ATLAS

Stepping out into the door way, she holds her hands out to accept whatever it was that she was trying to give to her. Once she’s taken the gift, the mage looks to Hana again, “ . . If you’ve had time to play house and make welcome gifts for neighbors . . You must’ve been here for a while already, settled in.” Leaning her hip against the door frame, Selena raises an eyebrow curiously.

A sheepish laugh escaped her and she rubbed the back of her neck. “Mm...It’s been a while. When Rider and I first got here, we did some investigating by asking around town. From what we heard, this is something that happens here a lot, people just randomly showing up,” she explained, rubbing the back of her neck. “We found a shrine that has some sort of legend about three deities creating this town, and according to the townspeople, it’s because of them that people like us end up here.” 

Now that he was basically human in this strange new world, Mandricardo went through all the motions. Eating, bathing, going to the bathroom, etc.. But man, even if he weren’t a servant showers sure were great! His hair was still slightly damp but his skin was dry. He didn’t know where the master had gone off to but since he was alone he guessed it wouldn’t hurt to walk into the kitchen in nothing but a towel and grab some milk.

Just as he reached out to grab the fridge door the scenery in front of him changed. Instead of the sight of that blue and white milk carton he was greeted with a beast. “Uh…” Well, this was bad. He was unarmed and clearly unarmored. Guess he better say his prayers..

.. Or not.

There was this strange feeling that came over him that made him feel more like himself. It was as if power was coursing through him. Just in the nick of time, Mandricardo’s wooden sword appeared, lodging the beast’s mouth open and keeping it from snapping down and biting into his flesh. His body was now clothed in his normal attire although his hair was still damp. Well, at least now he could die with a little bit more dignity. 

“You called Master?” He kicked the beast back far enough that it went flying a good mile away. He immediately spun around, his horse appearing almost out of thin air and he jumped on it’s back then guided the horse quickly over to Hana, pulling her up onto Brigliadoro’s back behind him. “You think we can take ‘em?”

Hana froze, eyes wide as she took in the scene in front of her. It had worked, but....but! For a long moment, her brain seemed to refuse to work, taking in the fact that he’d shown up in just a towel. Her face turned bright red and she slapped her palms to hide her burning cheeks. “I’M SO SORRY!” she screeched. That was something she was going to have to be more mindful of next time--if there was a next time. It wasn’t like it wasn’t nice to look at but--AHHH BAD TRAIN OF THOUGHT!

She hurriedly shook her head, and when she looked back to the scene in front of her, he was dressed normally and had pushed the beast back. She let out a breath of relief, her shoulders slumping before a smile tugged at her lips. It was such a relief to have him dashing to her rescue--for a talentless magus like herself, this was the only way she could fight back. 

It was certainly easier to feel a bit calmer now that he was here, easily hoisting her onto the horse’s back. Her hands settled on his waist for stability without a second thought as she peered over his shoulder in the direction he’d kicked the beast. Without a doubt it was readying itself to charge at them once more.

“We can!” she grinned. “I don’t know what happened, but it looks like we have our powers back.” Well, not that she had much to speak of, but with him back in action, there was no doubt in her mind they could take down the foe before them. He was her most trusted partner. 

Her brows furrowed a bit at the explanation the tangerine haired girl gave her and Viy. While it wasn’t too strange for there to be no way back after being summoned some place, it was strange this person said that specifically. Nothing about her seemed to say she was the same type of being as herself, a servant from the throne of heroes. A seaside village though…or well town but that had to be the same thing just a different country’s word for a village. but still that means most of her default attire, her ballgown and cloak were likely unsuited for such a place.

“….Caster… …..Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, Grand Duchess of Russia…”  While it was proper for ones like herself to just say their class-name until they confirm the one they’re talking to is their ‘master’, their summoner, it felt unnatural for a Grand Duchess of Russia to not state her full name with confidence. “….and Viy” She gave a slight nod to the doll with the faint unsettling aura in her arms.

Hana couldn’t help but feel a little unsettled, as though there was something about this girl that made her feel on edge. Or maybe it was more so the doll she carried. Something gave her an off feeling she couldn’t quite place it. She only understood once she properly introduced herself.

“C..Caster?” she repeated, her eyes widening. What were the odds of another servant appearing in the apartment? Well, she supposed that technically wasn’t right anymore. Still, Anastasia..? That was a pretty important historical figure, from what she knew. She...had no idea who or what Viy was. It was definitely weird. 

It was . . So quiet here. This was something she’d never experienced before , and it made her feel uneasy. Sure, back home had it’s moments of quiet but , nothing like this. Peaceful silence was unheard of, pun intended, for the back-up magus. That and she was entirely alone now. No servants, no Chaldea, no staff . . Even Cu was gone. On top of it all, her powers were . . Meaning, for the foreseeable future, she was trapped here. Unless she could find some way to get back.

It wasn’t like it was horrible, after all, she’d yet to be attacked or anything yet, and it was . . Pretty nice here all things considered. Yet, sitting in what was essentially the living room of the apartment, Selena’s eyes drift down to her now bare hand. Her powers were gone, her seals too . . So what did that mean for Cu ?

Snapped from her moment of worry by a knock at the door, one of her eyebrows raises quizzically as she stands and makes her way over to the front of the apartment. So, she was finally being approached? She’d yet to venture outside, so she could only guess what was waiting for her on the other side of the door. Whoever, or whatever, it was sounded normal enough at least.

Twisting the lock, but keeping the bolt in, Selena peers out through the slight crack she’s created, “ What do you w- . . Y O U  - ! ” The bolt’s chain rattles as she jostles the door due to surprise, “ YOU’RE HERE TOO !? ”

Her chipper greeting prepared, she opened her mouth to answer the question, only for the neighbor in question to suddenly cry out, recognition in her tone. Hana froze for a moment, her bright mood rapidly becoming panicked. Oh boy. Oh no. Well, she supposed this sort of thing was bound to happen eventually but, this soon?! She wasn’t prepared!

“A-ah, ahaha, it looks like it,” she answered, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. She was going to mention she’d run right into the door after waking up because she’d still been half asleep and expected the door to slide open just like usual. “I just woke up here. I thought I was by myself but..Rider’s here too, at least.” A big comfort, honestly.

Well, she still didn’t have much explanation. Just the things they’d learned at the shrine, but piecing that together was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It made her brain hurt when she thought about it too much, if she was being completely honest.

The white haired girl might’ve been more surprised to be in an unknown building, specially one that didn’t even look like it was from the era of time she was from. but the only thing that confused her was why she was summoned without anyone near by, and why it seemed she wasn’t connected to a mage for mana. Viy also didn’t seem to give off as ominous an energy as usual… it was muted a bit for some reason. Setting her heavy cloak aside on the bed in the room, she ventured out to look around this building.

After a minute or two of wandering around some of the rooms and hallways she found herself within view of the kitchen area, where she noticed another person. Quietly her aquamarine eyes gazed in an icy stare at the orange haired girl. She stood quietly as she stared, blinking when the other asked a question.

“…..Viy isn’t hungry…. Viy tells us to question who you are…where we are..”

Waaahh..that was one cold gaze. Even though the temperature hadn’t physically changed, Hana still felt a chill creep down her spine at the look in the other girl’s eyes. Everything about her reminded her of a frozen tundra. She swallowed hard at the girl’s words. Viy? Was that her name..? But from the way she was talking, it didn’t seem like it. Did that mean there was something else in the room?

That line of thinking was just going to creep her out, so she elected to ignore it for right now and focus on answering the questions. At least, what she knew anyway. 

“My name is Hana. Hana Yumezaki. Um, you’re probably confused. We were too when we woke up here, but apparently it’s a common thing. And uh, there doesn’t seem to be a way back currently,” she began, scratching her cheek. “But this place is called Maris. It’s a seaside town from what I can tell. Well, it’s sorta big but I guess not big enough to call it a city..” Ah. She was rambling.

“Investigate, huh.. You got it.” Though he didn’t have his sword and had no idea where it was. Just as he was about to mention it, Hana spoke up. “Eh? Your command seals are gone?!” He stared at his master, eyes wide with shock. “Come to think of.. I don’t really feel a connection to you anymore.. My weapon is missing too but I just figured someone stole it..” He didn’t feel drained but he certainly felt like he wasn’t a servant anymore. He wasn’t tied to Hana nor did he feel any mana.

“I don’t… feel any mana either..! What’s this mean, Master? It’s like I’m just a normal human again!” This was too bizarre. Like he’d just gotten a new lease on life. What’s more is that he hadn’t even sensed it or figured it out before hand. What a failure of a servant he was. Though he guessed he couldn’t be considered a servant if all his powers were gone. 

He looked around at their surroundings and noticed a person walking on the ground. “Hey, there’s someone down there. Let’s try askin’ them what they know.” Mandricardo motioned for Hana to follow him and he moved briskly down the stairs to the ground level where a middle aged man stood in waiting. “Hey, wanna ask ya a few questions.”

“Well, judging by your appearances I’d say you guys are new arrivals.”

“Arrivals? Whaddya mean?”

“The deities here are always up to no good. They’ve been pulling in a lot more people lately.”

“Deities?”

“Yeah, they pull people from other worlds. It’s not uncommon here.”

Mandricardo exchanged a puzzled look with Hana before looking back at the stranger. “What do they want? Is there a way of gettin’ in contact with them?” In response the other male rubbed his chin. “Well.. I don’t think you’d be able to have a full on conversation but you can send them requests at their shrine. That’s about all I know though. Good luck to you.” Mandricardo thanked the man and turned to Hana, arms crossed over his chest. “Guess that makes our next destination a bit easier, yeah?”

Panic shot through her as he mentioned not feeling a connection to her anymore. Did that mean he was going to disappear on her? Was she going to be left here by herself? Thankfully, that was sort of stamped out by the following admission that it was like he was a normal human again. “I...I have no idea,” she managed to stammer out. 

As far as she knew, things like this didn’t just happen. “You don’t feel like you’re going to disappear, do you?” None of this made any sense. Though she supposed if he did fade, he’d probably just go back to Chaldea..but that still meant she’d be here, alone. She didn’t want to think of that right now. 

As soon as he pointed out a passerby, she nodded, hurrying after him. The man’s words...honestly didn’t explain much. But deities pulling people from other worlds? She pinched the bridge of her nose, almost feeling a headache threatening to develop. “This sounds like the plot of a light novel..” she mumbled to herself. Especially the part about requests.

But what was the point of pulling them here? She almost questioned how they were able to remove her Command Seals but..that was probably child’s play for a deity. “Where can we find the shrine?” she asked the man. “Is it far?”

“Hmm...It’s a bit of a walk. It’d probably be better if you took the bus, since it stops there,” he answered. “It’s in the mountains after all.” 

Not wanting to keep the man anymore, she thanked him as well, watching him walk away as she tried to think. So the shrine was in the mountains, and it was a bit of a walk. It was a start, at the very least. At Mandricardo’s question, she nodded in affirmation. It made the most sense, after all. 

“O-Oh…!” He hadn’t realized until Hana pointed it out, but, yeah… That was definitely sunlight. Mandricardo rubbed the back of his neck. “Did we go somewhere else? You sure it ain’t someone in the lab messin’ with us, or..” Dare he say… an event? But even if that was the case it wouldn’t alter Chaldea’s surroundings. At least that was his understanding of it.

“Nn.. I’ll check. Wait here.” It was the servants duty to do things like this. At least it made im feel a bit more reliable. “Wait here, Master.” He turned the doorknob and flung it open, his hand reaching for his sword– Oh, right. It wasn’t there. He should have been able to summon it but he couldn’t even do that. Looks like he was supposed to go out with nothing but his fists. ‘Have mercy on the third rate..’ he begged to the heavens.

Instead of enemies he was assaulted by the sunlight. He blinked a few times and squinted, waiting for his eyes to get acclimated then looked around. It was just a nice, normal day. But there were structures around that he didn’t recognize. Something modern from way past his time.

“Hn, well.. I don’t sense anythin’. There’s nothing hostile comin’ at us at least.” He wanted to sigh in relief that he didn’t have to do any fighting but he wanted to keep up this cool momentum! “Master? Your orders?”

“I have no idea...” she murmured, chewing her lip as she stared out the window. How weird. “Rayshifting would be the most likely explanation but..” This looked like a normal apartment. She vaguely remembered having to deal with a really weird one but..she didn’t feel anything off here. 

“We’d at least have some kind of warning before that, I’d think. We wouldn’t just get dropped here.” There would have had to have been some sort of debriefing or something if they were dealing with some trouble. It just didn’t make sense. Not to mention, why an apartment? 

She blinked as he made for the door, moving to scope out their surroundings. Tentatively she peered around him, eyes widening at the sight that greeted her. It looked like a normal city on a bright, sunny day. Like there was absolutely no worry in the world. It felt like something she hadn’t seen in such a long time. 

His words snapped her out of it and she blinked, turning to look up at him. “My orders? Well..I guess we should probably investigate a bit further and see what’s going on here.” That seemed like the most logical step.

It was then she realized she hadn’t heard the crackle of the transmission between the command center and her. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun--and that’s when she noticed it. The back of her hand was...bare. Just a completely normal hand. No elaborate red marks emblazoned on her skin.

“What.” she said, very intelligently, as she stared at her hand like she’d suddenly sprouted a completely new hand from her wrist. Then hurriedly she checked her other hand--it was plain too (but of course, that wasn’t the hand they were on to begin with). 

Mandricardo had been sleeping which servants didn’t really need to do, but he wanted to do. He was pretty worthless when he was awake anyways but every once in a while he was plagued with nightmares of his life. This was one of those times. It didn’t help that there was a large sound that forced him upright, eyes wide and hands grabbing for his wooden sword. Except it wasn’t there.

“The heck..?!” Where was his sword?! And more importantly where had he fallen asleep? Had he just wandered into some random room again? He squinted, eyes surveying the unfamiliar room. It was certainly lacking in that sterile white that Chaldea had. Like they were trying to bleach your eyes.

The male rubbed at the back of his neck as he got to his feet. He was probably just alarmed from the dream. One of the other servants probably stole his sword as a prank.. Not finding anything particular strange, the rider opened the door just before the other had. Immediately recognizing her as his Master, he gave her an awkward smile. 

“Uh… Good Mornin’.” Uhhh, should he comment on that red spot on her face..? Girl’s usually didn’t like things being pointed out to them.. But then what if she walks outside and one of the others makes fun of her?! Then it’d be his fault, right?! 

Mandricardo could feel beads of perspiration beginning to form at his temples as he gave his Master a rather strained look, still internally arguing with himself if he should say something about it or not. Naturally, he just decides to change the subject. “So, er.. Nice weather we’re havin’ huh..?” Of course he knew it was always snowing at Chaldea. Except if he’d bother to even look out the windows he would have noticed it was a bright, sunny day. 

Immediately, she relaxed when she realized it was him, a heavy exhale seeming to deflate her posture entirely. She had felt on edge but, seeing a familiar and trustworthy face helped immensely. Well. Her face still hurt, but that was an entirely different problem. She tentatively touched the injured area and winced. Yeah, definitely still hurting. Was there ice here...? There should be, right? 

“Morning,” she managed. Was it just her, or did he seem kind of anxious about something? Was he okay? Forget her injured face, her friend was more important. Though he may have been a Servant, she still viewed him as a friend moreso. That was how she approached all her Servants. But she definitely felt a bit closer when it came to him.

They were similar, after all. Both insecure in their abilities, though always doing their best. She felt like she could rely on him, that he’d always have her back, even if he felt like he was hardly worthy. 

Before she could ask, he spoke again, making her blink. “Nice weather..?” Now that he mentioned it.. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the window, momentarily forgetting her pain as she rushed over.