~(+~0~+)~

An icy wind howled through the barren, frozen peaks that concealed the Chaldea Security Organization. The vast mountains and tall peaks surrounding the Organization served as her physical protection, though they were far from Chaldea's only protective measures.

The young Master stood between two of the smaller, flatter peaks of the mountain range, digging to the dull glare of the breaklights Doctor Roman had collected for him. The cold wind chilled him to his core. Chaldea's standard winter uniforms were meant to keep personnel from freezing to death, not to keep them comfortable in the sub-zero temperatures of an arctic tundra.

Ritsuka plunged his shovel back into the snow. The hole was ragged and a bit uneven. Not at all the way he had visualized it. Even now, he just couldn't get things right. If she could see what a mess he made out here, she would have lectured him all day.

I'm sorry.

Another shovel of snow. The wind continued to tear at his clothes, scraping past the raw, exposed skin of his face. He picked up the pace now, his muscles straining and aching.

He could feel Mash staring at him from a distance, watching for any sign of hypothermia. He wasn't sure she understood why he wanted to do this – why he needed to do this – but she didn't protest. She never did.

...there were so many people dead.

Ritsuka stared at the shallow grave in front of him. This shouldn't have happened. None of this should have happened. The image of Olga screaming and crying as Lev flung her into CHALDEAS, resenting and lamenting how nobody acknowledged her, how nobody praised her in the end…

Why? Why did Lev do it? Did he just want to see humanity suffer? Well, they were suffering alright. The sabotage left more than two-hundred people dead. Only nineteen people survived the accident. Right now, some of them were wishing they didn't.

Ritsuka let out a shuddering sigh. He was exhausted. Mash and he worked the entire night to get the Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System working again, while Da Vinci and Doctor Roman took stock of Chaldea's remaining supplies and functioning systems. Da Vinci had told him that there wasn't time to worry about the little things. That they needed to start summoning Heroic Spirits as soon as possible.

He tightened his grip on the shovel's handle, forcing himself to keep digging. For the longest time, he focused on his own laboured breathing and burning muscles, until he noticed that his hands were going numb.

Fearing that he would only mess things up if he continued digging now, Ritsuka planted the shovel deep into the snow and took a step backwards to survey his work. He'd have to come back here after they patched the headquarters up, to make sure that the constant wind wouldn't wipe this spot away. Afterwards, he'd -

A hand touched his shoulder, shaking Ritsuka from his thoughts. He whipped around to see Mash standing next to him, garbed in a white parka. Her face was exposed too, but she didn't seem any worse for wear. Her warm, violet eyes gazed at him from behind her glasses.

"That's good enough, Senpai," she said with a little smile. "I think the Director would be happy, if she could see how hard you worked."

Ritsuka tried to answer her smile with one of his own. He couldn't muster the strength. "I-It'll have to do," he replied, hoping that Mash didn't notice how unsteady his voice sounded.

She gently reached out and reached for his wrist. "Doctor Roman needs us at the summoning chamber, Senpai. We should head back inside."

The summoning chamber…they finally got the FATE system working?

"A-Already?" Ritsuka asked through chittering teeth. The idea of finally being able to summon Servants – legendary warriors from the past – made him forget about the exhaustion and cold.

"Yes!" Mash eagerly replied. "We should try it out immediately."

Ritsuka didn't need to be told twice. He transferred the shovel to his left hand and took a couple of wavering steps in Chaldea's direction. His knees buckled at the third step and he stumbled forwards, his feet slipping away in the snow.

Mash caught him in an instant, carefully pulling him back on his feet. "Are you alright, Senpai?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Just tired, is all," He mumbled. For a moment, he wondered if he overworked himself too much. Then again, some things were more important than exhaustion and discomfort. Some things were worth overstraining yourself for.

As Ritsuka Fujimaru followed the demi-Servant across the frozen wasteland, he cast one more glance over his shoulder, staring at the first tombstone of Chaldea's graveyard.

OLGA MARIE ANIMUSPHERE

FALLEN, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Ritsuka clenched his fists and raised his head. He would shoulder the burden of Chaldea and humanity's future. He would honour the deeds and memories of the dead and restore humanity's future, no matter the cost.

~(+~0~+)~

"All systems functioning as intended. The offerings are in place."

Ritsuka nodded in confirmation. The outer rim of the circular summoning chamber slowly spun around the middle of the chamber; an elaborate, shimmering cross engraved with intricate lines and text. Twelve pale orbs of light floated lazily above the summoning circle, vaguely pulsating with energy. Within the room's very centre, a floating sphere of blue light slowly manifested.

"The FATE system is ready," Doctor Roman said. "We're waiting for your go, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka stepped towards the circle and extended his right arm, his fist clenched. He began focusing on his breathing, keeping himself calm and composed. As humanity's last Master, he didn't want to show an ounce of weakness. "Do it."

Within the summoning chamber's control room, one of the staff members pulled a lever and typed in the string of code that released the artificial safety constraints of the summoning chamber.

Immediately, a surge of energy exploded within the centre of the room. A loud humming noise emanated from the central sphere even as the smaller balls of light began spinning faster and faster. Then, they seemed to lose their form as the light formed a band of white around the chamber's core.

Large arcs blue light erupted from the central sphere like bolts of lightning. Ritsuka was forced to take a step backwards when the torrent of energy grew even more unstable. A single column of energy spiked upwards, a river of volatile prana. The room quivered and shook under the stress of the ritual, but its reinforced structure held.

The rumbling died down as suddenly as it starred. The blinding light slowly faded away as the outer layer of the summoning circle began to slow down. When the light faded to a soft glow, the outlines of a person became visible; a well-built male wielding a spear.

Moments later, the light faded enough that the newly arrived Servant became visible to the gathered staff members. The Servant opened his eyes – piercing, blood-red eyes – and glanced around the room. His calm, resolute gaze passed over the staff member at the control room, over Doctor Romani and Mash, before finally settling on Ritsuka himself.

Then, the Servant flashed him a wolfish grin.

"Lancer-class Servant!" He loudly exclaimed. He was clad in dark blue body tights, up-armoured with shoulder pauldrons and an abdominal plate. He wore his blue hair in a long tail, greatly resembling the Caster from Fuyuki. A crimson spear manifested within his right hand, which he held in a loose grip. "I have been summoned and come at your request. If you're my Master, let's take this easy!"

Ritsuka nodded firmly, ignoring the urge to grin and shout with triumph. It worked! The FATE system worked! "Welcome, Lancer. I am Ritsuka Fujimaru, your new Master."

Lancer stepped out of the summoning circle and strode towards Ritsuka. "Seems I've been summoned by quite the young Master! Mind telling me what the hell's going on?"

Ritsuka took a breath. This was different from meeting Mash for the first time. There was something bestial about this Lancer, something that told him he had to be careful. "There's a lot to talk about, Lancer. At the very least, I welcome you into Chaldea."

He then extended his hand towards the Servant, who cocked an eyebrow at the sight.

Lancer smirked and grabbed his hand. "This Holy Grail War feels different in scope. Hah, whatever. Nice to meet ya, Master!"

Ritsuka felt a measure of relief wash over him. It felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Finally Mash would be getting some real support. "I'll escort you to your room, Lancer. Come with me."

Not every part of Chaldea had been damaged by Lev's treachery. Many of her blue-tinted hallways were still pristine, their emblems and glass decorations left completely intact. That made navigating Chaldea's interior somewhat difficult, as the facility was meant to be crewed by many hundreds of mages, technicians and other staff members. And since every staff member required their own private room as well, there was a lot of ground to cover.

As it was, Ritsuka took to navigating the hallways using an electronic map. Officially, Doctor Roman was in charge of Chaldea as her acting Director. However, Da Vinci said that when it came to Servants, Ritsuka had the final say.

What that really meant, Ritsuka didn't know. He guessed he'd find out eventually. "Humanity is gone, Lancer. Something happened that…that destroyed our future. This place is the last remaining bastion."

"Sounds serious," Lancer replied, sounding rather nonchalant. He cast a sideways glance at one of Chaldea's symbols engraved on the wall. "So how do we fix that?"

Straight to the point, Ritsuka thought. He mentally reviewed the things Doctor Roman told him, but something told him that Lancer wasn't the type who would listen to long-winded theories. "There are points in our history that were altered – corrupted – by the enemy. These ehm…these instabilities are the cause of the incineration of our future. Chaldea calls them Singularities. Our mission is to travel into these Singularities and restore them."

"By the enemy…" Lancer repeated. He looked back at Ritsuka, staring at him with his piercing gaze. Then, he smirked again. "We're fighting for the future of humanity? Those are some long odds, Master. I can definitely work with that."

Ritsuka nodded, appreciating how confident the Servant sounded. Wonder how much Lancer already knows, now that he's been summoned? He decided to change the subject somewhat, and said, "We don't have a lot of accommodations right now. The engineering department is busy with…damage control, I believe. Still, Da Vinci assured me that the living quarters are largely undamaged. Your room should be right around here."

When the two of them rounded the corner, Ritsuka was struck with the realization that all rooms were identical to his own. That was to say, most rooms in this hallway used to belong to the other Master candidates.

For a moment, he found himself thinking back to the bodies Chaldea still had to bury. The people left dead in the accident's wake. There wasn't enough actual snow around Chaldea's mountain range. Not enough room to -

Lancer nudged his shoulder. "You know I can remain in spirit form, don't you Master?"

Ritsuka took a breath. He had to remain focused on the task at hand. "We've got room to spare, Lancer. You're welcome to use it. Here, let me show you."

He moved to undo the door's electronic lock. However, Lancer raised his hand, gesturing for him to stop. "Actually Master, I think I'll stick around like this for a while. Get a feel for the place, you know?"

Ritsuka didn't make eye contact. He wasn't sure what Lancer's motivations were, but he felt like he could trust the blue-clad warrior. "Tell me something about yourself, Lancer," he asked, deciding on a bolder approach.

Lancer shrugged in response. "If it means completing the mission, I won't hesitate to kill whoever stands in our way. Just don't bother me with tedious stuff, and we'll be fine."

Ritsuka thought he could detect something in his tone, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. "We'll keep summoning Servants to aid us in this fight, Lancer. Do you think you can work in a team?"

With one gesture, Lancer summoned a wicked-looking spear into his hands. The spear exuded an aura of malice and power. Blood-red, adorned with spikes and thorns, it was impossible to mistake the weapon for anything but a Noble Phantasm.

"We're fighting for humanity's future, right?" The Lancer loudly proclaimed. With a flurry of red, he transferred the spear two a two-handed position, aiming its barbed head at an invisible opponent. "So I'll follow your orders and go wild whenever you want!"

Ritsuka nodded in acceptance, though he didn't think the Lancer truly answered his question. "That's good to hear. I'll show you your room, then you can help us clear out the rubble. There's still a lot to do."

With a sigh, the Servant scratched himself behind his head. "Aah…guess there's no helping it. This place really is a mess."

You have no idea, Ritsuka thought.

~(+~0~+)~

The Chaldea Security Organization was made up of numerous facilities that were responsible for managing and supplementing the base's operations. In the aftermath of the disastrous accident, more than half of these facilities had suffered extensive or even catastrophic damage.

However, walking alongside Doctor Roman, Ritsuka couldn't keep the amazement out of his voice upon hearing what kind of facilities Chaldea's headquarters contained. Destroyed or not, the degree to which Chaldea had blended magic with technology boggled the mind. "You're saying the FATE system doesn't just summon Servants, but their weapons as well?"

Roman hesitated for a moment. "Hmmm…not quite. Generator Complexes One and Two provide a mixture of normal and thaumatergical energy respectively. Since Two took a heavy hit during the accident and the backup Complexes were completely knocked off the grid, the FATE system doesn't work as intended."

"But we still managed to summon Lancer," the young Master pointed out.

"We did," replied Roman. "But that's not what I meant. Right now, the FATE system doesn't function properly. Engineering is still looking into it, but it looks like it cannot interpret a Servant's legend specifically enough. By that I mean FATE will attempt to summon the concept of "a legend"."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning the results could vary to a large degree. Instead of Lancer, you could have summoned a concept associated with him."

Two staff members rushed past them, one of them carrying a computer screen and the other a pouch containing several pieces of equipment. They briefly stopped to acknowledge the Doctor and the Master before hurrying on their way.

Judging by their dress code, they were staff members from Engineering.

"A concept?" Ritsuka repeated, looking at the two engineers as they ran towards an unknown destination. "Like his weapon?"

"That, or a mystic code, or a tool or item once used by him. My point is, bringing in reinforcements is going to be trickier than we thought."

Ritsuka knew he had a manual stashed somewhere in his room, detailing the precise layout of Chaldea and all of her facilities. Maybe he could download the digital version as well? He didn't have the foggiest idea what the Doctor meant with "Generator Complexes".

He adjusted his uniform, suddenly feeling nervous. He was humanity's one and only Master. He bore the burden of mankind's future, but what if he wasn't fit to do so?

Oblivious to Ritsuka's uneasiness, Roman continued. "…which is why we should be able to use those materials to repair our facilities, and perhaps improve upon their existing designs. But I think I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Probably," Ritsuka agreed. He stifled a yawn and reached for his datapad, checking the time. "It's been six hours since we summoned Lancer. Do you think…?"

Roman offered him a sad smile. "I'm afraid not. We need the reserve power for when Da Vinci locates the next Singularity. Besides; you look exhausted. Mash told me you spent most of the morning outside? You told me you would only be gone for ten minutes or so."

Ritsuka winced. He knew that Mash would talk to Doctor Roman eventually, but this was kind of soon. "That's ehm…not important. Just some…work. I lost track of time."

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow when he heard that. "Work?" He asked, his voice gentle. "Ritsuka, the temperatures and wind speed can be lethal if you're caught off guard. You know you can't risk your health like that."

Gritting his teeth, Ritsuka dropped his gaze to the floor. "I should have told you, I know. It's just…it was something I had to do. I…"

Roman simply placed a hand on the Master's shoulder. He didn't sound reproachful, nor did he look upset. "I understand. Believe me, I do. These are difficult times for all of us. If you want to talk, you could drop by my office tomorrow. For now, I think we could all benefit from a good night's sleep."

Ritsuka thought about the pros and cons of dropping by Doctor Roman's office. He was pretty sure that Roman had more important things to worry about. Besides; this wasn't something he wanted to talk about. "Sleep sounds like a good plan. I'll drop by Lancer first, see how he's doing. "

At that, the good Doctor smiled. "I'm hearing positive things about Lancer. He's a tremendous help in the Central Control Room; with his Strength parameters, we'll have cleared most of the rubble in no time at all."

"That's good to hear," Ritsuka sighed. That's at least one problem that can be solved. "We'll pick things up tomorrow."

"Hopefully we'll have some good news by then," Roman agreed. "A couple of minutes ago, SHEBA noticed some irregularities in Europe."

Ritsuka frowned. If he recalled correctly, it was the SHEBA mechanism that located Singularity F in Fuyuki. "Another Singularity?"

"Most likely. We still don't have a time or place, however, but I think we'll have something by tomorrow. Grab some sleep, Ritsuka. I think you'll need it."

"Doctor's orders?" Ritsuka quipped, crossing his arms.

Roman smirked. "As the acting director of Chaldea, I technically outrank you."

Ritsuka simply rolled his eyes.

~(+~0~+)~

Hate. Hatred burned within her heart. The fires of hell blackened her soul and tainted her with a searing fire she knew could never be extinguished. It shaped her. Consumed her. Buried beneath that hatred, smouldered a festering desire for vengeance.

…vengeance. Yes…the fury that fuelled her actions was ignited by a burning desire for vengeance. She hated. She resented. She vowed retribution. With the fire that raged within her, she would lash out at the world. Tear it down, tear it down to its foundations. She would hunt and she would kill and she would burn.

Hatred. Resentment. Retribution.

"If there is a God…then surely…"

~(+~0~+)~

Ritsuka woke with a start. He lay still in his bed for several long moments, blinking drowsily. He had dreamt quite vividly. Images of fire still played within his mind whenever he closed his eyes. He felt…off. Like something was missing. Almost like…

"Fou? Fou!"

Something soft and warm moved around on his chest. Ritsuka glanced down at the little, furry creature on his stomach. In that instant, he forgot what he had been thinking about, and merely smiled.

"Good morning Fou. What are you doing here?"

The white-furred creature yelped as it jumped up and down, before suddenly leaping off his bed. A moment later, the door to his room opened.

"Good morning, Senpai."

Mash wore the same uniform she wore the day before, with a red tie and a black sweater underneath her white coat. Before she could enter the room properly, Fou all but tackled her into the wall.

"Eek!" She cried out as the little creature rubbed his head against her hands. "Sorry Fou, I couldn't get out of the way. Still, it's good to see you're so full of energy this early in the morning. You too, Senpai. Did sleep well last night?"

"Well enough," Ritsuka replied. He swung his legs out of bed and looked around for his pants. He distinctly remembered dropping them somewhere next to his bed last night. "What's going on?"

"I know you just woke up, but it's briefing time," Mash explained. "We should hurry."

Briefing…briefing…

Singularity.

Suddenly, Ritsuka was wide awake. "I'll be there in a sec, wait up…"

He quickly gathered his clothes and put on his uniform. He was halfway through tying the laces of his boots when he heard someone speaking to him.

'Yo, Master. Something's up.'

Ritsuka frowned. "Lancer?" It sounded like the Servant was right beside him, but the only person currently in his room was Mash.

'Yeah. Looks like your Doctor just found some idiot running a Singularity. Want to go punish them a little?

"I…yeah, that's the plan," Ritsuka replied, glancing at Mash. The mental link between Servant and Master still took some getting used to. "You should probably head over to the Control Room."

'Got it. Catch you there soon, Master.'

They reached the Central Control Room a couple of minutes later. Doctor and Da Vinci were already down there, bowed over a holographic console and discussing whatever they saw. Lancer stood in the far left corner, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Upon hearing the elevator arrive at its station, the Doctor turned around. "Ah, good morning Ritsuka. Did you sleep well?"

"Better than last night," the Master replied. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, let's get right into the briefing. You remember our primary objective, don't you?"

"The investigation and correction of the Singularities," recited Ritsuka. "Why?"

"Because, after much discussion, Da Vinci and I discovered a secondary objective," the Doctor stated, his expression grim. "And that is to investigate the Holy Grail."

Ritsuka crossed his arms. "You lost me."

"This is just speculation, but we believe the Singularities to be related to the Holy Grail," Roman explained. "The Holy Grail is a relic that can grant wishes; a vessel carrying tremendous amounts of magical energy. Lev probably got his hands on the Grail and misused its power."

Ritsuka felt his mood sink. A device like that sounded extremely difficult to overcome. He shot a sideways glance at Mash, who seemed equally daunted by the task.

"What can you tell us about the Grail?" He asked.

"You will run into intel regarding the Grail during your investigation of the Singularity," continued the Doctor. "Even if you correct history, leaving the Grail will put us back at square one. You must either secure the Grail, or destroy it."

There were a dozen questions Ritsuka wanted to ask. Could the Grail be recognized? How did you destroy it?

As Roman continued to explain the mission parameters, explaining about leylines and summoning circles, Ritsuka couldn't help but feel like he was missing something important. He remained quiet however; he was sure Da Vinci would get to that.

"What we need," Mash said, speaking up for the first time, "Is a place to relax. A base of operations where we can come back to when we need to recover. Right, Master?"

"I agree. We'll be counting on you," Ritsuka replied.

His comment seemed to startle her; a red blush crept on her cheeks and she hastily readjusted her glasses. "H-Hearing you say that, really means a lot to me. I know I'm still an inexperienced Servant, but you can count on me. I'll be giving it my all!"

"Are you three done talking?" Da Vinci suddenly exclaimed. "How long are you going to keep me waiting? We need to prep for an immediate rayshift!"

Ritsuka only recently met Da Vinci, and still had no idea how her mind worked. The self-proclaimed genius always seemed laid-back and relaxed, so hearing her in obvious impatience was new to him. "Is it that bad then, Da Vinci?"

"We located seven Singularities and sorted them in ratio of fluctuations and irregularities," the Servant explained. "This one originally had the smallest fluctuations, but they keep changing in intensity and scale."

"We have a coffin ready for you this time, Ritsuka," Roman said. "You should be able to rayshift quickly and safely now. "

Ritsuka felt a moment of apprehension. The losses they sustained in Fuyuki were still fresh on his mind. This time would be different, however. Now, Mash had access to her Noble Phantasm, and they could depend on Lancer's help to boot.

"Once we arrive at our destination, we'll set up a base of operations and prepare a summoning circle for supplies. Lancer? Are you ready?"

"Actually, that might be an issue," Doctor Roman said before the Servant could respond. "Our systems are still too unstable to facilitate the deployment of a full team. You and Mash will be on your own, at least initially."

Ritsuka sighed. He should have seen that coming. "Then we'll just summon Lancer once we've established the summoning circle."

The Servant shrugged. "Better hold out until then, Master. Leave some of them for me, alright?"

Ritsuka met the Lancer's gaze and nodded firmly.

"Great! After you've settled into the era, do what needs to be done. All right – good luck, Ritsuka."

With nothing left to say, Ritsuka walked towards the Master capsule. He seized Mash's gaze as she stepped inside of her own capsule. She gave him a reassuring smile, which he met in kind.

The pod in front of him lit up with an ethereal, bluish light. It began humming gently before he even entered it, as if it was eager to begin the rayshift.

As soon as the capsule sealed itself, an artificial voice echoed through the massive Control Room.

Unsummon Program start.

Spiritron Conversion start.

Within the centre of the room, Chaldeas stopped rotating. A white waypoint materialized within Western Europe, France.

Rayshift starting in 3…

The magical energies that powered the Master capsule began illuminating the entire room. Ritsuka felt apprehension coursing through his veins, but he forced himself to remain calm.

2…

Doctor Roman gave him a thumb's-up gesture. Lancer closed his eyes, resting his arms by his side.

1…

Ritsuka gave one last look to Mash. She didn't seem bothered by the coming rayshift at all.

Good. He had the sinking feeling they'd need all the confidence they could get.

All procedures cleared. Grand Order commencing operation.

~(+~0~+)~

Author's Note:

This is my first Fate fanfiction. I've always wanted to write a story within the Nasuverse, but my greatest problem was always the central theme. What should the story revolve around? What makes it different from the existing novels and games? I want to stay true to the Fate/Grand Order setting without making the story appear like a rehash of the mobile game.

Ultimately, this story is an exploration into the psyche of humanity's last Master as the struggles with the horrors of the Grand Order. It is, after all, a war for humanity's future.