Someday, For the Third Time

The sky is crying. The earth is wailing. The people are dying.

"...Master." The young girl muttered. Stepping through the burning city, Jeanne d'Arc raised her holy flag to shield herself from the flames and searched the ruined buildings. "Master!" She removed the wreckage that blocked her path and called out for her partner. "Fenric, where are you?!"

Fuyuki was once a peaceful town. The ever-changing four seasons accompanied the beautiful city. Facing the vast ocean, the scenery of this majesty must have been popular enough to attract tourists from all over the world.

However, it did not survive the destruction caused by those seven figures. Stepping out from legends and myths, they are ones who are not supposed to exist on this earth. No, they should not be allowed to continue existing.

The participants of the Last Holy Grail War, imposed upon them by a mad Sorcerer who did not wish to live any longer.

Fenric von Leiqritus, the wielder of True Magic who went insane.

Sajyou Manaka, the princess who came straight out of a fairy tale and the one who is connected to the Origin of All.

Ryougi Shiki, the 'Void', and the owner of the Mystic Eyes that could kill anything even if they were to be gods.

Scáthach, the god-slaying warrior-queen from Celtic Mythology's Ulster Cycle who rules over the Land of Shadows.

Fillia von Einzbern, the divine vessel who housed the ancient Sumerian Divine Spirit, Ishtar.

Amaterasu, the origin of Tamamo-no-Mae, and an actual living sun goddess who still walked on this earth.

Arcueid Brunestud, the last True Ancestor and the princess of all vampires.

"...Fenric...!" Jeanne shouted in delight. She has found her Master. "Wait for me!" Abandoning the child's corpse she was carrying, the Maiden of Orleans sprinted towards a nearby rubble and pulled the black-haired man out.

...Cold.

Why is he so cold?

"Jeanne." Seeing his Servant's sorrowful face, Fenric glanced up at the sky and smiled wryly. "...I lost again."

"Hang on, Master! I'll get you out of here. I am a saint, I can heal these wounds, so please...!" She bit her lips and lifted the Sorcerer up. "Lord, please protect him, please don't let him die-"

Fenric von Leiqritus.

A sarcastic man who was reborn into this cruel world. He should not have stepped into the unknown and held hand with the supernatural. He should have just stayed home, remained a failure of a Magus, and enjoy his carefree days with his dear sister.

If a person not suitable to despair comes to possess Magecraft, the boundaries of the world will be crossed, leading to the disturbance of the laws of causality and logic. A life that has been saved by a miracle cannot be saved again.

This is his end.

It is lonely at the top. It is lonely to continue even living. It is lonely- Who will understand me? Who will spare me from this agony? Who will... save me?

This world that could only be seen through my eyes have always been black and white. The beautiful surface that all appreciates. The ugly underneath that all loathes... just who will acknowledge my selfishness?

This burden... just who will carry it for me?

"Charlotte... Why won't you come back?"

True Resurrection does not exist. Simple resurrection are common, from the standard Necromancy's Revival of the Dead to the ultimate Sorcery Heaven's Feel's perfect recreation of a soul.

However, no matter how hard one tries, one cannot bring back the original.

The First Magic, Denial of Nothingness, can produce a perfect imitation when the required resources are achieved.

The Second Magic, Kaleidoscope, can reach the same individual in another world, another history, another timeline, another dimension... but they aren't the same.

The Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, can perfectly recreate a deceased soul. As long as the mind which the soul delves in still exists, a copy's retrieval is possible.

The Fourth Magic, Removal of Existence, can recover the concept of an individual and paste it upon another physical vessel. Alas, it's a mere imitation.

The Fifth Magic, The Blue, can rewind time and save the one from suffering an inevitable death. Nevertheless, the intended timeline will be broken at that point and the original's destruction will become certain.

"...What an amusing conclusion. It is an end suitable for a pathetic monster like me."

"Don't talk anymore, Master! I will- I will definitely save you! If no one were to understand, if no one were to acknowledge you, at least I will... or else... won't you, as a person... be too pitiful...?" Jeanne hugged Fenric closer and walked on, towards the relentless inferno.

"...My soul is already crumbling. At this rate, it'll break apart in a few minutes. See? I'm the Third Magician, I understands souls better than anyone." Fenric gave out a bitter laugh and watched the star-filled sky. "...I see, the second failed as well. History sure does repeat itself."

"-What are you saying, Master...! Please, don't close your eyes, please, stay with me...!" Feeling the black-haired man's stillness, Jeanne laid him against a half-destroyed wall and shook his shoulders.

"I-"

"Oh! There you are, Mister Magician! I was looking for you!" Out of nowhere, a joyful voice sounded out with a bell-like innocence. A young girl leaped out from a nearby building. Her blonde hair fluttered softly against the wind. Surely, it was as if a princess out of a fairy tale has decided to come and soothe their sorrows.

"You, you're the Master of Berserker!" The Holy Maiden cried out in alarm and stood in front of Fenric to shield him from the angelic girl. "Don't worry, Master, I'll protect you-"

"...Step aside." Uttering out the cold words in a grim tone, Fenric pushed his Servant to his right and glared at the smiling young girl. "...This is my end, Jeanne." He held her waist. The three Command Spells on the back of his left hand glowed. "Promise me, that you won't let him suffer the same fate... even if you must force him to remember."

"What are you doing, Mas-"

"Goodbye, Jeanne d'Arc. It was a pleasure to meet you... This world is undeniably blessed to have birthed someone as kindhearted as you." The area flashed with a red light, and the village girl vanished from her spot.

"Are you done, Mister?" The silent Manaka spoke up at this moment.

"Yes. I guess I'll have to thank you for not interrupting us." A grimace formed on the dying man's face. "Truly... I can't beat monsters like you even after I have mastered the five True Magics and Magecraft from the Age of Gods. Mystery and Resistance... it's wretches me that I am not blessed with their fortune."

"Forgive me, Charlotte... Your grave, I'll have to use it." Giving the starry sky a last longing glance, the last Sorcerer declared the fastening of reality and illusion. The dream-like world that they wished for, an utopia that does not suit a villain like him. "...Season Eternal: The Everlasting Garden of Four Seasons."

A tale which started off with a tiny miracle. Despite being an ordinary person, he managed to reach a realm only a few ever tread as he peeked into the abyss of Magic. And even when he mastered Sorcery one after another, he still moved forward and seek for more power.

In the end, the Mage had arrived at the edge of the world. He stepped ahead, towards that boundary beyond the horizon and till the land of Limitless Eternity. This was his proof of victory, the magical knowledge he amassed and used for thousands of years.

The power which should not exist nor should fall into the hand of a single individual. The pinnacle of the supernatural and the strength beyond gods. This is the end of his ideologies and search for unchallenged authority.

With a burst of magical energy, the world changed and they were on the hill surrounded by trees of all four seasons. The boundless ocean to the north cried out in joy. The ever-blooming cherry blossom stood tall at the center, showering the world in its kindness.

A lone coffin rested peacefully below the giant tree.

Purple lightning traveled the clouds as the skies cried out in rage. Thunder roared, and countless lightnings struck the young girl. At the same time, four massive tornadoes formed as they rushed towards her, promising death to anything that stood in their way.

The spells didn't stop as the earth cried out. The point of gravity shifted and the ground floated upwards, pulled by the force of the planet into the sky. Manaka felt the force and resisted with her best efforts, while the surroundings seemed to not be affected in the least bit.

Then, a sun was created.

Weaving miracles with his hands, Fenric waved a divine spear and flames shrouded him, creating a miniature star in the sky.

The scorching inferno traveled across the air and its heat destroyed the Manaka's spells, annihilating all the attacks she threw at him. Nevertheless, none of the ones present would have imagined what was to happen next.

Seeing her magic gone, the young girl merely smiled.

A book fell onto her hand. A magical tome, one of the many from an infinite library. She raised it up as the book flipped open, giving out a brilliant gleam. It was a holy tome from Heaven, written and created by a saint who was blessed by god himself. Its might, unequaled. Its destiny, unchallenged.

"Angelos Faux: Pantheon's Guard." The land was illuminated as six stone gates appeared in mid-air. The doors to heaven opened, and out come beings which should not exist in this world.

They have the head and the mane of a lion, and a total of four wings, with one pair of wings stretched out and another pair folded around them. Clad in a suit of shining armor, it was armed with a shield adorned with eye patterns in one hand and a lance of fire in the other.

They are cherubims, archangels of the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy that is only outranked by seraphims.

With their radiant entrance, the entire sky was covered with light. No... they were not light, but innumerable light spears created by their holy descent. The holy judgement fell down on the dying man, they were his punishment for going against god.

"Not yet...!" Fenric cried out.

"This world... it's similar to the Reverse Side of the World." All of a sudden, Manaka discover the presence of a limitless amount of Phantasm Species. "No... this is just an imitation... but it's infinitely close to the real one. It even houses more creatures than the real one."

That illusion-like world, inhabited by countless Phantasmal Species. The ones who existed in legends and myths. That world of bountiful life, that land of limitless beauty... signified Life. And if that beautiful world symbolizes Life... then this. This dilapidated wasteland of ruins... This pitiful example of a Reality Marble... represents Death...?

As if on cue, hundreds of creatures descended on the young girl. A phoenix cried out, its divine flames raining down on her. A three-legged crow manifested a second sun, threatening to burn every existence in the universe to cinders. A vermillion bird shrieked, transforming into a jet of fire that burned the air itself.

The ocean roared. Tsunamis were created as a massive leviathan charged up its radiance. The ground shook, and a giant magma wyrm rise up. A Dragon's Breath was already readied to fire... along side the thousands of Dragon Kinds in the area.

"...This is a fool's last stand." A bitter laugh sounded out. Fenric mocked himself and moved to the lone coffin's side. His back seemed extremely painful at that moment, it was as if he was carrying all the burdens of this world.

"I am sorry." He crouched down and gently caressed the casket. "I promise you-"

"...That Someday, For The Third Time..."