s words, the composition of the magic circle began to shift slightly, it’s gear-like components moving like the cog within a clock to change to facilitate their new destination. At the same time, the mechanical voice from before answered, "Acknowledged. Activating Quarantine procedures and informing pertinent personnel..."

Once the voice’s words began to trail, the light around everyone’s bodies began to rapidly increase in intensity before, in an instant, they all vanished like collapsing stars. It was a rather strange sight to behold from the outside, as, for the brief moment before the transfer was completed, it was like they had imploded inward on themselves, being sucked into a singularity of bluish-white light that rippled outward once they vanished...

For those experiencing the transfer, there was a feeling of mild nausea, but, after a few seconds had passed, these symptoms faded in their entirety. This left the group standing idle in a futuristic room that was covered in smooth metallic walls adorned with bands of light that periodically flickered on their surface. There was no furniture at all within the space they had been isolated, but, after a few minutes had passed, mechanical automatons began to carry in anything they would need to relax as the Quarantine procedures were carried out.

Shirou left Alice in the care of Berserker, earning a mildly annoyed expression from the latter and an aggrieved pout from the former. As he had to discuss things with Archimedes, however, Shirou spent a bit of time coaxing Alice before entering one of the adjoining rooms alongside Musashi. She would need to give another first-hand account of everything that had happened, and, while the likelihood of Archimedes following their suggestions was slim, at best, it wasn’t completely hopeless. He was a man of logic and reasoning, so, as long as you made a convincing argument, backed up by facts, he would take your opinion into consideration when he adapted his future plans...

What awaited Shirou and Musashi after they entered the isolated room was a barren chamber with a false-mirror on one side, much like an interrogation room. The mechanism that allowed both sides to see each other had already been activated, and, despite the fact he had been in the middle of an important project, Archimedes wasted no time in heading over after hearing the message issued by the SE.RA.PH system.

Before so much as a greeting could be exchanged between them, Archimedes leaned into the thin microphone situated on the control panel hidden beneath the mirror, asking, "How certain are you that we have been exposed? I want to know everything that happened in the sixty-three hours that have passed since the failure of the previous mission...!"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Dirtying one’s hands...’,’Women’s intuition...’,’The advent of the protagonist aura...!?’)