Fate/Magus Path

15 The Magus and the Martyr

It's flowers...

This was a paradise that seemed to exist only in fairy tales. The air was fragrant, the sunlight warm, and countless pink petals swirled in the air, surrounding the lost intruder.

The dream felt real yet illusory, a mix of both. Walking amidst the fluttering petals made it impossible to tell whether this was fantasy or reality.

In this ethereal scene, like a mirage, Roy wandered, half-conscious. Guided by a vague feeling, he began to ascend the smooth marble steps of the towering structure before him.

"Come closer, come... come..."

The voice in the dream echoed faintly through the layers of petals, and Roy felt himself drawing ever nearer to its source.

At last, he was just one step away.

"Oh, brave young one, you are so close to touching the legendary miracle."

Who?

Who was speaking to him?

The voice and these petals felt strangely familiar, but he couldn't recall them. He couldn't remember.

Lost in the depths of this dream, his head felt heavy, making it impossible to think. He could only rely on instinct, moving forward, following the voice.

As the voice grew nearer and nearer, so too did the distance to the top of the tower shrink.

Finally, just as he was about to touch the curtain and cross through the illusion, what he saw was...

"Kraahahahaha!!"

"To indulge in the falsehoods of a dream is not your calling, my accomplice."

"Wake up, open your eyes. There is something far more important for you to do now. Pay no heed to the intrusion of this deceitful dream. Remember, you are already in the midst of a war."

The familiar voice, the arrogant laughter, and the unmistakable sense of familiarity jolted him awake. In the instant when black flames engulfed the sea of flowers, the dream shattered.

The intense heat of the blazing black fire transformed the tranquil flower field into a hellscape in an instant.

And with that, the gentle whispers of the flower-like spirits in the dream disappeared, just like the burning flowers, completely vanishing from sight.

...

In a Deeper Layer of the Dream.

The black flames ignited the illusion around them, following the petals. A figure from hell stood amidst the flying sea of flowers, glaring menacingly at the presence before him.

"To sneak into someone's dream when they least expect it, like a parasite, is quite fitting for your role, Incubus."

"But what are you trying to do? Should I take this as a declaration of war?"

"Oh my, as expected, you saw through me, didn't you? What a headache. I thought I was being quite discreet. At the very least, it should've taken you a while longer."

Atop the tower, Merlin slowly opened his eyes, a troubled look on his face as he gazed at the unexpected visitor.

He, the distinguished Magus of Flowers, an Incubus, was being chased out of a dream. How embarrassing. If Morgan and Viviane were to hear about this, they'd surely mock him for quite some time.

However, if the one doing the chasing was none other than the infamous Vengeance Demon, it was a little easier to accept.

"Your repugnant scent... no matter how deeply hidden in a dream, I can still detect it. Don't underestimate an Avenger's sense of smell."