Fate/Ultimate Antagonist

[114] Reinhard

[You have awakened the talent Key of Gate.]

[Key of Gate: ?]

[Endowed by the Watcher of Gates, it grants you a key, establishing an enigmatic connection between you and the Gate. Through the authority of the Gate, your existence can now be projected across multiple timelines.]

[However, remember this universal truth... every version of you is still you.]

"Ugh...."

Reinhard braced himself with both hands on the ground, suddenly vomiting a mass of muddy sludge and decayed grass from his stomach. The wet, disgusting mess splattered onto the ground.

"Phew... Phew..."

"Suddenly... this Key of Gate talent appears, and all versions of me are still me? What does that even mean? What did I do in that hallucination?"

"Damn, my head hurts just thinking about it."

"Forget it, I better not think about it... At least I made it out."

"Was I eating dirt in the hallucination? Even the school cafeteria isn't this bad..."

Reinhard vaguely remembered walking into a ward in the hallucination. Feeling cold, he had covered himself with a blanket and fallen asleep in its warmth...

His clothes were soaked and covered in patches of mud. His hair was disheveled, and his thin, lanky frame swayed slightly as he tried to clear his head, lifting his gaze only to be taken aback.

Around him stood dozens of foxes, all pure white in color.

Startled by his sudden movement, the foxes scattered but then cautiously formed a circle around him, their amber eyes blinking as they watched him intently.

Thunder rumbled, and the rain poured down relentlessly.

"Foxes? Where is this..."

Reinhard panted slightly, supporting himself as he slowly got up from the ground, surveying his surroundings under the curious gaze of the foxes.

The damp, musty smell of rotting wood filled his nostrils.

He was inside a dilapidated temple, its walls letting in the wind from all directions.

On an altar covered in cobwebs and dust stood a decaying statue.

It certainly wasn't local gods, it was draped in a tattered, yellow cloth, concealing its face, and its lower robe bulged with what appeared to be several intricately carved tentacles.

Glancing at the statue, Reinhard felt perplexed.

"Not the local gods, but a foreign god? Is this some weird local belief? This broken temple even has a Cthulhu statue."

Judging by its disrepair and the lack of incense, it seemed like a neglected, possibly heretical shrine.

The wind, mixed with rain, howled through the broken windows.

Noticing the large tufts of white fox fur clinging to his clothes, Reinhard began to understand. He then looked back at the furry foxes.

"I must have run here in a frenzy, and you guys were also here seeking shelter from the rain. So, you all gathered around me to keep me warm, huh?"

Snuggling under a blanket in a hospital room, surrounded by foxes in a ruined temple... it explained the warmth.

As if they understood him, the white foxes nodded and made soft, chirping sounds.