[ She combs her fingers through his stole, so at the same time, he runs his hands through her hair, gently caressing her in the process. It's... nice, having her here like this.
It's also nice having her be at least somewhat distracted while Artoria kicks his ass. To his credit, he's fighting just as well as he always does... hell, he's fighting even better, actually. He's a true threat, a powerful enemy... ]
"Round of Avalon!!"
"Gah!!"
[ In this clash between light and darkness in this void of perpetual falling, the combined efforts of the Avalon le Fae, the Faerie Knight Galahad, and the Last Master of Humanity... the final blow was struck.
Yet, just before that... the red-haired Master, just as ordinary as Ai herself, chooses to dream. ]
"Seriously? Just how shameless are you, you bastard?"
[ Ai was his, and Oberon was hers, that much they had confirmed to each other... but really, to be the Master of someone like Oberon... ]
"This is the end, right? What's the harm in being honest with me about how you feel now?"
"Are you kidding me!? You really are an idiot, aren't you? Even I'm not this bad. I've met insects with better memories than you."
"Hey, you're the one who said you're a liar, right?"
"...Okay, you've got me there. Well played."
[ That kind of attitude is necessary to be his Master, isn't it? ]
"You're right. I do feel strongly about some things. A lot of things, actually. Vortigern was Britain's destiny incarnate, and I was born as part of him... but I'm not just Vortigern, though. I'm Oberon, too. Did I ever tell you about what the land of the fae really is? It's all a big, well, fairy tale. A single story, nothing more.
A fourteen-thousand year picture book Morgan wrote just to have somewhere to belong, even if it had to be fictional. And you people rejected it, just like you have all the others. You said it was wrong—that it was meaningless.
I didn't like that. So much so that it even made me forget my disgust with everything. You make up characters who behave exactly how you want, put them in the kind of stories people dream about... stories so good they even change your very lives... then you just laugh and dismiss them as nothing more than flights of fancy."
"So... this is about stories?"
"That's right. There's still meaning to be found in even the most hackneyed of kingdoms, or the most unsung side characters. All those stories you people from reality just forgot the moment you finished the last page? They had every bit as much right to remain afterward as anything else.
...Oh well, there's no point in telling you this. You're human. You'll forget all about it once the next story comes along. Proper Human History's all about growth and progress, right? Nothing is permanent there. It all just keeps going forever. Me? I find all that stuff a huge pain in the ass.
I was absolutely livid; that's why I wanted to end everything. There. Happy? Now wake up already. You don't need a morning lark, or even an evening one. Not yet, anyway. All right, see you later, Asshole of Chaldea! This journey might've sucked, but at least it was full of surprises!"
"Where are you going? Where are you going? I'll come with you! I'll come with you! Goodbye, friend of Oberon! Come visit Oberon's woods again sometime!"
[ And just like that, it was over. The heroes struck him down, shattering his Spirit Core and knocking him off the side, sending him falling into the endless abyss. The Vile King was felled, and the dying remains of a dragon—no, a Faerie Knight—provided them the last miracle they needed to escape.
He had no strength left to fly after them... no, in the first place... ]
"The wings on my back are just for show... I could never fly, idiot...!"
[ Defeated after accomplishing his goal, he fell, looking up at the Chaldeans flying away and back into that blindingly bright sky. ]
"Go on, get out of here! It'll be a relief to not have to see your damn faces anymore!
...Oh well, who cares? What matters is that I killed Britain, just like I wanted. Although... I'm sorry, Titania. My fictional queen, who loved me in all my twisted ways. I couldn't get rid of those Proper Human History bastards for you."
[ Yet in the end... it was all motivated by love, wasn't it? For a fictional love that never existed. It was no wonder, then, that he fought so hard for that which was fictional... that which didn't exist.
In which case... Ai could never find another Servant who would be as loyal to her as him. Who would fight as hard as him... for her sake. ]
"You know, it's weird. Even though I got the ever-living shit kicked out of me... I still feel strangely at peace. Hmph. So that's Proper Human History's sky, huh. Dammit. It's so beautiful it makes me sick."
[ And thus, the curtains closed as the infinite hollow sealed and the Abyssal Worm fell towards a destination forever beyond his reach. ]
no subject
[ She combs her fingers through his stole, so at the same time, he runs his hands through her hair, gently caressing her in the process. It's... nice, having her here like this.
It's also nice having her be at least somewhat distracted while Artoria kicks his ass. To his credit, he's fighting just as well as he always does... hell, he's fighting even better, actually. He's a true threat, a powerful enemy... ]
"Round of Avalon!!"
"Gah!!"
[ In this clash between light and darkness in this void of perpetual falling, the combined efforts of the Avalon le Fae, the Faerie Knight Galahad, and the Last Master of Humanity... the final blow was struck.
Yet, just before that... the red-haired Master, just as ordinary as Ai herself, chooses to dream. ]
"Seriously? Just how shameless are you, you bastard?"
[ Ai was his, and Oberon was hers, that much they had confirmed to each other... but really, to be the Master of someone like Oberon... ]
"This is the end, right? What's the harm in being honest with me about how you feel now?"
"Are you kidding me!? You really are an idiot, aren't you? Even I'm not this bad. I've met insects with better memories than you."
"Hey, you're the one who said you're a liar, right?"
"...Okay, you've got me there. Well played."
[ That kind of attitude is necessary to be his Master, isn't it? ]
"You're right. I do feel strongly about some things. A lot of things, actually. Vortigern was Britain's destiny incarnate, and I was born as part of him... but I'm not just Vortigern, though. I'm Oberon, too. Did I ever tell you about what the land of the fae really is? It's all a big, well, fairy tale. A single story, nothing more.
A fourteen-thousand year picture book Morgan wrote just to have somewhere to belong, even if it had to be fictional. And you people rejected it, just like you have all the others. You said it was wrong—that it was meaningless.
I didn't like that. So much so that it even made me forget my disgust with everything. You make up characters who behave exactly how you want, put them in the kind of stories people dream about... stories so good they even change your very lives... then you just laugh and dismiss them as nothing more than flights of fancy."
"So... this is about stories?"
"That's right. There's still meaning to be found in even the most hackneyed of kingdoms, or the most unsung side characters. All those stories you people from reality just forgot the moment you finished the last page? They had every bit as much right to remain afterward as anything else.
...Oh well, there's no point in telling you this. You're human. You'll forget all about it once the next story comes along. Proper Human History's all about growth and progress, right? Nothing is permanent there. It all just keeps going forever. Me? I find all that stuff a huge pain in the ass.
I was absolutely livid; that's why I wanted to end everything. There. Happy? Now wake up already. You don't need a morning lark, or even an evening one. Not yet, anyway. All right, see you later, Asshole of Chaldea! This journey might've sucked, but at least it was full of surprises!"
"Where are you going? Where are you going? I'll come with you! I'll come with you! Goodbye, friend of Oberon! Come visit Oberon's woods again sometime!"
[ And just like that, it was over. The heroes struck him down, shattering his Spirit Core and knocking him off the side, sending him falling into the endless abyss. The Vile King was felled, and the dying remains of a dragon—no, a Faerie Knight—provided them the last miracle they needed to escape.
He had no strength left to fly after them... no, in the first place... ]
"The wings on my back are just for show... I could never fly, idiot...!"
[ Defeated after accomplishing his goal, he fell, looking up at the Chaldeans flying away and back into that blindingly bright sky. ]
"Go on, get out of here! It'll be a relief to not have to see your damn faces anymore!
...Oh well, who cares? What matters is that I killed Britain, just like I wanted. Although... I'm sorry, Titania. My fictional queen, who loved me in all my twisted ways. I couldn't get rid of those Proper Human History bastards for you."
[ Yet in the end... it was all motivated by love, wasn't it? For a fictional love that never existed. It was no wonder, then, that he fought so hard for that which was fictional... that which didn't exist.
In which case... Ai could never find another Servant who would be as loyal to her as him. Who would fight as hard as him... for her sake. ]
"You know, it's weird. Even though I got the ever-living shit kicked out of me... I still feel strangely at peace. Hmph. So that's Proper Human History's sky, huh. Dammit. It's so beautiful it makes me sick."
[ And thus, the curtains closed as the infinite hollow sealed and the Abyssal Worm fell towards a destination forever beyond his reach. ]