Before the Journey & Ria's Training: [1/3]
(Author's Note: This chapter is an info dump sorry, these few chapters I will be working to get things patched up world building wise, as well as in regards to Ria's training, then there will be some more family chapters before the serious events begin to kick in so for those waiting for the action, I promise it Is on the way, I ask that you be patient as some people would rather have the fluff and others want action, I will be trying to please both but just give me time as it will be a long novel.)
Not to far from the Einzbern castle, within the forest, there was a clearing that was blanketed in snow.
The clearing was odd as it was almost like a creator in the earth. There were hills encompassing the clearing and the tree's in close proximity were smaller and less dense then the forest itself.
Ryker often used this location while training as it reminded him of a gladiator ring that had been formed from nature itself.
Standing in the center of the clearing, were Ryker and Ria who stood facing one another.
Although Ria had previously not believed Ryker when he had told her that she could become stronger, after she had accepted Ryker fully into her heart she knew that he wouldn't lie to her and decided to follow his instructions even if it was something she didn't believe to be true.
Her expression was currently serious as she listened to Ryker speak.
"You're existence itself is unique amongst servants, as technically you have not died."
When Ria heard the very first words that came out of Ryker's mouth were claiming that she hadn't died, her eyes couldn't help but widen in shock, 'I was planning to tell him but…to think he knew…who are you really Ryker?' She thought to herself before focusing even more intently on what he was about to say then previously.
Ryker seeing she had gotten over her shock continued once more, "As you know, Heroic Spirits are those who have been removed from the time axis and placed on the Throne of Heroes. You on the other hand are not classified as a Heroic Spirit, thus making you an 'incomplete' Servant if you will. Of course you already know what I'm about to say, but humor me, as its important we get the facts straight before we begin your training."
Seeing her nod, Ryker continued, "In normal situations, with your legend and prowess you would have had no problem becoming a Heroic Spirit after your death. Yet you felt bitter at the outcome of your final battle, the Battle of Camlann, and at the time of your death made a pact with the [World], becoming a Counter Guardian.
As you know Counter Guardian's are a sub-category of a Heroic Spirit. In exchange for enough power during their lifetimes to become a Hero, they are placed at the service of the [World] after their deaths, for eternity.
Yet, you who were on the verge of death and had enough power already to become a Heroic Spirit even without the [World]'s support, agreed to become a Counter Guardian, why?"
Ryker already knew the answer to that question as Artoria Pendragon of the Saber class had been one of his favorite servants during his past life, thus he knew quite a bit about her even before coming to this world. Although he already knew, he still wanted her to address the issue for herself, as it would help her in becoming stronger.
With a reminiscent look on her face, Ria thought back to that moment before addressing Ryker's question.
*Sigh*
"During my lifetime, I constantly sought after the Holy Grail. It was said to have been a wish granting device and I had wanted to find it just in case my country would need it. Yet I never wanted it more then after that final battle when a wish appeared that I needed granted. To atone for my mistakes, bringing Britain the salvation it deserved. Even at the time of my death, I had yet to find it causing me no small amount of regret."
Pausing there, Ria sunk into silence. Just when she was going to continue Ryker beat her to the punch.
"So you asked the [World] to allow you to obtain the Holy Grail while you still lived in exchange for eternal servitude. This, however, threw off natural order of the [World] and the system as normally it isn't until after death, that a Heroic Spirit seeks the Holy Grail.
Yet the pact was complete, and you were stuck in an 'incomplete' state. As you should be dead according to the timeline, yet if that was the case then the contract cannot be fulfilled.
You will not and cannot die until you obtain the Holy Grail as per your contract with the [World]. So at the moment of your 'death', you were stopped in time. Yet despite that fact, the flow of time continued regardless if you were stopped or not. This allowed time to keep flowing into the present without issues.
So while you are not actually a Heroic Spirit, you can be summoned as one as long as you continue to seek the grail, this will also allow you to become a complete Heroic Spirit after enough time has passed. Where as, in the event that you manage to obtain the Holy Grail, the contract will be fulfilled, and your time will resume at the moment of your death.
Thanks to this contract you have been given an infinite amount of chances to claim the grail.
It even allows you to be summoned into many different ages, even with you existing outside of time. There is also the fact that you're summoned as a Heroic Spirit due to the fact that you were already capable of becoming one at the time of your death.
Theoretically you should have no trouble staying in the world for an indefinite period of time as you have yet to fulfill the contract.
Yet a restriction to that is the fact that it would not be possible to summon you in the first place if you do not seek the Holy Grail and you also cannot be summoned unless there is something called the 'Holy Grail' present, regardless if the grail is the real one or not.
Furthermore as you are not a complete Heroic Spirit your 'true body' has not yet been stored in the Throne of Heroes. This means that when summoned you aren't like other Servants which are only copies of their 'true body', while their real bodies remain in the Throne of Heroes.
Instead you are summoned in the form of 'myself about to die'.
This makes your current incarnation unique among Servants because you are called from within the time axis rather than being copied from outside of the concept of time, like normal Heroic Spirits.
You jump forward or backward in time from the moment of your death, and returns to that moment upon obtaining or failing to obtain the Grail.
Should you claim it, your time will flow again and you will die just as history has recorded.
Should you fail, all of your memories are returned to your body, and you can either continue to search for the Grail or cancel the contract should you find a reason.
Am I correct in everything I've pointed out so far?"
Ria was shocked once more at how much knowledge Ryker possessed in regards to her situation. It had to be noted that she had never actually told anyone about her contract with the [World] and the fact that he knew just went to show how unimaginable his strength truly was.
"Yes, everything you have pointed out has been true and I am under contract with the [World] until I can obtain the grail. Should I obtain it I would have been able to wish for Britain's salvation, before my time was resumed at the time of my death. Once dead I would serve the [World] as a Counter Guardian for eternity as repayment for giving me the opportunity to obtain the grail."
Ria confirmed Ryker's statements yet she secretly thought to herself, 'Or at least that was the plan, until you came along you big idiot…' blushing at her thoughts she quickly cleared her mind before refocusing on the current topic.
Ria knew that Ryker wouldn't bring all of this up for nothing as there had to be a reason for it.
Not disappointing her Ryker, with a smirk on his face, said, "Cancel your contract with the [World]"
"…Ehh?"
With a lost look on her face it took Ria a moment to process his words, yet once she did she couldn't help but say hurriedly, "Although I can stay in the world indefinably, its only due to the contract not being fulfilled, yet should I cancel the contract, I will return to my time of death and become a Heroic Spirit, effectively changing nothing…why do you want me to cancel the contract?"
Although Ria had absolute trust in Ryker, she still didn't want to be separated from him so soon as it was quite literally yesterday that she had resolved herself to be with him for as long as she possible could.
The thought of being separated just after becoming engaged filled her heart with despair.
Sensing her rising negative emotions, Ryker gently embraced her as he rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her, feeling her embrace him back he whispered softly in her ear "Don't worry I wont allow anything to separate us, I have a plan."
Trusting his worlds, Ria nodded slowly with her face still buried in his chest.
Ria didn't like showing affection in front of others but when it was just the two of them alone, although it still embarrassed her greatly, she was able to deal with it and open up more.
Once she had calmed down the two broke off their embrace and Ria initiated the contractual ritual.
A white light suddenly began to permeate throughout the surroundings. The light originated from Ria's chest and continued to grow until it was almost blinding before it abruptly subsided, leaving behind only a soft white marble sized orb.
Ria grasped the orb in her hand and crushed it. The orb was a physical representation of the contract between King Arthur, and the [World]. It was theoretically 'indestructible' yet Ria had broken it with ease. This was due to the laws that worked around the orb, protecting it from receiving damage. The only time this law is not in effect is when the one who holds the contract desires to break it, the orb will break. Thus severing the contract.
As soon as the contract was severed, Ryker placed his hand on Ria's 'spiritual center', which was the same spot where the orb had originated from.
Ones 'spiritual center' was just another name for the soul.
Once his hand came into contact with Ria's 'spiritual center', glowing gold and red runes began to inch across Ryker's body as they flowed into Ria before 'wrapping' themselves around her soul.
After all of the runes had entered her body, Ryker took a look once more.
The core of Ria's soul prior to this had been like a sun. It shone brightly and radiated a golden light that gave off a pure and holy feeling. There had been a single brown band that wrapped around her soul's core which symbolized her affinity to the Earth elemental laws.
Currently her soul was being wrapped up by the glowing golden and red ancient runes that had originated from Ryker. The runes were a contractual magic that would bind Ria to Ryker for the foreseeable future.
While the two would be 'bound' it didn't actually restrict either one of them in any way, in fact the contract had nothing but benefits.
As long as one of them concentrated on the bond they would be able to feel the general location of the other person and even communicate spiritually similar to how a master and a servant could through the command seals.
In fact the contract that Ryker had initiated was based on the command seals and they were very similar in terms of their fundamentals.
Now that Ria's contract with the [World] had been severed she should have been forced out of her current incarnation and brought back to her moment of death, but Ryker had bound her current incarnation to himself. This meant that Ria was no longer stopped in time, and her existence wasn't being sustained by the [World] but rather by his own 'Root'.
Ryker had this theory quite a while back, when he was thinking of ways to separate Iris from the grail. If he possesses his own 'Akashic Records' according to the Watcher he had met, and the 'Akashic Records' is the Fate's version of the Cycle of life and death, then doesn't that mean that he also possesses his own cycle?
If that was the case then didn't that mean he could bring over souls from a pre existing universe and place them into his own cycle of life and death, effectively creating his own universe? He had first tested it out on animal souls and when he discovered that It worked he was amazed, but even if he had brought Iris over to his 'Cycle' it wouldn't change anything as she would still be linked to the grail so he had tossed the theory to the side until now.
He realized that if Ria severed the contract to the whole, her soul would enter the Throne of Hero's of the Fate universe. All he needed to do was keep her body sustained long enough for him to transfer her soul over to his own Throne of Hero's before placing it back into her body.
Due to Ria's unique existence her true body was the one in front of him unlike other servants which have their true bodies remain in the Throne of Hero's while a copy is summoned.
So when Ryker brought her soul over to his own 'Cycle' then placed it back into her true body, this resulted in her once more being 'alive' just like back during her time as King Arthur.
Her existence currently is in a similar state as Ryker, where they have the strength of a Heroic Spirit, but are still 'alive' by the worlds standard. Although they are both technically 'Servant's' with Ryker being of the Caster class and Ria still being of the Saber class, they both existed 'outside' yet 'within' the world's system.
Ryker partially exists inside the world while his 'soul' technically belonged to that of a higher tier system, which is part of the Multiverse stage.
As for Ria, she now conformed to the same laws as Ryker. While her soul technically existed in Ryker's own system, since he himself technically still belonged to the Fate universe's system that meant she does as well.
As for the higher tier system, Ria doesn't yet have the qualification to enter that stage yet.
Knowing that it would succeed, Ryker had already planned on doing this with Iris as well as his children's souls when he becomes stronger. The only reason he did it with Ria's currently was due to her unique problem, and the need to do it.
The reason he doesn't do it for the other's aside from Ria is that he doesn't feel comfortable with them 'existing because of him' as he knows that if he dies, then his own system would most likely also die due to his current level of strength not being enough. This would cause the souls of anything within the system to either be ejected or erased from existence. If it was the latter then his entire family would cease to exist, something that Ryker did not want to happen.
He knew that as long as he became stronger he should be able to bring his own System into reality, that way in the event that he did die, his system would remain. It would be at that point, that Ryker truly would feel like a god as he would be literally creating his own universe.
Yet while he had the ground work established, he wasn't strong enough yet and didn't want to take the chances.
Returning his attention to Ria, Ryker noticed the process had been completed and she now was bound to his System.
Ever since Ryker had entered this world and gained people who he cared for, he knew that he was no longer living solely for himself anymore, and in the event that he died, he would hurt the people he carried about.
Yet the pressure from that time was nothing compared to this moment as he knew that his life no longer belonged to him alone and in the event he died, he would no longer just case sadness, but the death of those he loved.
The weight of this burden was heavy, yet Ryker did not flinch. To protect those he loved, he knew he would need to bare many burdens, if he couldn't handle this one, then he didn't deserve his current happiness.
This thought fueled his desire for strength even more and he could feel the bottleneck restricting his growth slowly loosening, yet he knew it wasn't enough to break it entirely so rather then himself, he needed to focus on helping Ria with her own bottleneck which was on the verge of being broken through due to her no longer being burdened by the [World]'s contract.
Sometimes the knowledge of freedom was all it took to unlock the chains which bind us.
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Name: Artoria Pendragon
Race: Servant, Human, Dragon
Class: Saber
Gender: Female
Height: 154cm
Weight: 42kg
Three Sizes: B73/W53/H76
Blood Type: Unknown
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True Name: King Arthur
Type: Mortal King
Source: Arthurian Legends
Region: Britain
Alignment: Lawful Good
Attributes: Earth
Armaments: Armor, Sword, {Yamaha V-Max}
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Strength: [B]
Endurance: [A]
Agility: [A]
Mana: [A]
Luck: [D]
Noble Phantasm: [A++]
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[Magic Resistance]
Rank: A
Description: Grants protection against magical effects. (This ability cancels the spell altogether.)
[Riding]
Rank: A
Description: Denoting the ability to ride mounts and vehicles.
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[Charisma]
Rank: B
Description: User appears more attractive and trustworthy (Passive (Can be turned off however))
[Instinct]
Rank: A
Description: 6th sense, ability to be aware of danger, or other nearby presences (Passive)
[Mana Burst]
Rank: A
Description: Infusing ones weapon or body with magical energy, and instantly expelling it, enhancing it. (Active)
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[Avalon]
Type: Barrier
Rank: EX
Description: Absolute defense that completely shields its user in the domain of the fairies, 'Avalon' the unreachable utopia. It is the greatest protection in the world that goes beyond defending or reflecting, completely isolating its user in a world separate from the regular world. Upon use the scabbard dissipates into countless tiny particles in the air and engulfs the user to become a 'portable fortress' that shuts out all interference. It is the bounded field of the tranquil domain of fairies that keeps out all filth from the outside world, and allows nothing to harm the tranquil King that stands in the land of Avalon. The individual is shielded from all destructive interference in the physical realm, transliners from parallel worlds, and multidimensional communication as far as the sixth dimension. It is on the level of true magic, an actual true magic in itself, that transcends all magecraft, and not even the Five Magics can overcome the barrier.
[Excalibur]
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: A++
Description: Converts the magical energy of the wielder into light by accelerating it with the 'factor of a dragon' (Possessed by King Arthur), intensifying the kinetic energy by convergence and acceleration, allowing for the use of Divine Spirit-level thaumaturgy. It is an "ultimate killing technique" that releases light holding energy equaling to the user's total amount of magical energy from the tip of the blade once the sword is swung. It is the 'ultimate slash' that cuts through everything in the 'area' the light goes through. Its enormous power heats space around the tip, resulting in catastrophic damage to anyone hit.
[Invisible Air]
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: C
Description: A bounded field that is made up of multiple layers of wind compressed into super-high pressure air with a massive amount of magical energy which distorts the refraction of light and renders what is inside completely invisible.