Chapter 53 - The Complexity of Reincarnation

For a moment, silence prevailed.

Artoria stood there, motionless for half a second. Just enough time for her hair, still falling slowly, to rest on her shoulders like strands of liquid gold, shimmering under the cold light of the laboratory.

Then—and this was something Kazuya would notice later, replaying the scene in his mind like a replay—the corner of her mouth curved. Not much. No wide smiles or silly expressions. But a slight, almost imperceptible, and yet infinitely noble smile.

"It's been a while…" she murmured, her voice exactly as he remembered: firm, but with a subtle warmth, like a warm winter breeze.

The lance vanished in particles of bluish light, scattering like a memory in the wind. And she walked.

Each step made her armor clink softly, a refined, almost musical sound that matched her presence like the soundtrack of an ancient myth. The metal boots touched the polished floor unhurriedly, as if she dictated the rhythm of the room and, perhaps, the world.

Kazuya stood still. Because if there was one thing he had learned in that life, it was not to interrupt Artoria Pendragon when she was determined to do something.

She stopped in front of him.

Her eyes, a sharp and deep green, locked onto his, as if they wanted to decipher even the smallest particle of the soul behind that bored scientist facade. And after an eternity that lasted two seconds, her hand, protected by a leather and metal glove but still strangely delicate, rose and touched his face.

The tips of her fingers slid from his temple to his jaw, the cold touch of metal contrasting with Kazuya's warm skin. He furrowed his brow slightly, because that kind of thing… well, it wasn't exactly standard summoning protocol.

But before he could open his mouth for some sarcastic quip, she leaned in. And kissed him.

There was no hesitation, no doubts. Her lips, soft and warm, found his. A second later, her mouth parted slightly, and Artoria's tongue, warm and bold, brushed against his, exploring with a mix of curiosity and command that made Kazuya's heart race.

Her taste was sweet, as he remembered.

Kazuya responded, closing his eyes, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, his own tongue meeting hers in a slow, fiery dance. His hands, previously still, found her waist, his fingers grazing the cold curve of her armor but feeling the warmth of her body beneath. The contrast was electric, and he could swear he felt a slight tremor run through her.

When she finally pulled away, her lips still parted, moist and slightly swollen, her eyes gleamed with a new warmth, a fire restrained beneath the mask of royalty. Kazuya's breathing was quickened, and he ran his tongue over his lips, still tasting her, which made him let out a half-mocking smile despite the heat creeping up his neck.

"…I knew that wouldn't be your end, Master… It wouldn't end after coming so far. I'm glad to see I was right…"

Kazuya looked at Artoria Lancer. Unlike the original Ritsuka Fujimaru, he had gotten along with her quickly after her summoning in Chaldea, and inevitably, they ended up together. Of course, part of that was due to the mod he had created in his first life.

Since then, they had been through many moments together, starting in the Fifth Singularity. Although he hadn't taken her to face the Goddess Rhongomyniad, who shared the same appearance as the woman before him but wasn't the same person, she had been by his side in the Seventh Singularity and also in some of the Lostbelts.

Unlike the "anime," where Ritsuka faced the Singularities practically alone, accompanied only by Mashu, he faced them with his full team, like in the game. In other words, he always had a team of six Servants, sometimes even seven, to accompany him. Initially, he was lucky enough to summon Gilgamesh himself, his first five-star Servant, who accompanied him for a while before being replaced by various Servants he deemed better suited for each Singularity.

It was ironic that in Athena his own Gilgamesh had chosen not to follow him due to his arrogance, finding it a pain in the ass…

He exhaled slowly, brushing the hair from his forehead with two fingers and stepping out of his thoughts, the mocking smile returning, but now with a touch of something rawer, more genuine. "You always had a damn dramatic timing, Artoria."

"It's your fault… you taught me to enjoy this kind of ridiculous scene."

Kazuya smirked, and for a moment, all the boredom, exhaustion, and frustration from before evaporated.

He slung an arm over her shoulders, pulling her close without ceremony.

"Welcome back, King of Knights."

Artoria closed her eyes for a moment, as if savoring those words.

"It's my pleasure to serve you again, Master…"

To reclaim the world that shines even without the Farthest Ends, she would fight by her Master's side, surely wielding all the power she possessed. Even knowing this was a different world…

The laboratory sank back into that comfortable silence from before.

Kazuya exhaled slowly, his arm still over her shoulders, and for a moment, he was in no hurry to let her go. Because Artoria's touch, even with the cold armor and her impeccable knightly posture, had a very human warmth. A warmth he hadn't felt since… well, since before everything.

"You know… I really thought I'd never see you again," he said calmly, while thinking he was becoming more and more immersed in his life as [Ritsuka Fujimaru]… It was strangely emotional, everything that came with it…

Speaking of which, he recalled a study he once read in a book that offered a plausible explanation for this. When an individual is reborn, there is typically a suppression or replacement of the original memory, allowing the new identity to take full control. However, there are theoretical records, such as Harkwood's treatises on Mnemophysics and Akira Shinozaki's experiments on the "Divergent Persona Effect," that indicate the possibility of multiple memory sets persisting, especially when associated with highly structured archetypes or fictional entities, like characters from games or digital narratives.

This phenomenon was dubbed Composite Mnemonic Resonance.

The most accepted explanation for this phenomenon lies in the nature of the soul as a quantum information matrix. According to this hypothesis, the soul is not just a metaphysical vector of existence but also a data repository capable of interacting with complex information systems from different realities. When an individual reincarnates, and their soul carries not only their primary consciousness but also parts of other real or virtual existences, an overlap of mnemonic structures occurs.

These memory sets don't integrate immediately. At first, they surface as scattered memories, like dreams or fragments of another life. But as the new consciousness stabilizes and the environment triggers stimuli similar to those experienced in the stored memories—whether through physical stimuli, emotional situations, or cultural contexts—the different structures begin to resonate.

This resonance works like two close frequencies that, upon meeting, start vibrating in the same pattern. In the case of the mind, the result is a gradual fusion of memories and identities. At a certain point, the distinction between the original consciousnesses blurs, and the individual ceases to perceive their memories as "theirs" or "the other's," but as a single, continuous story, even if logically incompatible.

It's worth noting that, according to Harkwood's studies, in such cases, the emotionally stronger memory tends to dominate. The subjective experience reported by individuals affected by Composite Mnemonic Resonance is one of a natural, almost comfortable fusion, where the boundaries between who one is and who one was become irrelevant.

Finally, some speculative theories suggest that, in certain cases, this fusion can trigger a phenomenon called Prior Consciousness Recovery, where one of the involved souls suddenly recalls the entire process of transmigration or their original existence, momentarily taking control and causing what's known as Momentary Identity Disruption.

In short, the experience of becoming increasingly immersive, as if the soul were merging with two others, is nothing more than the cumulative effect of this mnemonic resonance, where the barriers between identities collapse, and something entirely new is born—not a fusion of three individuals, but a new consciousness carrying a single identity born from three others…

In other words, he was essentially becoming a new "self"; the first stage is acceptance, which happened when he accepted that he was [Ritsuka Fujimaru] and also Ryougi Kazuya of this world. Then comes the "Ego" phase, which defines his choices and his own will to do things, and perhaps at this point, the memories of his other two lives began to influence the new him too much…

It was confusing but technically plausible, since rebirth is far too complex to fully understand. It's not like those fanfics where someone reincarnates by the will of a "Random Omnipotent Being"…

Artoria raised her face, and the sharp green of her eyes met his supernatural blue again.

"You died before me, remember?" She gave a faint, almost sad smile, as if it were the first time she'd let that slip in centuries. "And even so… when I closed my eyes for the last time, I imagined it would be you on the other side of the bridge. Not some weird Avalon cleric."

Kazuya let out a short laugh. "I tried, okay? But someone had the brilliant idea of throwing me into another world before that."

She ran her hand over his chest, over the worn black T-shirt and the faded Chaldea symbol. The touch was light, but he felt her fingertips slide to his collar, pulling him gently closer again.

"No matter where," she said, and the tone of promise in her voice made the hairs on Kazuya's neck stand up. "I'll always find you."

He could have said anything at that moment. Cracked another joke to lighten the mood or pretended there wasn't a knot tightening in his throat. But instead, he just pulled her by the waist and let his forehead rest against hers.

Time seemed to slow again. The metallic smell of the room, the hum of the monitors, the flickering lights… everything was muffled by the simple fact of them being there.

"This world's a mess, you know?" Kazuya murmured, without opening his eyes.

"Yeah. I knew all about it the moment I was summoned…" she agreed.

He cracked a smile, one of those crooked, tired, but real ones.

"That's good. I won't have to explain everything to you then…"

And before she could respond, he kissed her again.

This time without haste, without the urgency of reunion or the longing accumulated from past lives. Just the kiss of two idiots who found each other after the end of the world. Who laughed together at the impossible, who messed up, lost, died… and still, even after fate had done everything backward, were there.

When they pulled apart, Artoria's smile was lighter. Almost playful. And her eyes, once so heavy with duty, now carried only him.

"Are you going to put me to work already, or are you going to keep kissing me until the room collapses?" she teased, her tone more relaxed than he remembered from his memories.

Kazuya shrugged. "If it were up to me, you'd just stay here with me. But we really do have a lot of work to do in this world…"

He could feel that Edmond had already returned, and with him, a new "guest" who would need to be properly dealt with.

Besides, he was starting to get bored of staying in the laboratory, especially without real progress on his projects. As tempting as the idea of staying there with Artoria was, he knew it was time to get moving again.

Business was calling.

As always.

"Then I'll be your lance again, Master…" Artoria said simply, her face calm.

Kazuya ran a hand through his messy hair, adjusted his glasses, and smiled.

"Great. I'm counting on you again… But now, let's head up, Artoria…"

He said, turning and walking toward the elevator.

The Lancer tilted her head to the side and quickly followed him.

_________

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