"I think they're looking at me."
"They're eyes, they exist in a state of perpetual 'looking'." Gramps gave me a deadpan.
"But I feel like they're looking at me."
"All they can do is look."
"Do you think I can get a reaction out of them if I threaten to drop them in the toilet?" I asked.
"I don't think—"
"A public toilet."
"..." Gramps was quiet for a moment. "Stranger things have happened."
Maybe we've been staring at these eyes for too long.
How long had it been at this point, two hours or so? We were the only ones in the room now, and frankly, everything we tried to do to analyze these eyes has come back with nothing.
The very basic structural analysis? That gave me a nosebleed and a headache when I tried.
We tried quite a few things off the top of our heads that didn't need significant setup and resources to conduct.
Hell, I even had a nifty idea to use a vague branch of spirit evocation that utilizes psychometry. According to the results, the eyes don't exist, so that's neat.
We even tried to measure their age based on some quantum folding of time and space shenanigans, and that was eerily unresponsive.
"They're mocking me, I know it." I narrowed my eyes, tapping the glass.
"Alrighty, I think that's enough experimentation for one day." Gramps stood up. "Clearly, wherever these came from, the one behind them isn't going to make it easy. Or rather, whatever their purpose is, we haven't found it yet."
"I could put them in my head and see what happens." I suggested.
"Do you really want to do that?" Gramps gave me a surprisingly deep look.
I was about to joke, but I ended up pursing my lips. "No, even if they were the most powerful Mystic Eyes in the world, I wouldn't want to get rid of my own eyes. The thought of mutilating myself for any sort of 'power' like that is…..off-putting. And that's coming from someone who turned their heart into a dragon's heart."
Which might make me sound like a hypocrite, but it was a different situation.
And I never disagreed when someone called me a hypocrite. Perhaps it's because it's hidden away and I can forget about it.
Though, I found myself smiling a little. "Mom always said how much she liked my eyes when I was younger."
There's a significant chance that it was just one of those things that moms say to their kids, but even so, I couldn't bring myself to change them ever.
"Well, there you have it then. We've reached a point where sitting here staring at them will bring no further benefits." Gramps stood up. "And going by that earlier commotion, I'd say the train is close to being operational once more."
Yeah, we could feel the shaking and rumbling of the train as they apparently pushed it back together and put things back right.
Hell, the front engine part had been completely knocked on its side.
From what I understand, Captain Hook offered to help them get it back on track.
The thought of him using his magical flying pirate ship to turn back up a magical train is…certainly an image.
"That brings up a question I wanted to ask. I didn't know you were still in contact with the captain." I would have visited or called him if I were in the area myself. I should give him a kaleidoscope; it would at least keep him entertained while he watches Arc's dumbass while she sleeps.
"Do you think I wouldn't be in contact with a Servant that your cousin haphazardly summoned?" He returned.
"Ah, that makes sense. Arc is an idiot; it's a very good idea to keep an eye on anything she does."
"Don't call your cousin an idiot." He responded, but lacking any real heat to it. "Speaking of cousins, Altrouge has been getting a bit uppity lately. I think she's finally heard about you, and I'm sure this little stunt might make her curious."
"Does she even consider you a grandfather like Arc?"
"Not one bit."
"Then I refuse to call her my cousin. Arc is an idiot; she's blatantly a vile person." I pointed out. "If she wants to come fuck around, she can find out."
Gramps shrugged. "With her pet sealed away, you can handle her. Though, she isn't without her own means."
I just grunted, but I realized something. "How did you seal away her pet? That thing was…it was a beast who didn't assume its mantle."
Primate Murder, the White Beast of Gaia. It had absolute authority over the primates of Earth. With just its howl, it could kill any human who heard it.
Even I, being a half human, would be severely countered by it. Frankly, it reminded me of how Fenrir suppressed Odin.
Definitely not something I would want to experience.
"Hmm, that's a good way to describe it, I guess." Zelretch ran a hand through his beard. "It refused to take that final step into Beasthood, still making it quite the monster. But by holding back, it could continue to play around as Altrouges' pet. As for how it did it…it's quite amusing actually."
"Well, color me interested."
"I tricked it into the Duat."
"Pardon?" I blinked.
"The Egyptian Afterlife, or rather, a small piece of it that I happened upon some centuries ago. I'm quite proud of myself for this one." He sat back down as he explained. "I found an entrance through a pharaoh's tomb a long time ago. Not having a purpose for it at the time, I sealed it up. Not that long ago, I leaked the 'information' and added some grandiosity to it and something that would get Altrouge's attention. One thing led to another, and now Wolf is stuck in some remnants of the Duat, having a hell of a time trying to get out."
"That's…." I was honestly at a loss for words. "It couldn't be more than just pieces of the Realm barely held together."
With the Age of Gods ending, whatever Divine Spirits remained went to the Reverse Side of the World, usually taking their Godly Realms with them. If the realms didn't leave with them, they would have—should have—been torn apart and destroyed by the passage of time and changing of the world's order.
There are, of course, remnants here or there. Mostly in places where Mystery lingered the longest. Japan, China, the East in general saw Mystery persist for a long time while the Western World faded, so there are most things around these parts.
Egypt should also fall into the category of persisting for longer than most.
It's a place steeped in legends and myths, with ancient monoliths still existing even today.
So, at the end of the day, I shouldn't be too surprised that Gramps found a piece of the Egyptian afterlife that still remained, if fragmented.
"The Wolf should be heavily suppressed within the Realm, and some of the Realm's mechanisms should be wreaking havoc based on the 'sins' the Wolf has committed on Altrouge's behest." Gramps finished.
The Egyptian afterlife was very much one of those 'Good gets reward, bad gets punishment' without much wiggle room.
Primate Murder earned that name with how much blood it's been bathed in.
Being away from Gaia, its source of power, and being hit by what remained of the Duat's mechanisms, it was in for a bad time. Though, unfortunately, it was only a temporary measure. "How long will it be stuck, do you think?"
"Conservative estimate, I'd give it fifty years. If we're lucky, over a hundred."
I nodded. "Enough time to make plans and get things moving."
"Precisely."
I tapped the table somewhat impatiently. I was annoyed because I still had no idea what these eyes did. But also, my mind wandered to something else. "Hey Gramps, I didn't know you met Morgan Le Fay before. I had no memories of that."
Though, it was somewhat common at this point that there were things I didn't remember.
"Hmm, that." He hummed. "It's not as interesting as you may think. Merlin was…an oddity, even during his era. He had a certain type of clairvoyance that made him a nuisance if he wanted to be. He poked around in a few of my matters, so I decided to pay him a visit. It was during this time that Morgan was a student under him in her youth. We barely exchanged pleasantries. I wouldn't be surprised if she forgot about me entirely."
"I was expecting something more; that's unfortunate."
"I did meet Miss Artoria, though, when she was an infant. It was also a brief encounter; I simply stumbled upon a child who had a Dragon Aspect, and curiosity got the better of me. But that was it."
Huh.
Funny how the world works.
"I still have no idea what to make of Morgan, if I'm being honest." I confided in him. "I hate her by my association with Artoria. But then she goes and helps us, giving away something so valuable."
"Value is subjective." He raised a finger. "She lives on the reverse side of the world; she most likely sees the Segno di Promessa as a bauble more than anything useful. Don't just assume that she did us a huge favor."
"That's…true." I scrunched my nose, giving it more thought. "At the end of the day, if we got into a fight, it would have been inconvenient for her as well."
"Undoubtedly." Zelretch nodded. "However, that doesn't mean her actions were not helpful. Gratitude and grudges should be repaid in equal measure."
Annoying.
"Not lopping off her head is enough gratitude on my head." I said dryly. "What exactly is the Segno di Promessa? Anything more about it that I should know?"
Gramps stroked his beard. "They're not easy to come by, even in the past. It's essentially an order from the Pope in the hands of an outsider, so you can understand why they don't give them out anymore, and they very quickly destroy them once the Church reclaims them."
"Carte blanche with the Church, huh?"
"Within reason." Gramps chimed in. "Even the Pope can't do whatever he wants. But if the Pope orders a withdrawal, then the burial agency is forced to obey. So by extension, Morgan used the authority of the Pope to order their withdrawal and subsequent mission termination in perpetuity."
"How did Morgan get her hands on one?"
"If you think she stole it, you're going to be surprised. She didn't lie, even underselling her actions. The director there recognized her and didn't question her authenticity; that should tell you something. She put in quite a bit of work helping to build up the Church in its early days. If you run into any of the Paladins of Charlemagne during your time in Chaldea, ask one of them about Morgan; I'm sure they'd be able to give you a better idea."
Why are things always so complicated? Couldn't she just have done something despicable right in front of me so I would have no qualms about killing her?
"Annoying." Was the only reply I gave.
"Most things in life are." He shrugged. "If you want a better answer, you know who to ask." He got up again, straightening his tie. "Well, I believe I've spent enough time here with nothing else needing my time. I stayed long enough to make sure the Church doesn't go back on their word, and it looks like they're keeping away beyond a few who were spying from a distance."
I just grunted in affirmation.
"While I won't chastise you for how things turn out, I suggest laying low or at least disappearing from here for a while to let the proverbial dust settle. I'll tell Rin to stay away for a bit too."
I waved my hand through the air. "I didn't plan on flaunting myself anyways."
The last thing that needs to happen is somehow my Devil heritage getting discovered after all this. I'm not completely sure that won't happen because the Church has some very deep foundations. That and they have a literal pet Divine Spirit on their payroll that may or may not have noticed my peculiarities.
"That's good. I'll ask around and borrow a few ancient books to see if I can't find any clues about your new eyes." Zelretch flicked his hand. "Give my best to everyone, and they're all welcome to come visit whenever they want."
"Later, Gramps." I said my casual goodbye as he left through his own portal.
As he left, I scrunched my nose again in distaste.
I took out a bottle of Asgardian mead and pulled the cork out with my mouth before spitting it to the side and downing the entire thing in one gulp.
It was time to go find Morgan.
[Line Break]
She wasn't hard to find.
I couldn't throw my hands up and say that it was too difficult as an excuse to just fuck off.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, most of the people on the train had disappeared. As soon as the Church left, there was suddenly a large surge of people who felt that disembarking in the middle of the Mongolian Plains was a wonderful choice.
I can't blame them; it probably was a wise decision.
Morgan was sitting at her table.
Like she was expecting me.
That alone made me want to turn around and leave, just to spite her.
She looked up at me, and without words, there was a silent invitation, so I slid into the seat opposite of her.
Awkward Silence.
"Since Lancelot is French, and he's technically your stepson, does that make you French by association?"
Morgan, who was casually looking out the window, snapped her head to me with the most dumbfounded expression. "Is that really the question you're going to ask?"
I shrugged.
His lips thinned into a line. "He was Vivian's stepson." She scoffed. "If you're with my sister, then you no doubt know about my circumstance."
She was talking about how she and Vivian were basically 'split personalities' but not. Like two separate entities sharing the body.
Though it was much more complicated than that.
"And no." Morgan added. "I am many things, but I will never allow myself to be French. I'm a proper English woman, thank you very much."
"Did you know that Jeanne D'Arc could pass as your sister?" I said casually, a bit amused that the French hate seems constant with everyone in her family.
Morgan blinked then shook her head. "Our bloodline dates back to the Greek deities and possibly further; it's not strange that our strong blood appears every so often in all corners of the world."
Huh, I didn't know that.
"Now, I answered two of your questions; you will answer mine."
"Is that how we're doing this?" I raised an eyebrow.
"You clearly came to me because you wanted to know something; I can happily get up and leave." She huffed, crossing her arms.
I rolled my eyes. "Ask away."
"How did you become my sister's lover?" She asked bluntly.
That…was honestly not what I expected. Far from what I expect, in fact.
"Seriously?"
"You asked me two idiotic questions; are you really going to raise a concern about me asking something like this?" She gave me a flat look.
I tapped the table because while what she said was fair, I didn't exactly want to reveal intimate details. "I met her by chance. I told her I thought she was beautiful and I admired her, and I asked her out on a date."
It was actually pretty mundane. Granted, I left out the part where we 'fought,' but that wasn't something I wanted to mention, as it went back to personal stuff with Artoria.
"That's it?" She sounded confused before shaking her head with a sigh. "No, that's probably what she would like best."
"You're oddly interested in a sister you despise." I pointed out.
Her face twisted into a scowl. "Don't presume to understand my feelings towards my sister, you petulant worm."
"Ooh, scathing." I held my hands up in mock offense at her 'insult.'
Though, it seems I touched a nerve there.
"How my sister fell in love with a man like you, I don't understand." Morgan growled under her breath. "You are the complete opposite of her."
"Have you ever heard that 'opposites attract'?"
"Spare me your dribble." She rolled her eyes this time. "At the very least, with a shameless annoyance like you at her side, she won't suffer from any despicable schemes."
"Speaking from experience there, huh?"
Her scowl returned but slowly eased up. "You continue to speak about things you don't understand."
"Really? I don't understand." I said incredulously. "Maybe you're right. Why don't we ask Kay to clarify then? He's a few train cars down that way." I jabbed my thumb behind me. "Better yet, why don't we ask Gray if she understands anything about your 'despicable schemes,' you know, the girl suffering body identity issues because of your actions as she morphed into a copy of Artoria." I then clapped my hands. "You know what? Why don't I just fucking call Mordred up and have her give her opinion?"
Oddly, she didn't verbally lash out.
If anything, she seemed to sink back into silence.
She wasn't someone who wore her emotions on her face, so it was hard to get a read on her. An evil witch thousands of years old, I wasn't going to get much there. Hell, I've only just started being able to get a read on Salem from her small visible emotes.
Well, Awkward Silence returned.
But this was never going to be a 'happy and polite' talk.
Finally, after several minutes, she opened her mouth again. "You owe me a debt."
"And what debt would that be?" I questioned.
"Where I prevented the conflict earlier."
"You make it sound like you saved our lives." I leaned back with my arms crossed. "Do you think we would have lost?"
"A Divine Spirit at a minimum is not something most in this era can contend with." She pointed out.
I leaned in slightly. "I've killed gods before."
She didn't seem surprised by my admittance of that. In fact, she seemed entirely uncaring. "In return, I want you to tell me about my sister and Mordred, what they've been doing, and how they have been living."
She completely ignored me, it seems.
But...
I let out a sigh, finding myself agreeing. Gramps said it best: gratitude and grudges should be repaid. While she didn't 'save' us, she did do us a favor because at the end of the day, it wouldn't have been a good thing if we had gotten in a fight.
"I won't give any personal information, if that's what you're after. Only the barest details."
Her expression was impossible to read. "Very well, I accept this transaction."
"Artoria lives with me, but she's also doing her duties as Rin's Servant. Rin is the master who summoned her during the Grail War"
"I'm aware of the Magus girl." Morgan somewhat impatiently cut me off.
Well then.
"I participated in a Grail War in a parallel world, and Mordred was summoned as Saber. I brought her back after telling Artoria. They've been…bonding." I kept the details vague as I promised. "Mordred has her own house with the master she trusts. I specifically live in a small realm above Japan. Kyoto in my birth world, the realm houses youkai and other phantasmal species, along with a good number of humans. Mordred and Artoria can live as they please there."
Morgan was a great faerie; she could probably tell I was not from this world-line on first sight, so I didn't care to keep that a secret or whatever.
She didn't say anything, seemingly silently digesting that, so I continued.
"They both have gained plenty of friends and acquaintances. There is a Pendragon family that's persisted over there; through a series of events, Artoria took over it to correct some of their mistakes. Mordred helps her there." I was considering what to add. "They had the habit of naming certain generations after their predecessors. There's a young man under Artoria's purview named Arthur Pendragon."
Morgan snorted.
"There's also a young girl, a little magical genius. Her name is Le Fay Pendragon."
"Is that a joke?" Morgan asked dryly. "That name literally means The Fairy Head Dragon…are her parents that idiotic?"
"Considering their father got personally dealt with by Artoria, then the answer is yes."
Morgan pursed her lips. "Rightfully so, it seems."
"Artoria was able to reclaim the Caliburn from over there and gave it to Mordred."
There was a slight reaction on Morgan's face. Through this whole talk, she looked somewhat detached, as if she were barely paying attention. But I could clearly see her reaction just now.
"...Mordred was probably thrilled."
"She was." I didn't feel the need to hide that.
There wasn't a need to elaborate further there either. This was 'payment'; I wasn't doing her a favor.
"What does my sister do on most days?" She asked quietly.
"Whatever she wants. She sometimes goes adventuring with Rin, fighting monsters or exploring. Sometimes she goes and helps with the training of some friendly forces. Sometimes, she just stays home with others and enjoys the peaceful days."
"That sounds…pleasant." Morgan responded faintly.
There wasn't really much else to say without divulging more personal things.
If that wasn't enough for her, then that's her problem. She should be happy I talked about even that much when it came to Artoria.
"You came to me for a question; ask it." She finally opened her mouth again.
I didn't hesitate. "The Eyes, what are they?"
"Mystic Eyes of Providence, did you not hear the name when they were announced?" Her lips curled up a bit mockingly. "That's one less question I'll answer; you best make the next one count."
I furrowed my brow, a little bit annoyed that she just flipped over and decided to play this game all of a sudden.
I had a feeling if I repeated the same question in a more direct way, she wouldn't even answer it.
So, a different question it is.
"Who gave you the Mystic Eyes?" I asked her, not leaving it open for a loophole. It was blunt, direct, and without any nuance.
"Hmm." She hummed noncommittally. "I don't feel like answering anymore."
I felt my eye twitch.
She was doing it on purpose just to get under my skin. Not that she was lying; she probably wouldn't answer the question unless I provided incentive. But she was doing it specifically in a way to annoy me rather than just be forthright and reject the question normally.
I considered a method, and my mind landed on something.
I internally sighed at the thought of losing this, but frankly, I wanted answers.
One of my jars of peach wine hit the table. "This has about a third of it left."
Morgan immediately perked up. I saw the way she appreciated the wine that Venelana made before and knew she couldn't resist.
"Was this made by that demonic creature as well?" Morgan asked, maybe noticing my surprise. "What? Did you think I wouldn't notice?" She scoffed. "I don't care; I'm simply asking."
"It was made by Venelana, yes." I confirmed.
"Then the quality is most assured." Morgan, the first time I saw her, looked positively anxious. "A third left, then I'll answer a third of your question. Take it or leave it."
"What does that even mean? That you'll leave out two-thirds of the words in a response, making it irrelevant?"
Morgan laughed, rather mockingly. "Who knows, maybe I'll give you a hint. Accept or not, it's up to you."
I hate her.
"Fucking fine." I flipped my hand dismissively.
Morgan quickly put the jar away before I could even change my mind. "The name should be a rather big hint."
"If that's your hint, I'm going to forgo any semblance of decorum and reach across this table." I said with a completely serious tone.
I, of course, wasn't oblivious to the fucking hint of the 'name.'
Mystic Eyes of Providence?
I wasn't born yesterday.
But that hardly emphasized what they did or who gave them to her.
Morgan rolled her eyes, and she held up a finger and pressed it into the table and began to scratch something into the wood.
Segno di Promessa again.
I remembered it from the symbol of the insignia that she flashed before throwing it towards the exorcist.
"You should have enough hints already." The way she said it, it was like she was enjoying the fact that I hadn't figured it out yet.
Weirdly, I stared at it for quite a few minutes as my mind raced and I started connecting everything together.
I opened my mouth once and paused for a moment before speaking again. "You shouldn't have known that I would have been on the train."
It was a small thing. I noted that it was very strange when I first heard it from her, but now, once things quieted down and I'm dealing with this mess, it stood out.
It shouldn't have been possible for her to predict. I wasn't a native of this world-line.
Morgan gracefully got up with that cocky smile of hers. "Look at you, not as dull as I thought." Her annoying laugh carried for a bit as she left the train car, but I sat there silently.
Mystic Eyes of Providence.
Morgan has a surprisingly deep connection with the Church.
Someone capable of getting Morgan to make a move on their behalf.
Someone capable of foreseeing my actions.
I looked upwards and frowned.
"You couldn't just send a burning bush?" I grumbled.
I'm done; I'm going home.
[Line Break]
A/N
Just wanted to clean up with Morgan for now and wrap up some loose ends before heading back home next chapter.
What do the eyes do? Well, that's still a mystery for now; Wilhelm hasn't found their purpose yet.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / asotryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.