After The Show

As the sun slowly rose, ushering in the warm morning, a serene peaceful silence settled over. The chirping of birds and the calming rustling of leaves filled the air with the sounds of nature. Bazett scanned their surroundings as they found themselves back in the forest. However, the first thing that caught her attention was the absence of the young master's corpse.

Which left her feeling unsettled, causing images flashing vividly through her mind of what just happened, leaving her frustrated and unnerved. Then she turned her gaze to Star once more, who was looking at the ground without saying anything as his guitar dematerialized. It was impossible to know what he was thinking or feeling as his mask hid it all. Bazett felt like she needed to say something to him, but then decided not to, and spoke to herself;

"Is it all, over now?.." 

Confused and unsure she decided to go inside the cave where Sakura first came from while Star remained still in where he is. The inside of the cave was huge, the deeper she walked in the cave the hotter it became, its temperature rising gradually. As she walked on, Bazett suddenly encountered a massive cliff, momentarily startling her.

Peering over the edge, she attempted to gauge its depth, but where it went on for was impossible to see, it was too deep. And she couldn't possibly jump to the other side of the cliff also, due to its considerable width. Then, she gazes upward and notices the shattered ceiling of the cave, being able to directly see the sky, as an result of the powerful blast that occurred within while they were fighting against that black knight;

"What on earth happened here..."

Bazett's primary concern, however, was the Holy Grail. She wondered—had it even reached its final form yet? Had the Holy Grail War concluded already, with Star's victory over Sakura and that knight? Again she was left with tons of questions... She decided to leave the cave and went outside, finding Star in the same stance, unmoved from his spot. She sighs softly, then suddenly feels a small vibration in her jackets inner pocket. It checks out, it was her small cellphone. 

Slightly surprised, she takes it out from her pocket, and sees an message about her overdue phone bill, which makes her throw a annoyed look at the phone. But then notices that her phone has a signal bar, indicating that it finally has service. She pauses for a moment, then decides to immediately contact The Clock Tower, her first instinct in this moment. The phone rings for a few seconds after someone finally picks it up;

"...Hello? This is Bazett McRemitz."

"From whence the clock..?"

At first when she heard this she felt confused, but then eventually understood and grasped what this was about. This was just The Clock Tower's normal procedure, prompting for a passcode to confirm, authenticate her identity in order to proceed with the call;

"...From whence the clock ticks, hope ascends; thus shalt thou seek the light?"

"And may I also please, have your ISC number too?"

"Four, eight, seven, two, two, five."

"Thank you for your cooperation, my name is Chris from The Clock Tower, how may I be of service?"

"Hey, Chris... I'm calling in to make a report... *Sigh* A lot has happened. I've been trying to reach your team for the past few days to report in. However, there's been no signal here in Fuyuki City ever since the first day I've landed here. Possibly something, no someone was blocking it. Is it possible for me to speak with Lord El-Melloi II? I-"

"Please, excuse me for interrupting Miss Bazett, but... Where are you currently located at? Just for confirmation."

This sudden question from the Clock Tower dispatcher made Bazett puzzled. Shouldn't he supposed to know where she is at? They must all be informed about her mission... Right?;

"Uhm, in Fuyuki City as I've said. Japan, Fuyuki City. Due to the mission I've been assigned to. By Lord El-Melloi II."

The dispatcher kept quiet for a while, only adding up to Bazett's confusion more;

"Hello?"

"Oh, yes. I am sorry. I was just checking in our records... And—I am afraid but. This is weird..."

"What is it?"

"There are no past records of you going to Japan, or even being assigned to such a mission."

"Huh? No... There clearly must be a mistake. I came here by El-Melloi's direct order. To investigate, observe the Holy Grail War that was going on in Fuyuki."

Bazett spoke, sure that the dispatcher was making a clear mistake. Or looking in a wrong file, or maybe it was classified! Maybe that's why Chris couldn't find anything related to that, she thought as Star slightly raised his head, listening in on the call she was making;

"I am sorry Miss Bazett, but as I've said there is no record related to what you are claiming."

Chris's tone was firm, Bazett tried to make sense of the whole situation. She clenched her fist and took a deep breath before speaking in a calm tone;

"I see. I want to talk with Lord El-Melloi II, in-person when I get back to England if that's fine."

"Yes, of course Miss Bazett, I can arrange that for you. Do you need any assistance in regards to your trip back to England?"

"Yes. I do. I want to get there as soon as possible..."