I took a deep breath and kept the fake smile on my face. A smile so realistic that it even fooled my beloved little sister.
"Dinner is ready!"
"Wah! Looks so good!"
The way I could see stars in Illya's eyes at the sight of the large spread of hamburger steak, potato wedges, leek, broccoli, and some other condiments made my heart swell with pride and happiness.
Yet, it was only a small part of me.
The majority of my mind was far more focused on something else.
Namely, the fact that I was forced not to confront my little sister, or rather, the damned Kaleidostick that dragged her into the supernatural world and forced the attention of certain parties on her.
Zelretch may have said that Illya needs this because of some events that only Zelretch can foresee in this world, and I might trust his judgment in most scenarios, but it was still extremely hard for me to stand by and do nothing as my sister dives headfirst into danger.
Not to mention how blatantly the damned mystic code-correction, magical artifact, was floating around Illya while concealing itself with magecraft-magic.
'....This is going to take a while to get used to. It was hard enough getting the terminology of magecraft memorized. Now I have to memorize the differences between that and this world's native system.'
Anyways, while the stick's illusions probably worked on everyone in the house since there is no such thing as innate magic resistance due to the nonexistence of magic circuits within the soul, it did nothing to hide the thing from my eyes.
That is why it is so hard not to look at it directly when it is floating around so brazenly lest I draw suspicions and expose myself.
Something that I don't want to do unless absolutely necessary.
I knew better than anyone how important it is to have some sense of normalcy to cling to in times of madness, so I don't want Illya to lose that by exposing what I know about the situation.
As I sat down opposite to Illya and ate while listening to Illya talk about her day, I could not help but keep thinking back to the various anomalous incidents that happened today.
First, it was the sudden transfer of Rin and Luvia into Kuoh High, in my class, no less.
Then there was how the Phantasmanls-Devils, in my class, reacted to their transfer. The cautious looks, the unspoken conversations that happened between the devils and the girls, the way it felt like the class would explode at any moment with the tension.
And then, there was the news that Miyu Emiya, the same girl from that day, the girl from another world who jump-started this whole scenario thanks to a mix of her power, her brother's wish, and an evil god's curse, had transferred into Illya's class.
And finally, there was the blatant way Luvia erected an entire mansion that looked like it belonged in the Victorian era directly in front of my home.
Seriously, the sheer magical energy-mana rolling off of whatever bounded fields-barriers she erected around her home was enough to attract the attention of any supernatural creature in a ten-kilometer radius.
.....Maybe that was the plan all along?
Anyways, today was charged with too much stuff for me to keep up, and the day hasn't even ended yet for me since there is something else that I need to do tonight. Thankfully, tomorrow is Saturday, so I don't have much to do.
Aside from following Hyoudou on his date with that unknown girl that reeks of tainted energy, I plan to continue my training and investigate the 'mana' of this world that I've discovered within my soul, along with the concept of 'Touki' that Zelretch introduced to me.
It was after we were done with our dinner and I left enough food for Sella and Liz to eat after they returned from whatever errand they were doing, that I headed out. Making sure that Illya was already asleep and the stick was not keeping tabs on me.
'Time to work'
Taking out the dagger given to me by Zelretch, I jumped across rooftops, using its reaction to spatial distortions as a GPS.
In form, the dagger looked no different from the Jeweled Sword that Zelretch himself used. However, unlike that conceptual weapon that even my Reality Marble cannot recreate, this dagger is designed to work similarly to the Kaleidosticks but modified to work with the rules of this universe, just like he recreated the Kaleidosticks to work with the rules of this universe.
It draws power from the Dimensional Gap and converts it into whatever form of magical energy I desire, bolstering my reserves significantly. It also has the same property as the sticks to detect spatial anomalies and open ways into these pocket dimensions where the Class Cards are supposed to reside.
The only drawback is that this dagger cannot shape mana directly like the sticks can, which means that I can't pull off the impressive feats of magical beams, barriers, and other such things that the girls can do.
The main reason behind this drawback is that to achieve such a result, the dagger would have to understand the context, necessity, idea, and execution behind such attacks. Things that it cannot do unless it has the same kind of sapience as the sticks.
A valid tradeoff in my opinion, since I cannot imagine having the dagger behave like the Kaleidosticks based on the short amount of time I've seen them in action.
As I continued running across the rooftops, the dagger suddenly tugged me towards the central park.
At this hour, it was a given that there would not be any people present here.
That is why I was able to walk into the place brazenly while dressed in my suspicious clothing.
A crimson jacket, a white shirt that hid my body armor underneath, black pants, and shoes. Mystic Codes, all of them, crafted through a combination of magecraft, ancient rituals, and runes.
Originally, my jacket was also supposed to have a hood, but I decided to remove it since it would look far too suspicious.
Instead, I opted to use a simple blank mask and the holy shroud to hide my face. As for my hair, it turns completely white when I use Install on my class card, so there is no need to worry about anyone recognizing the color.
'This is it. My first battle against a proper Servant. No room for hesitation anymore.'
Taking a deep breath, I took out the dagger and stabbed it into the ground. Initiating the transportation function.
Instantly, it felt like the very ground opened up as kaleidoscopic energies engulfed me.
Then, within a single instant, I was gone from the real world and transported to the exact replica of the park.
The Mirror World. The domain of the Class Cards created through the malice of Angra Mainyu.
And as if it were waiting for my arrival, the servant showed itself.
Trees were uprooted, the ground cracked, while its roars shook the very air.
Its colossal serpentine form blotting out the entire miniature forest that encompassed the park, while its glowing golden eyes glared down at me.
There was no animalistic rage or beast-like intelligence in those orbs.
Instead, it regarded me with a clarity that belongs to a higher being. Its eyes analyzing me in an instant and decided that I was a threat to its existence.
Its draconic presence stirring many swords within my inner world, while I felt like the very world was pressing down on me.
It recognized me, just like I recognized it, recognized her.
I could not help the wry smile that formed on my face as she roared to the heavens and started radiating with blinding light.
"Well, who would have thought I would find you like this....?"
"EMIYA!!!"
That hateful roar, so unlike her, yet so suited to her personality.
I did not waste a single moment and pulled out my full power. I will need it if I am to slay this Rakshasa-Dragon.
"Install"
Instantly, my power swelled as I became one with my Archer self, just in time for my adversary to complete her transformation.
Gone was the colossal serpentine dragon that once imprisoned the waters of the entire world in the Hindu myths, needing Indra himself to descend, wielding his Vajra, to defeat it.
Now, in its place stood an unearthly beauty with long blond hair, golden eyes, and a perfect facial shape that would attract anyone regardless of gender.
Her dark skin gleamed in the light of the fake moon as the draconic scales that blended perfectly with her skin reflected light like diamonds, while her long black dress swayed in the wind generated by her sheer power.
The golden Vajra in her hands, the weapon she wielded in her Lancer form, aimed straight at my heart as her beautiful visage snarled.
"EMIYA! HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN!!"
"....Hello, Vritra. Before we begin, I must inform you that I am not Counter Guardian EMIYA-"
"DIE!!!"
And so began the fight against my very first Class Card, manifested by the evil god.
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Shioru Mystic Code uniform: (Click here for image)
Shirou Dagger: (Click here for image)
Lancer Vritra: (Click here for image)
Vajra: (Click here for image)
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1