One week had passed since that rainy night.
The days had settled into a rhythm for Melusine - mornings spent helping shopkeepers with their heavy loads, afternoons listening to Grandma Sayuki's stories over tea, evenings wandering the city's quieting streets. Tonight found her perched atop a downtown office building, her legs dangling over the edge as neon signs painted the pavement below in shifting hues of pink and blue.
A cold wind tousled her silver hair as she gazed across the glittering cityscape. The usual emptiness gnawed at her as she turned to look beside her - at the space where her Master should have been.
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the invisible shoulder only she could perceive. The concrete beneath her was unforgiving, but in her mind, she felt the familiar warmth of his presence. Even this phantom comfort was enough - for now. One day, she would find him again.
When she opened her eyes, the city lights blurred into golden streaks through her lashes. There, cast by a flickering advertisement across the street, a shadow stretched beside her - the perfect silhouette of her Master's unruly black hair dancing in the artificial breeze. The imagined blue eyes met hers, the familiar smile curving just so.
Melusine smiled back, a rare softness touching her usually impassive features. Then, with a quiet exhale, she closed her eyes once more, savoring the illusion before the light changed and took him away again.
The fragile moment hung suspended in the night air. Melusine willed it to be real - prayed to gods she didn't believe in that this wasn't just another cruel trick of her longing mind. But even as she reached out, her fingers passed through empty space where his shoulder should have been. The cold truth settled in her chest like winter frost.
With a slow breath, she opened her eyes and straightened her posture. The phantom remained - that beloved face, those kind blue eyes that had once looked at her with such pride. The wind played through his illusory hair just as it used to.
"Master..." Her voice was softer than the neon-lit mist rising from the city streets. "Just wait for Melusine." Her golden eyes burned with dragonfire intensity. "Melusine will find you. No matter what world. No matter what it takes."
The specter's smile deepened, crinkling the corners of those familiar eyes one last time before dissolving like morning fog beneath the sun's gaze. Melusine's outstretched hand closed around nothingness.
For a long moment she studied her palm, tracing the lines where his command seals should have been. Then without hesitation, she stepped off the rooftop's edge.
The sixty-story drop should have killed any mortal. But Melusine descended like a silver leaf caught in an autumn breeze, her dress fluttering soundlessly until her boots touched pavement without so much as disturbing a pebble. She cast one final glance upward where the phantom had appeared, then turned and walked into the pulsing heart of the city, her silhouette swallowed by the electric glow of midnight Tengu city.
-------------------------------------------
Melusine sprinted through the crowded streets, her silver hair streaming behind her like a comet's tail as she pursued the thief who had snatched a woman's purse. The man glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw her gaining on him effortlessly.
With a frustrated click of his tongue, he skidded to a stop and whipped out a pocket knife, brandishing it wildly. "You! Back off if you know what's good for you! I'm not afraid to use this!" he snarled, his voice laced with desperation.
Melusine didn't even break stride.
A human threatening a Spirit? A dragon? A Faerie Knight?
It was laughable.
The thief's face twisted in panic as she closed the distance between them. "You—!" He lunged, slashing the knife toward her with a clumsy swing.
Melusine sidestepped with inhuman grace, her hand snapping out to catch his wrist. A sharp crack echoed as bones gave way beneath her grip.
"AAAAAGH!" The thief crumpled, clutching his shattered wrist as agony ripped through him.
Melusine didn't hesitate. She pivoted on her heel and delivered a swift kick to his ribs, sending him sprawling onto the pavement. The stolen purse lay forgotten beside him, and she scooped it up just as the woman from earlier arrived, flanked by two police officers.
"Th-thank you, Lancelot!" the woman stammered, accepting her purse with trembling hands.
The officers stared at the groaning thief, then at Melusine. One of them whistled low under his breath. "Damn, Little Lancelot… you really didn't hold back, huh?"
Melusine tilted her head. "Am I in trouble?"
The other officer barked a laugh. "Hell no. The only one in trouble here is this idiot." He nudged the thief with his boot, eliciting another pained groan.
Melusine nodded once. "Then I will take my leave."
Without another word, she turned and walked away, the crowd parting for her instinctively. Behind her, the officers hauled the thief to his feet.
As Melusine walked away from the scene, a familiar voice called out to her.
"Little Lancelot! Over here!"
She turned to see the elderly couple from the bakery waving at her, their faces warm with concern. The aunt beckoned her inside while the uncle hurried to set a small table by the window.
"You must be exhausted after chasing that thief! Come, come—rest for a while!" the aunt insisted, placing a golden-brown pastry on a plate.
Melusine shook her head. "I don't require human food, and I'm not tired."
Auntie Mei chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, listen to you! Always so serious! You're too young to act this mature. No need to be shy—come, eat while it's still warm from the oven!"
Melusine sighed, recognizing that resistance was futile. She reluctantly took a seat at the table, eyeing the flaky pastry on the plate with mild curiosity.
The couple beamed at her. "It's a croissant—a French bread," Uncle Hiro explained.
"Quaso?" Melusine muttered, picking it up carefully.
Auntie Mei opened her mouth to correct her but then waved it off with a smile. "Never mind, never mind. Just rest for a while, Little Lancelot."
Melusine took a small bite. The buttery layers crumbled perfectly, rich and warm. Her golden eyes flickered with subtle surprise before she took another, slower bite, savoring it.
As she ate, her gaze drifted to the shop window—where a familiar blue-haired teenager suddenly appeared, walking alongside a girl with long purple hair.
Shido's eyes met Melusine's, their gazes locking in a charged silence.
-------------------------------------------
Today was the day Shido had promised Tohka they would visit the famous bakery near the shopping district - the one that sold the kinako bread she adored. The morning sun cast a golden glow over the sidewalk as they walked side by side, Tohka practically bouncing with every step.
"Shido! Shido! Last night I dreamed about kinako bread as big as my pillow!" Tohka exclaimed, her violet eyes sparkling with excitement. She swung their clasped hands between them, her long purple hair swaying with each energetic movement.
Shido couldn't help but smile at her unrestrained joy. "Tohka's especially lively today," he observed, feeling the warmth of her hand in his.
"Of course!" She suddenly tightened her grip on his arm, pulling closer until their shoulders touched. "Because today is our d-date!" The word still came out a bit shy despite her enthusiasm. "Our date while eating kinako bread together!" Her smile was radiant enough to outshine the morning sun.
Shido felt his ears grow warm as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-yeah, it's our date." Even after everything, the sheer intensity of Tohka's affection could still fluster him. The way she looked at him with such open adoration, the way she declared even simple outings as special occasions - it was overwhelming in the most wonderful way.
Ahem. Clearing his throat, Shido tried to compose himself as they approached the bakery's storefront.
"Shido, look over there!" Tohka pointed excitedly at the commotion ahead - officers loading a groaning man with a badly broken arm into an ambulance, while a small crowd lingered nearby.
"You're right, something did happen," Shido agreed as they moved closer to investigate.
Curious, Shido tapped a passerby on the shoulder. "Excuse me, what happened here?"
The man turned with an animated expression. "Oh! You missed it? Some silver-haired girl just took down that thief who tried stealing a woman's purse!" He gestured wildly. "One moment he's running, next thing you know—CRACK!—his arm's broken and he's crying like a baby!"
"Silver-haired girl?" Of all the details, that particular description caught Shido's attention immediately.
"Yeah, you know—Lancelot!" the man said before continuing on his way.
"Lancelot..." Shido murmured, recalling their previous encounter. Though their first meeting had been... less than friendly when he'd intervened on Nightmare's behalf, he couldn't deny the Spirit seemed fundamentally kind at heart.
A sudden, loud "Hmmmmmm!" broke his thoughts. Shido turned to find Tohka puffing her cheeks in an exaggerated pout, her arms crossed tightly.
"Uh... what's wrong, Tohka?"
"Are you interested in this girl?" she demanded, her violet eyes narrowing.
"Well... yes?" Shido answered honestly before realizing his mistake.
Tohka's pout intensified to dangerous levels. "HMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!" Her grip on his arm tightened possessively as she glared at the empty space where the silver-haired girl had presumably been.
Another rival had appeared to steal Shido's attention! First Yoshino, then that weird short bowl white hair girl who kept calling him "her man" and now this "Lancelot" person?! Tohka would need to guard her precious Shido even more carefully!
Tohka maintained a death grip on Shido's hand as they continued toward the bakery, her fingers laced tightly through his with possessive determination. Shido could only offer nervous chuckles as she practically dragged him down the sidewalk, her earlier pout still faintly visible.
The sweet aroma of freshly baked bread grew stronger as they approached the shopfront. Just as Shido reached for the door handle, his movement froze mid-reach.
Through the glass window, those unmistakable golden eyes locked onto his.
Meteor sat perfectly still at a small corner table, a half-eaten croissant in her hand. Time seemed to suspend as their gazes connected - his blue eyes wide with recognition.
Around them, the cheerful bakery noises faded into white noise. The clinking of plates, the baker's cheerful banter, even Tohka's impatient shuffling beside him - all dissolved into irrelevance under the weight of that silent stare.
A single thought echoed through Shido's mind with crystal clarity. 'Meteor?'
-------------------------------------------
A sharp pain jolted through Ritsuka's chest as he woke with a gasp, his black hair plastered to his sweaty forehead. The remnants of a nightmare - no, a memory - clung to him like cobwebs. His hands trembled as he wiped the sweat from his brow, the sheets tangled around his legs.
Where was he? Just moments ago, hadn't he been on the battlefield? That blinding light streaking toward him... Melusine's desperate cry ringing in his ears... then nothing.
His breath hitched as he took in the familiar surroundings - the slightly too-stiff Chaldea-issued pillows, the faint hum of the base's heating system, the digital clock blinking 06:17 in soothing blue numbers.
A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts. When he opened it, Mash stood poised mid-knock, her violet eyes widening in surprise.
"Ah! Senpai, good morning!" She bowed quickly, her lilac hair bouncing with the motion. The morning light from the hallway cast a soft glow around her silhouette.
"Good morning, Mash," Ritsuka replied automatically, his voice rough with sleep. His gaze dropped to his command seals - their usual vibrant red now dulled, as if drained of energy.
"Senpai, Doctor Roman is waiting for you in his office," Mash said cheerfully.
Ritsuka's blood ran cold. "Romani?" The name tasted like ashes in his mouth.
"Yes?" Mash tilted her head, her expression open and innocent - so painfully unaware.
"Doctor Romani?! But he's..." Ritsuka's hands shot out, gripping Mash's shoulders as he searched her eyes for any sign of recognition. The Mash who had fought by his side through the end of everything would understand. This Mash just looked confused.
"Senpai? What's wrong with the Doctor?"
"Nothing," Ritsuka forced out, releasing her. His mind raced. If Romani was alive... if this was really Chaldea as it once was... Either he'd been thrown back in time, or this was some cruel afterlife. Or perhaps - his breath caught - a second chance.
(A/n: feel like wanted to change the title name.... i guess just delete the date alive part? so it will become Faerie Knight Lancelot.)