23 A Look At The Past - Tamamo's Side

London, England,

Unspecified Mansion,

A gloomy air hung about the hallway, despite the fact that a number of lamps lit it up, if that wasn't enough then the chandelier hanging from the ceiling most definitely should have yet, it was an unshakable feeling. Tamamo no Mae's instincts told her that something was off, even as she slowly walked up the carpet covered steps of the main stairway, looking around in curiosity.

She'd thought to meditate for a bit before proceeding with her rituals and arrived here. Still, she couldn't use her abilities.

Her tail swayed about, her ears twitched, the Caster knew what she was witnessing, it was the memory sharing between Master and Servant but... She couldn't identify just which memory she was about to witness.

Maybe it would be a happy one for once?

...That was quite implausible considering the cruel nature of their world.

Making up her mind however, Tamamo walked on eventually coming across a strange room that seemed to draw her to it, "I see Master has always had his lavish lifestyle." She commented, a finger on her lower lip as her eyes wandered around the corridors of the mansion she was in.

Nonetheless, the Caster followed the out of place urge, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"This is some right bullshit."

"Master?" Tamamo no Mae recognised the voice, it was a bit higher pitched but that was Roman's voice, she couldn't NOT recognise it. Still, a hint of worry crossed her face seeing as the voice seemed to be somewhat laboured.

The Caster tried to push open the door but her hand phased through it instead, "Oh right." Realising her mistake, she just walked through it.... though, she did slightly regret doing that right after.

The scene that greeted her eyes was by no means a nice one.

Her Master, Roman, or at least that was who she presumed the young boy was, sat against the wall, wrapping a cloth around his bleeding arm. Books and papers lay all around the room, overturned shelves, the window right behind the table and chair was broken and a sizable rock lay to the front.

Tamamo grit her teeth, baring the fangs she rarely ever revealed to anyone. It wasn't hard for the Caster to realise what had happened, someone had thrown that thing from outside! At her Master! It hit him too considering the fact that he seemed to have crashed into the floor ahead.

"Where's my bloody cane?"

Still, Roman didn't seem all that dismayed. Annoyed yes but not seething with rage as most would have, he looked rather calm. Pitying her Master, Tamamo looked around for his cane, only to notice that it was nowhere to be seen.

The Younger Roman seemed to arrive at the same conclusion, "Of course." He sighed, they'd probably removed it beforehand.

"Who has the audacity?" Tamamo grumbled, trying to peer out and see who had done such a thing only to see pitch black.

Behind her the scenery changed, this time she saw Roman sitting in his chair, with a calm smile on his face as a raven haired woman looked down at him with cold emotionless eyes. Tamamo noticed the minute similarities in appearance and concluded that this was either his mother, or someone closely related at least.

"Nice of you to visit." Roman spoke with his head in one hand, it appeared as if he didn't have much reaction to her either.. Tamamo, who had walked over to his side, could tell that saying that would be inaccurate.

"...." The older woman only silently observed him for a few more moments before turning around wordlessly and leaving with hurried steps, "I suggest you move out.." She spoke sternly standing at the door, glancing at Roman over her shoulder before resuming her walk.

"....." Roman shrugged and went back to noting down what he'd been doing before.

Multiple similar scenes played out before the Caster's eyes, scenes that upset her more than she thought they would. Ridiculed by servants, his food being tampered with, she even witnessed a girl that looked to be slightly older than himself almost push her Master down the stairs... It wasn't like her Master appeared to be much dismayed by these things, he just looked like he didn't care... Still, she also saw multiple scenes of him hitting people with that cane of his.

Each scene she witnessed would have her Master be older than by a few months, since they barely lasted for more than a few minutes. Tamamo no Mae saw her Master go from hardworking to uncaring, then again attentive and hardworking, then finally what she was used to seeing.

Amidst this, she'd also seen the 'asshole' help the unaware deal with a number of their plans. She saw him 'deal' with those that bullied that Waver brat her Master called friend and befriend a pale haired child who had then been one of his greatest friends.

"I was right." Tamamo smiled joyfully, her tail wagging about in excitement, there was no way her Master was a traditional Magus, it was even awe-inspiring how he'd turned out considering his background. A background she was now somewhat aware of (knowing that what she'd seen was by no means the full extent of what her Master had experienced). It only solidified her decision to devote her fullest to him even if she now knew her decision may have to do with how she didn't have long left to be by his side.

Finally, Tamamo arrived at a scene she didn't like in the slightest.

Roman leaned against a table, breathing heavily with a hand over his chest, his other arm hung loosely as if broken, "They stopped being subtle." He spoke with a small smile, blood dripped from his chest but Tamamo was certain there was no wound. She even walked up and observed it closely, truly, there was no wound at all, "Glad to see my spells work though so meh."

Yet, his shirt had a massive hole instead of the fabric that should have been covering his heart, the edges were bloody... Tamamo was confused with just what had happened, "What is....?"

A man dressed in black from head to toe lay behind him, resting against the wall with a simil- no, he had an actual gaping hole in his chest from which blood flowed freely, dirtying both the ground and the wall.

Then, as Tamamo watched, the loosely hanging arm slowly regained strength and Roman clenched and unclenched his fist multiple times, nodding in satisfaction with the now repaired arm. At the same time, she also noticed that he was standing on his two feet, without using a cane or anything for support at all...

Roman's gaze seemed to shoot in her direction startling Tamamo, could he....,

"Master, you see me?"

It appeared that it was a false alarm when the door to the room opened instead and a diligent Thea walked in. The Caster servant observed the happenings in complete silence.

"Master, the intruders have all been dealt with. Unfortunately, I was unable to find out who sent them."

"Oh that won't be necessary." Roman answered with a wide smile, looking outside the window from the corner of his eye.

"Master?"

"It appears that some of my family disagrees with my being alive."

Tamamo noticed that his gaze was fixed on a car coming down the road. She only watched as her Master pointed a hand at the vehicle, the rain outside picking up as he did and then, thunder flashed,

"Boom."

The Caster observed an invisible force crash into the moving car, throwing it into the air with the front completely caved in. Not a moment passed before the same force collided into it from the top throwing it to the ground with a loud boom.

A pained scream followed by a clap and the car was enveloped by lightning from the heavens above.

".....Master is too flashy." Tamamo half praised, half complained with slightly wider eyes as she felt herself sucked out of wherever she was at the moment. The next second she found herself back in the real world, her legs folded and numerous tags all around the room. A circle was drawn on the floor.

The same room she'd been preparing for a ritual before meditating, "I see that was the end of it."

With dismayed feelings and a renewed desire to sed-*ehem* aid her Master, the Caster Class servant once more got to work.

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