Vol. 1. Chapter 16. Theft and Experimentation

{I don't like this…} I commented dryly through my mental link with Morgan.

{Alistair, need I remind you of how I conquered and tore down Camelot, all while not stepping a foot into the city?} Morgan's voice was patient but held a hint of amusement.

{I'd rather skip that story again, despite how interesting it was, but I think you know why I am hesitant with your plan,} I explained tiredly while walking through the entrance of the Clock Tower's Department of Modern Magecraft Theory.

A melodic chuckle was sent through the mental link. {There's no need to be so upset, Alistair. I know it's a bit too lacking in the 'action' department for your tastes,} she mused before giving a slight pause.

As I moved through the hallway, people would move out of my way, allowing me to maneuver through the halls with minimal resistance.

{But we need to play it safe; if my little sister learns of me, or gods forbid, Lancelot, then we'll be in a bit of trouble, as I'm sure the two would exclusively work against us in revenge or fear of what I'd do.}

I hated when she had a point, as she was somehow even better than Altrouge at rebuking any and all of my arguments, forcing me to acquiesce due to her superior logic.

Sighing, I gently shook my head. {You are right, as per usual,} I replied dryly.

{No need to sound so defeated, Alistair.} This time, her voice sounded like she was whispering into my ear.

{Your suggestions were still quite impressive. I'm sure that after some… one-on-one time with me, you'll improve by leaps and bounds,} she said in a suggestive tone.

… I'm starting to question whether her race was succubus rather than fairy…

Shaking my head of the thoughts her words were conjuring up, I was met with the sound of amused chuckling from Morgan's mental link.

It would seem I was seen through… again…

Fuck, why is she making things so hard?

Hmm, that was poorly phrased…

Ignoring the light chuckles from my link with Morgan, I moved in front of the door of the main classroom for Modern Magecraft Theory.

Raising a hand, I started to frantically knock on the door in a very annoying way.

Not even half a minute had passed before a man with slicked-back blonde hair and blue eyes opened the door with a prominent frown.

"Who dar–" The man cut off his own shout as his blue eyes momentarily dilated, once recognizing me.

"A good morning to you too, Lord El-Melloi," I said in a cheerful mood, despite being well aware of how rude I had been, along with the fact that it was far into the afternoon.

Kayneth still seemed stunned at my sudden visit, as he didn't react to my warm greeting.

Shrugging, I moved through the doorway, momentarily bumping into his shoulder due to there not being enough room for me to pass normally.

Glancing around the room, I was met with a full lecture hall, with all eyes on me.

Raising a hand, I gave them all a small wave.

"Good morning, class. Don't mind me; I'm just here to have a few words with your professor," I said with a charming smile.

They proceeded to promptly ignore my words as they started to whisper among each other.

They seem to have misunderstood my reason for being here. I am relatively famous—read infamous—for just dragging Enforcers to the arena and beating the shit out of them in the name of training and for the betterment of the Enforcers.

Somehow, Lord Barthomeloi was fine with it, as long as I did something similar to Lords and Nobles that have been stepping out of line, or ones on his general shit list.

And seeing as his shit list was rather extensive, I got a lot of sparring practice. But I gained a rather peculiar reputation for being unreasonable and beating up whoever struck my fancy.

Terribly hurtful, I know, but the students seem to have confused my coming here with Kayneth being my next 'victim.'

Shaking my head at the chatter, I started walking toward one of the spare chairs on the other side of the lecture hall.

"Lord Pendragon, may I—" "Please, Lord El-Melloi," I cut him off, turning around to look at a stone-faced Kayneth.

"I have yet to take up the lordship, so please, do call me Alistair," I said in a kind tone.

Kayneth pursed his lips before deciding to continue from where I cut him off.

"Alistair, may I inquire about the subject matter you wished to speak to me about, as I highly doubt you are here to attend my class," he said calmly.

Humming, I shook my head. "I believe the subject matter is best left for when we are in private," I said before turning around and seating myself in one of the spare chairs.

"So please, don't mind me; I shall wait here until you are done," I said, crossing my arms and legs.

Kayneth glanced at me before looking at his students, who were still distracted. Moving his head, he looked at the classroom's clock, seeing that there were only twenty minutes left.

Kayneth seemed to consider something for a moment before giving a loud clap of his hands.

"Silence!" he yelled, causing the chattering students to quiet down.

He glanced at his students before threading a hand through his hair and shaking his head.

"We have covered enough for today; class is adjourned," he said while gesturing toward the door.

"I will not be taking any questions right after class. You may seek me out in my office after 5 p.m. if you have any questions about the material we've discussed today," he said dismissively, before walking over to me.

"Class is over. Now, what did you come here to discuss with me?" he said in a mildly agitated voice.

Cocking a brow, I glanced past him at the students who were throwing their gazes at us before leaving the classroom.

"Could you set up a privacy bounded field? As I'm sure you wouldn't want your trip to Japan to be widely known," I said in a low tone.

His eyes momentarily widened before they sharpened, followed by the feeling of a few privacy bounded fields being erected around us.

A frown grew on his face as he looked down at me from his standing position.

"And what part of my trip concerns you?" he said in a sharp tone, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Oh please, I have better things to do than commit suicide in such a roundabout way," I scoffed before shaking my head.

"No, I am here to inform you that I'll be observing the war on the sidelines," I said while moving a hand into the front of my suit and pulling out a thick piece of parchment.

Silently, I held the document out for him to grab.

Kayneth only glanced at the outstretched parchment before dismissing it.

"And why should I believe that you won't turn into one of the participants while using the guise of a spectator to catch us off guard?" he said in a calm tone.

Frowning, I waved the document again. "This here is the guarantee; it's a self-geass scroll."

No sooner had the words left my mouth, the document was snatched out of my hands by Kayneth, who gripped both sides of it.

{My, my, isn't he eager… One might even say relieved. Your reputation must be rather impressive,} Morgan commented with a bit of amusement, causing me to scoff.

{My reputation isn't all that impressive. I'm only known for having a decent kill count on Superior Apostles and for repeatedly sparring with our Enforcers,} I explained, causing her to give a low hum.

{While I can agree that such a track record isn't too impressive when compared to heroic spirits, I can clearly see that it holds some weight here,} she mused.

Before I could respond, Kayneth moved the document away from his face and looked down at me.

"Could I verify this?" he said while waving the document, making me raise a brow.

"Isn't my word good enough?" I probed with mild irritation.

I know we're both magi, but at least my family is known for being upright and stuff, so me keeping my word should be obvious.

Kayneth stiffened momentarily before he shook his head. "You must understand; the contents are just a bit too good to be true," he explained.

He wasn't wrong.

'Binding Magecraft: Target – Alistair Pendragon 

The Crests of the Pendragon family hereby command: Provided that the following conditions are met, this oath shall become a commandment and bind the target without exception.

Oath: 

To the scion of the Pendragon family, Alistair Pendragon: The following oaths shall be adhered to without fail throughout the duration of the 4th Holy Grail War.

Non-Summoning Clause: 

The signatory agrees that they shall not summon any Servant for the express use of the 4th Holy Grail War as of the date of signing.

Neutrality Clause: 

The signatory shall maintain a neutral position during the conflict, refraining from overtly assisting any Master or engaging in any activity that may directly influence the outcome of the war. This includes, but is not limited to, offering magical or physical support to any Master or Servant.

Servant Acquisition Clause: 

The signatory shall not attempt to claim or forcibly take control of another Master's Servant. However, if circumstances of distress or duress force the signatory to accept a Servant, they must make every reasonable effort to transfer control of the Servant to the Church or to another Master who is currently without a Servant and capable of sustaining one.

Out Clause - Protection from Hostility: 

Should the signatory find themselves the target of hostile actions or aggression from any party involved in the 4th Holy Grail War, all conditions set forth in this contract shall be rendered null and void. The signatory may then act freely in self-defense or retaliation without breaching the terms of this oath.

Confidentiality Clause: 

The signatory agrees to maintain the confidentiality of this contract, refraining from disclosing the terms or existence of this self-geass scroll to any other party, except under compulsion of absolute necessity.

Term of Oath: 

This contract shall remain in effect from the moment of signing until the conclusion of the 4th Holy Grail War. Upon the war's end, all obligations under this contract shall be considered fulfilled, and the binding magic shall be released.

Signature & Seal: 

By affixing their signature and magical seal below, the signatory hereby acknowledges and agrees to be bound by the terms of this self-geass scroll.

Conditions: 

The Masters of the Grail War are to treat Alistair Pendragon as a neutral third party, much like the Church, and to not cause him unnecessary trouble.

Any Master that does not adhere to the conditions will not be protected from the terms of the oaths upon Alistair Pendragon.

And if a majority of the living Masters disregard the conditions, then the contract will be seen as voided.

Signatory: Alistair Pendragon 

Date: 15th December, 1993

This scroll is imbued with the magical crests of the Pendragon family, ensuring the absolute enforcement of its terms. Any breach of these conditions shall result in the forfeiture of the signatory's magical circuits and crest, thus rendering them powerless.

This document is to be preserved by the Signatory and Alistair Pendragon for the duration of the 4th Holy Grail War.'

After all, this was quite the sweet deal.

Waving my hand, I fixed him with an annoyed look. "You may keep it, so do with it what you will," I explained with a dismissive wave.

"I've sent one to the Einzberns and will be personally handing one to the other two founding families, as well as to the supervisor of the war. And I will hand out one to the other unknown masters, when I learn of them, at my convenience."

Kayneth proceeded to fold the document before stretching out a hand. "If the scroll is genuine, then I will be looking forward to seeing you in the war, Alistair," he said in a professional tone.

Glancing at the hand, I gave a low hum before smiling and accepting the handshake.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the fireworks," I responded before letting go of his hand and standing up.

Using my hand, I ironed out any wrinkles my suit jacket gained from my time sitting.

Giving a final tug at my lapels, I shot him a smile. "Well then, I shall be taking my leave for now. I hope you summon a good servant, or at least an interesting one," I said kindly before making my way out of the room.

Opening the door, I was met by a small crowd of students that were looking at me with something that mirrored anticipation or at least interest.

Cocking a brow, I glanced at the gathered crowd.

{This Kayneth can't be too popular if his own pupils are hoping to see you drag and beat him senseless,} Morgan mused darkly, and I couldn't help but agree.

It's truly disappointing to see such a thing.

Sighing loudly, I made my way through the door, and the students parted for me as if I were Moses and them the Red Sea.

{Anything you'd like to see before we head back home?} I probed.

{Oh, my dear Alistair, what do you think I've been doing this whole time? And I must say, there are so many useful things hidden away together with the Sealing Designees,} she said smugly.

… How the fuck did she find the place within an hour?

{Please don't tell me you took anything…} I said almost pleadingly.

I was met with her melodic laughter, meaning that she definitely had stolen something.

{Nothing they would miss,} she commented airily.

Seeing as there hasn't been a lockdown yet, I'll assume that she's good enough to bypass all the restrictions and deactivate whatever anti-theft functions on the items she had picked up.

{Please… just don't tell me you stole anything too important.}

{I believe the two of us have contrasting views on what is and isn't considered important, Alistair dear,} she said innocently, making me internally cringe.

I swear to God, if she has stolen something important, then I'll…

…

I won't do shit… Morgan will just do something sensual, and I'll melt like putty in her hands…

God… Am I becoming a simp?

~~Fate/False Order~~

"Fou!"

Cath started eagerly tapping his paws and swishing his tail once I opened the door.

Kneeling down, I widened my arms, ready for him to jump into my embrace.

"Kyyuuu!" He squealed, before running straight passed me.

I'm fairly sure I just felt my heart break…

Slowly turning my neck, I saw a set of long legs poking out of a black dress.

Glancing up, I saw Morgan holding Cath close to her chest, and the little beast was taking full advantage of it, by rubbing his head all over her cleavage.

I now felt like I knew how Altrouge felt when Cath started to hang more around me, when she started living here.

Morgan used a single finger to give his belly some scratches.

"Oh dear, envy does not suit you, Alistair… Though I'm curious which one of us your envy is directed at?" She teased.

The answer I wanted to give was that I was envious of her, but God damn it, I was even more envious of Cath.

Clicking my tongue, I stood up, and shot the two a dirty look.

"I'm leaving, screw you two," I said while turning around.

Moving away, I passed a corner, only to walk into Morgan, who wasn't holding Cath anymore.

Using the chance, she pressed herself up against my body, while planting a hand on my chest and moving her head beside my ear.

"No need to get so easily flustered, Alistair," she whispered into my ear, before pushing herself off me.

Planting a hand on her hip, she tilted her head to the side.

"We have important things to do, so you can't get distracted," she said, before grabbing my tie, and walking back to where I had left them.

"Come along," she said while tugging at my tie

Staggering for a second at suddenly being pulled like a dog on a leash, I grabbed her hand holding my tie.

"Let go, I am capable of moving without you dragging me!" I exclaimed.

Promptly, she let go of my tie, allowing me to snatch it back, and promptly straighten it out.

"Thank you," I said dryly.

"Come along then, I managed to snag a few unique potions and drugs that might allow me to fix your little problem," she said with a hint of seriousness, before continuing to move.

That's actually important.

Silently, I followed her back into the room I had left, where I found Cath lying in the center of the room, while using his paws to flatten his ears, while his beady purple eyes stared up at me.

Perhaps he understood the extent of his betrayal, and was implementing the age old tacktick of emotional blackmail, by looking so cute and regretful.

And I hated myself that it was working.

Bending over, I scooped him up into my arms, and started to give him chin scratches.

Was he spoiled, maybe, did I care, no.

Following Morgan, she led me to my workshop, which she had commandeered without my input.

Though, to be honest, it was quite empty before, as I usually used Mothers workshop, as she uses my eyes to scan things for her, and we experiment whatever things I scan together.

Opening the door, I was greeted by the now unfamiliar room.

The workshop had oddly shaped plants growing out of pots, tubes full of unknown liquids, items that floated about to do tasks, like watering the plants or moving documents from the workbench to the shelf.

Fay runes danced through the air, and formed formalcraft circles or creating screens that displayed information on the various ongoing experiments. 

Rhongomyniad and Solomon's ring were stowed away in their own clear display cases, which were surrounded by hundreds of fay runes that showed a display with various data and charts on their condition.

Honestly, I was a bit scared, and very impressed at the transformation 'my' workshop had gone through in two months.

Walking inside, Morgan gave a loud clap, causing a section of tiles on the floor to shake, before ejecting themselves out of the floor, and forming a floating surgical bed.

"Lay down, I need to make a diagnosis before I start," she said while walking to one of the displays with my blood sample, causing me to walk up to the 'bed', and sit down on its side.

Gently, I let go of Cath, who proceeded to jump up on top of a bookshelf, and fixed his gaze on me.

Smiling at him, I took off my suit jacket and shirt, throwing them to an unoccupied chair, before laying down on the cold stone 'bed'.

Truth be told, this didn't feel good, or safe at all.

Given the fact that mother had basically given me an artificial fear of being operated on, or experimented on in any shape form or way, after going over all the things a magus would do to me if they learnt about my constitution and got their hands on me, had left me scarred and reluctant to even visit the doctors.

I swear to God, the experiment she described made the shit I saw on my first hunt only an eight on the scale of fucked up shit I could expect to happen to me.

Fay runes started to fly around me, as well as a few touching my skin, making me feel a tickling sensation.

After laying there for a while, Morgan's veil popped into the corner of my vision, causing me to glance at her.

As she looked down at me, I saw various vials and objects to emerge from the surrounding shadows, and hovered in the air around her, before floating towards one of her shelves.

I'll assume that that was her haul from the Clock Tower.

Quickly, another vial flew towards her hand, which she caught deftly, but this one seemed to contain blood.

Quietly uncorking the vial, the blood red liquid floated out of the vial, and gently floated to the spot above my heart.

"From what I've gathered, you currently are incapable of becoming stronger," she said in a matter of fact tone.

Her words made me give a grunt of irritation.

"How bad is it?" I asked, causing Morgan to shake her head.

"Your draconic blood is incapable of strengthening you any more than this, with the current state of mysteries in the world. You'd either need to stay in a place like the reverse side of the world, or the deepest parts of the tomb of Albion to continue growing, and I'd not recommend either option."

Fuck, that was bad…

Going into the tomb of Albion was almost a death sentence, and entering the reverse side was certainly a death sentence, so my future prospects were looking bleak.

Pursing my lip, I gave a slight frown.

"I thought that you said that the things you stole might be able to help me," I said, causing her to sigh.

"Yes and no, I need to take a further look at them, as some seem a bit dangerous to use immediately. But there is some good news in all of this." 

Cocking a brow, I watched as one of the containers floated over, along with Rhongomyniad flying out of its display case.

"After looking at your memories of the Lion King's use of the lance, I decided to look into how to strengthen your connection to it, without having something similar to Add to bridge the gap," she said with an eager undertone.

Her words made me feel excited.

The lance was apparently over powered as fuck in the game.

I'm still not quite sure on the specifics, but it seemed to be able to turn a human into a divine spirit. So Morgan seemed to have been underplaying the 'good news'.

"Alright, how do we do this?" I instantly asked, as becoming a divine spirit sounded like a great way to escape the contract with Alaya.

Seemingly reading my thoughts, Morgan shook her head ruffly.

"It's nothing as fantastical as you're thinking," she said with amusement.

Her words were like being doused with ice cold water.

"I'm going to momentarily loosen the restraints on the spear using something I found at the Clock Tower, which should allow you to strengthen your connection to it," she explained, causing me to frown.

"Why not just completely remove the restraints?" My question slipped out, before I had enough time to think about how stupid it was.

"The spear is the literal bridge holding our world and the reverse side together, with the only thing holding it in this shape being the restrictions," she said dryly.

"Now imagine if you let the Ends of the World loose here by removing the restraints, what would happen," she said in a lecturing tone, making me grimace.

"The reverse side would collapse into our world, and Armageddon would basically ensue."

"Correct, now don't move, and pump as much Od as you can into the spear when the opportunity arises, " she said seriously, and I could only nod.

Silently, one of the boxes that had appeared out from her shadow earlier flew back from the shelf, and opened itself.

Out popped a small metal button.

Gently it floated over to the spear, before latching itself onto the outer shell.

"Brace yourself," Morgan said just as the metal button started to vibrate violently, and cracks started to spread on it, before some fay runes imprinted themselves onto the button.

Tiny blue veins extended themselves onto the spear, before the lance started to give sounds like metal being stretched and scraping against each other.

"Grab the hilt!" Morgan nearly shouted.

Quickly, my free hand grabbed it, just as gaps started to form in the intertwined layers of the lance.

Light.

Bright, golden light started to spill forth out of the gaps.

The room became doused in dense mysteries that made it harder to breathe.

I could feel my blood rush, and my core thrum at the sudden change in atmosphere, giving me a soothing feeling.

The calm that washed over me was quickly replaced with searing heat, as I felt my Od being forcefully pulled from my core into the lance.

Gritting my teeth, I felt my body's temperature skyrocket, causing the sweat that was spilling out of me, to almost instantly evaporate on my skin.

Fixing my eyes on the lance, I watched as the blood that was hovering over my chest, started to sink itself into the gaps of the spear, and entered the light, before disappearing.

The hand holding the spear felt like it was burning, as my Od used it as a channel to enter the lance.

As I grit my teeth, I was graced by the sight of the button crumbling to dust, causing the blue veins on the spear to vanish.

Slowly, the spear started to coil itself back into its former shape, however, now the spear's color had a bit more of a blue tone to it, rather than the steel like appearance the metal had before.

Seeing that it was done, I let go of the spear, which kept floating in the air.

Gently, I raised my hand, allowing me to see the scorched skin, akin to a third degree burn.

Fuck, looks like I got the same treatment as Mother…

Laying my arm on the bed, I let out a grimace.

"Please tell me it worked," I groaned.

Morgan moved to the spear, and prodded it with a finger, not eliciting any reaction.

Not hearing any response, I felt a bit uneasy.

Waving her hand, dozens of fay runes surrounded the spear, seemingly analyzing it.

She placed a hand under her veil, as she studied the results.

"Interesting…" She hummed, before moving her head in my direction.

"Alistair, think of the spear," she said calmly.

Frowning, I decided not to waste time, and thought about the spear.

Instantly, a bright light emitted from the spear, before vanishing together with the spear.

I felt a searing pain from my hand, and I realized it came from me suddenly having something in its grip, agitating the skin.

Blinking, I could only openly gape at the lance that had appeared in my hand.

"Imagine it being placed in storage, or something similar," Morgan said with some degree of eagerness.

Smiling, I imagined something like an inventory from a game, and placing the spear in it.

Again, a bright light was emitted from the spear, before disappearing.

Holy fucking shit.

I am him.

I AM FUCKING HIM!

My mindless ravings were cut off by Morgan's maniacal laughter.

Looking at her, I saw her arms were wrapped around her stomach, as she hunched over while giving a maniacal laugh.

"Oh, this is perfect." She said in between laughter.

"I've managed to sever it's connection from the little usurper!" Morgan said with a twinge of madness.

Seemingly catching my worried gaze, Morgan straightened herself up, before walking over to me, while clearly swaying her hips.

Reaching the end of the bed, she knelt down, and placed a finger on my chin, before slowly tracing it across my jawline.

"Oh, my dear Alistair…" She said with such a level of seduction, that I felt uneasy.

"Well done on doing something that my useless little sister was incapable of doing." She said with clear smugness.

Gripping my chin, she drew her face closer to mine.

"Congratulations on becoming the Anchor Point of the Ends of the World."

-----

Alistair Pendragon

Strength: C-

Endurance: D

Agility: C

Mana: A

Luck: N/A (Not quantifiable for a non-servant)

Noble Phantasm: A+++ (Rhongomyniad)

Personal Skills:

Magic resistance: C+

Magecraft: B+

Protection of the Ends of the World: E

Dragon's Reactor Core: A

-----

A/N

Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and Reviews, as it would be much appreciated.

Now that the mandatory begging is done, time to ask the hard hitting questions.

What are your thoughts on the chapter?

Should I have added something?

What do you think about the spear? And before anyone asks, yes, it can go Brrrrrrrr now, as long as enough restraints are released.

Btw, I have made a Discord server for the fic, come on and chat with me! https://discord.gg/T39uwmxJ

Now I'm tired, so have a nice day, and send me some stones or some shit, I need motivation, or some shit like that.