Out of Time

After Aife's attack, things became relatively peaceful within the faux Ivory Castle produced by the Moon Cell. Though a number of Attack Programs could be seen wandering in the distance, they didn't seem willing, or able, to enter within established territories. Thus, while waiting for Shirou and Musashi to return, Vahn spent much of his time idling about with Artoria, listening to reports from his Commanders, and aiding Da Vinci in her research.

During this interval, the situation within the Moon Cell had been conveyed to everyone back in Avalon, including the fact that a version of Shirou had been summoned. This had come as quite a surprise to Rin and Luvia but, far more than either of them, Illya wanted to meet with her 'brother' once again.

Prior to her death, Illya had been preparing to forge an alliance with Shirou and Rin, setting aside her past struggles in the hopes of spending her final days amongst her family. She knew the Holy Grail would eventually claim her life, as she had been its vessel, so it was a great tragedy that, just when she thought happiness was within her grasp, it was taken from her. Gilgamesh had slain her Servant before ultimately murdering her, all while Rin and the original Shirou were powerless to do anything but watch...

Vahn promised Illya that she would be able to meet with Shirou, but, due to her nature as a Beast of Gaia, leaving the planet was out of the question. Cath Palug's existence was tied to the planet itself, so, even if Illya tried to leave, the Bounded Field surrounding the planet would prevent her from doing so. Even if she could break through it, her power would quickly fade away, much like the Gods who borrowed their 'Divine Authority' from Gaia. This was a failsafe to prevent planets from warring against each other, imposed upon them by the Root System, expressed through the various Gods of the Sun.

Though he didn't completely agree with the structure of the Root System, Vahn had slowly come to understand its significance. It was difficult to create a system that allowed people to advance without limits, especially while placing restrictions on how they were allowed to act. He struggled with exercising authority over a single planet, much less an entire multiverse. As a result, he was, slowly but surely, beginning to understand why entities like Akasha and her Superiors behaved the way they did...

Ultimately, just like what he was trying to do with his Empire, Vahn would have to delegate various responsibilities to other people. He would one day possess the power to govern all things, but, in exchange, he would have to sacrifice many of the things that made him happy. He imagined this was the reason why powerful Gods often created lesser Gods to govern in their stead, freeing up time for them to pursue the things that interested them. It was an exceptionally selfish thing to do, but, when you were looking at things through the lens of eternity, even billions of years of wanton philandering seemed inconsequential...

As this thought crossed his mind, Vahn eyed the sleeping Artoria laying against his chest, her golden hair slightly messy as it clung to her smiling face. They hadn't had sex, as doing so inside the Moon Cell seemed rather senseless, but it didn't stop them from cuddling with each other.

Seeing the smile on Artoria's face, Vahn couldn't help but produce one of his own, promising he would do everything within his power to protect, not just her smile, but everyone's. It wouldn't be easy, but, eventually, they would find the correct answer together. The Path always created a way forward, so, as the physical manifestation of the incomprehensibly powerful artifact, there were no limits to what he could accomplish...

---

Though not entirely unexpected, Vahn was surprised when nearly forty-eight hours had passed, yet, in spite of this, Shirou and Musashi had yet to arrive. As a result, he found himself sitting on the edge of the bulwark, Artoria at his side as they both looked out over the horizon for any sign of the group's arrival.

With less than five minutes left, Vahn, with his arms crossed, began to lightly tap his bicep with his index finger. His ability to read the Flow of Fate allowed him to ascertain whether or not they were actually going to show up, but, in spite of this, Vahn continued waiting. He knew for a fact that the duo had taken his words seriously, so, based on their failure to appear, it was pretty obvious that something had happened.

Once the countdown in his mind reached zero, Vahn released a small sigh before saying, "It looks like we'll have to handle this matter personally. I can't say I'm surprised...things never seem to go as smoothly as I'd like."

Hearing Vahn's words, Artoria released a sigh of her own before dutifully manifesting her armor and asking, "Are we going?" in an inquisitive, yet resolute, tone.

Nodding his head, Vahn answered, "I'm interested in the Moon Cell but I have no intention of just idling around here for days on end without accomplishing anything. There are many things that require my attention back on Gaia so let's wrap this up as quickly as possible."

Following his words, Vahn began to levitate from the bulwark, accompanied closely by Artoria as they alighted into the sky. They had already conveyed their intentions to Gawain and Kenshin, so, even though it seemed like they had spontaneously left, the Ivory Castle was already in a state of high alert. There was even a powerful, dome-like, barrier that now protected the entire structure, courtesy of Da Vinci, so, even without their protection, the Ivory Castle wouldn't fall so easily...

After ascending a few hundred meters into the air, Vahn gazed out over the 'horizon', viewing the various paths that had come into existence over the last two days. He could see a veritable ocean of Attack Programs littering the area, including many airborne enemies, so, rather than fly to their destination, he turned his eyes skyward and said, "Transfer me to the nearest foreign territory."

Immediately after his words fell, Vahn found himself at the base of what appeared to be a large mountain, courtesy of the Control Program. His authority as the Chief Administrator allowed him to move freely within the Photonic Abyss, and, though he might not be able to teleport directly into someone else's territory, teleporting nearby wasn't an issue.

Seeing the rather sizeable mountain, Vahn assumed the enemy was moderately powerful, but, even after expanding his domain to try and sense them, nothing appeared within his perception. This indicated they could either hide from his senses or, far more likely, they simply weren't home. As a result, Vahn teleported to the only 'interesting' location within the mountain, the mouth of a large cave that was structured similarly to the entrance of a temple.

Unlike the mountain, which was covered in a layer of ice and snow, the interior was exceptionally hot, almost like standing at the mouth of a volcano. Vahn could also sense that, the deeper you went, the hotter things became, eventually reaching upwards of 15,000 degrees after reaching the heart of the mountain. Since this temperature was achieved through magical means, even the majority of Heroic Spirits wouldn't be able to tolerate the heat. Vahn, however, could even bathe in the flames of Zhūquè without being burned, so, while Artoria had started to sweat a little, he was entirely unaffected.

After confirming that the mountain was, indeed, empty, Vahn scanned it with his domain one last time before saying, "It seems we missed whoever owns this place. Since there aren't even Attack Programs here, I doubt they would appreciate us snooping around too much. Let's go to the next location before returning here later on."

Since she was already feeling uncomfortable near the mouth of the cave, Artoria had no qualms about leaving the strange temple behind. As a result, they took to the sky once again, moving to an area beyond the scope of the mountain territory before having the Control Program transport them to the next location.

To the surprise of both Vahn and Artoria, their next destination was also a series of mountains, albeit much smaller than the 13,000m tall mountain from before. It also lacked icy peaks, instead, possessing a verdant forest of blooming cherry blossom trees, each glowing slightly. There also appeared to be a small village, reminiscent of one of the rural Japanese villages that could be found in the far north of Japan, places that still focused heavily on tradition.

Since he was quite fond of cherry blossoms, Vahn found this particular territory rather appealing, but, before he could appreciate it fully, a 'pulse' of sorts emanated from the large temple located within the valley between two mountains. When this pulse struck them, Vahn found his telekinesis canceled, forcing him to fall a few meters before he was able to create a foothold within the void itself. Even this only lasted for a short period of time, however, causing him to eventually just drop to the ground alongside Artoria.

With a thoughtful expression on his face, Vahn looked around the area, muttering, "This place is even closer to a Reality Marble than the false Ivory Castle. There is some kind of 'authority' that influences everyone that enters within, much like Ozymandias' and Nero's Real Marbles..."

Though she had already reached a similar conclusion, Artoria nodded in affirmation, sword at the ready as she asked, "Do you think they are hostile?"

Since he had already spread his domain, easily covering more than a third of the massive territory, Vahn quickly shook his head, explaining, "I'm certain the owner of this territory has already sensed us, so, based on the fact we're not already under attack, I don't think they are hostile. Rather, I get the impression we are being invited inside...?"

Following Vahn's words, the trees in the surroundings seemed to shift, creating a path that was lit with tiny paper lanterns. It was actually kind of creepy, but, as it was also rather scenic, Vahn lightly hummed before extending his arm to Artoria, asking, "Shall we?"

Not expecting Vahn's sudden offer, Artoria was momentarily at a loss, nearly linking her arm with his while still holding [Excalibur]. This caused Vahn's smile to widen, earning him a pointed glare from Artoria, who, despite herself, still linked arms with his. Then, even though they were clearly being baited into a trap of some sort, they enjoyed the rather pleasant scenery of the glowing cherry blossoms, complete with a large moon floating overhead in the spontaneous night sky...

---

While Vahn and Artoria were enjoying their moonlit stroll, a tall and curvaceous woman leaned over a reflecting pool, observing them with a thoughtful smile on her face. She was attired in what appeared to be a purple latex bodysuit, clinging to her figure and leaving little to the imagination. To conceal at least a little bit of her dignity, she had an insignia-clad cloth covering her chest, tied to her body with a rope that extended around her neck and flanks. She also had a similar cloth to cover her front and backside, but, due to the volume of her hips and thighs, this did very little to prevent the majority of people, men and women alike, from gawking.

To complete her outfit, the woman wore form-fitting leather gauntlets and greaves, elevating her to the status of 'femme fatale' with the large katana dangling loosely at her hips. It, much like the woman herself, stood out quite a bit, as, instead of a normal sheath, it was largely covered in the fur of a tiger, appearing much like a tail. If not for the woman's long purple hair, tied loosely near her ankles, it would have been her third most distinguishing feature...

With violet eyes that glowed within the low light of the room, the woman traced her index finger across the surface of the reflecting pool, disturbing the image as she muttered, "This must be the Sage Dragon Emperor mentioned by Shirou-chan...he certainly gives up quite the presence. And that woman at his side...she is also a Dragon? How peculiar..."

For a brief moment, the woman considered whether or not she should pass judgment on the duo that had trespassed her territory, but, seeing them enjoying their moonlit stroll, she felt it would be wrong to interfere. Instead, she disturbed the surface of the reflecting pool, returning it to a neutral state as she called out, "Ibaraki-chan, we're going to have guests soon. Tell Kiyo-chan to prepare a banquet before informing the others to be on their best behavior~."

In response to the woman's words, a petite figure with pale-blonde hair released a groan as she removed the large black stone slabs that had been pressing on her legs. She had been forced to sit in seiza with weights on her lap after previously upsetting the purple-clad woman. Now that she had been freed, she wasted no time in bolting from the room, answering, "L-leave it to me...!" without looking back. This caused the purple-clad woman to giggle elegantly, but, for a very brief moment, a glint flashed across her eyes as she looked toward the weight that had left a small hole in the floor...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fine...I'll do it myself...','Into the Demon's den...','That glint though...')

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