Fate/Grand Order: the Path of a Sword

Chapter 2: Flame Contaminated City: Fuyuki (Part 1)

Today was an important day for Chaldea as it would hold the first Rayshift and Yuto had been chosen along with the other 48 masters to take part.

Although he was curious to see what Rayshift was, he felt restless that day. It was like something unexpected was about to fall on him, something that would turn his life around forever.

With the end of the Sixth Holy Grail War and now that he had found his parents' killer and avenged their deaths, Yuto had decided to move on and start a new life. It was also what Rin, his foster mother, would have wanted. He had not yet decided what path to take after finishing the Homurahara Academy, but he had never thought that he would work closely with other magi except Rin.

It wasn't that he had anything against them, but he knew that they were very proud of their bloodlines, Pride that very often resulted in arrogance and sense of superiority that pushed them to observe from the top down families whose roots date back to relatively more recent times or who made use of magecraft considered inferior as Gradation Air.

However, Chaldea was different from the Clock Tower not only because it recruited employees who descended from families of recent magus or who used types of magecraft believed to be inferior, but also people who were not really ones.

Within the organization, the latter performed roles such as medical personnel or who managed the equipment, while the 49 master candidates, subjects able to perform the Spiritron Dives and possessing magical circuits, were getting ready through simulator training.

Now, Yuto didn't need all the stupid and intrusive tests to know he was eligible to be a master since he had participated at the Sixth Holy Grail War. So, he was more suitable than all the other other masters.

He even doubted that anyone was aware that the main function of the Grail was to open a gate to the root. Yuto had only recently discovered it and needless to say he did not like it. It was an exact demonstration of how the magus regarded the servants as nothing more than tools, and he was not so. Given his origins, he always treated Saber like a person.

Yuto was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't realize he was bumping into something. No, he had bumped into someone. She was a girl with lilac hair and lavender eyes. She wears a grey hoodie over a black shirt over a white-collar shirt, a red tie, a black skirt and tights and brown shoes.

"Forgive me, I wasn't looking where I was going," Yuto politely apologized while helping Mashu to get up, "if I'm not mistaken, your name is Mashu Kyrielight, am I right?"

Mashu rearranged her glasses on her face and recognized the unfortunate man she had met. "No, forgive me, Emiya-senpai," she bowed her head, "I was so focused on finding Fou-san that I didn't pay attention where I was going"

Yuto and Mashu had not interacted much until now. That was actually the first time they had some sort of conversation.

"Fou...?" Yuto murmured confused because there was no one among the master candidates who had that name. " There's still some time before the briefing," Yuto said looking at the clock, "I can help you look for Fou if you want."

"Oh no, you don't have to bother doing that," Mashu said looking a little nervous.

"I insist," he replied. His face suggested that he had now made his decision and that he would not come back.

Mashu carefully nodded and described Fou. In fact, she was looking for a person, but Chaldea's pet. She described him as a squirrel-like creature with white hair and a lilac cape on his shoulders.

"Like that," he said pointing to the end of the hallway.

Mashu turned around and finally felt relieved to have found her furry friend. But Yuto noticed something important. As cute and cuddly as that animal was, Fou was a creature belonging to the Phantasmatic Species that should have abandoned humanity and taken refuge in the Reverse Side of World.