The possibility was preserved.
Although it could be called the possibility of a world, it ultimately developed with the subject being the world of humanity, while unnecessary and futureless possibilities outside of this were cut down and "pruned.
This was not the first time Alaric experienced a world drift caused by a shift. However, the last change only altered the world and time.
The location did not undergo significant changes.
But this time, Alaric found himself transported directly from Fuyuki to some part of Antarctica.
After spending some time confirming the location, he realized he had indeed been moved to the extreme point of the heavens, surrounded by a realm devoid of human-made creations.
Judging from the surrounding terrain, Alaric felt he might be near Chaldea—or more specifically, the mountainous area Chaldea had chosen as its base.
Although he could not understand the source of this anomaly, it didn't matter much to the current Alaric.
What truly affected him was the story unfolding in another world.
After noticing the information he had previously overlooked and realizing the true dangers posed by the emergence of all the evils of humanity, he could no longer ignore its birth, no matter what.
Forced to abandon his plans, Alaric had already accepted a future of failure at that point.
The plan to purify the Holy Grail had failed. The plan to use the polluted Holy Grail had also failed...
Unable to obtain the Third Magic, years of Alaric's meticulous planning had come to naught. Moreover, his excessive use of power—or perhaps some inexplicable miracle he inadvertently triggered—led to the manifestation of the very shifts that had haunted him for years. The phenomenon he had feared day and night had finally occurred.
Until Alaric truly obtained the Third Magic, he could never stop worrying about the recurrence of this shift.
After all, he had no understanding of when or under what conditions this phenomenon might occur, nor could he resist its effects.
If he were to be inexplicably removed from that world, accomplishing nothing, would there still be a Holy Grail War in the next world he found himself in?
Would he still have a chance to obtain the Third Magic?
Alaric couldn't answer these questions due to his lack of information. All he could do was personally analyze the Holy Grail system, attempting to create his own Holy Grail system.
Alaric did not pursue the materialization of the soul for the sake of his immortality. What he cared about was the revelation of the soul.
He wanted to use the Greater Grail to open the Root of Akasha, thereby achieving the Third Magic and opening a path to the root of his soul. At that point, he would use the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel—to materialize it.
He sought to make the soul truly manifest.
Unfortunately, Alaric ultimately failed.
Not only did he fail to obtain the Third Magic, but he also couldn't complete the final stage of analyzing the Greater Grail—
Or rather, while Alaric had already understood the composition of the Greater Grail, he could not recreate it.
To put it bluntly, the most critical part of the Greater Grail was the Winter Maiden—Justeaze, whose entire body of magic circuits formed its foundation.
The Winter Maiden—Justeaze, created as a product of the Einzbern family's attempt to replicate the Third Magic User, was also the pinnacle of Einzbern alchemy.
After her, Einzbern alchemists could no longer create a similar masterpiece, let alone surpass Justeaze.
Reproducing such an existence within the Einzbern workshop was already impossible.
Let alone for Alaric...
"Since I've arrived in a new world, I need to bring out my true capabilities!"
Unfazed, Alaric picked up the backpack Merlin had given him and leisurely began walking toward the edge of Antarctica.
"There are always more solutions than difficulties. In the world of magecraft, there is never only one way."
'No problem. A slight effort from me will suffice.'
Sensing the fifth imaginary element in the atmosphere, Alaric confirmed that this world would not differ much—at least, it was a world of humanity.
As long as the foundation of magecraft existed, there was still hope for Alaric.
Magecraft itself was the creation of miracles, and beyond magecraft lay the realm known as Magic.
Was the Greater Grail, created by the Einzbern family, the only way to achieve the Third Magic?
Alaric didn't think so. After all, he wasn't pursuing the title of Magic User; he was merely after the utility of the Third Magic.
The Greater Grail was just a tool to reproduce the effects of the Third Magic. Did it mean that without the Greater Grail, Alaric couldn't obtain the Third Magic?!
Recognized by Kayneth as a natural genius, Alaric's talents were most evident when he recreated the Demon God King Goetia's Third Noble Phantasm.
'I'm simply a genius.'
Even after some time had passed, Alaric still marveled at the light that fell from the heavens.
The Noble Phantasm of Demon God King Goetia, Ars Almadel Salomonis, produced heat and magical energy resources through the act of burning things, thereby storing power.
Only by burning everything could something akin to the light belt encircling the world be achieved.
Life, creations, traces, knowledge, legacies, existence... Everything was burned, transformed into the same thing—a brilliance born from destruction.
According to Alaric's knowledge, the final Noble Phantasm of Ptolemy, Pharos Tis Alexandreias, operated on a similar principle. It converted the information stored in the Atlas Institute's King's Library into the light of magic power through the Light of the Distant Past Unseen by the Moon.
The brilliance produced by the destruction of the Library of Alexandria's final legacy shared the same essence as the light belt.
Magic was the realm of miracles, but it was not unattainable.
In the realm of Magic, Magic Users merely occupied the initial seats, holding their positions as a matter of course. However, latecomers were not without opportunities.
Even pure martial arts could reach the realm of Magic, as evidenced by the Sword Saints; or the Tears of the Stars, which had achieved soul materialization from birth; or the thousands of years of mysteries referred to by a certain Beowulf.
Crunch.
The sound of boots stepping on snow echoed crisply, leaving a fleeting trace in this uncharted territory—like a shooting star, brief but unique.
Ignoring the raging storm that raged around him, Alaric pressed forward, braving the winds, until he once again saw the vast ocean and a crimson glow.
Alaric naturally ignored the figure that had reappeared. Behind it, steel wings unfurled, emitting a terrifying brilliance, and the resulting air currents extended for hundreds of meters.
Boom!
The pitch-black aurora flickered at the celestial pole, returning to the realm of humanity.
The distance, vast enough to be called a kingdom, was crossed. By the time Alaric re-entered human society, a long time had passed.
This time, instead of arriving at the Clock Tower in Britain, where the Mage's Association headquarters was located, he set foot in Finland to embark on his journey of magecraft.
To be sure, rejoining the Clock Tower would provide excellent resources, but this time, Alaric wanted a different journey.
In the past, he had never been one to stay in one place for too long.
Even his three years in Fuyuki had been the result of his utmost effort.
This time, Alaric wanted to live differently.
A lesser reason was that he couldn't afford tuition. The Clock Tower's tuition fees were something Alaric had saved up for by working intensely for a long time. Once again, he was penniless.
After arriving in Finland, Alaric confirmed the current timeline—it was 2003, after the Millennium Year of 2000, as referred to by the Holy Church.
This was a significant departure from the 1994 timeline he had originally been in.
Similarly, Alaric could not comprehend the changes in time.
Two-way alterations in space and time—doesn't that amount to time travel?
While pondering the effects brought by the shifts, Alaric began his journey.
One day, one week, one month...
Starting in Finland, and passing through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Hungary.
While maintaining contact with the mystical side, Alaric also delved into his studies—examining the Second Magic-related texts obtained from the Tohsaka family. Although they weren't particularly advanced, they still fell within the realm of magecraft.
Even so, these texts allowed Alaric to learn a great deal. Combined with other studies, such as the magicalization of the Holy Lance, he continued his research.
Though lacking resources to conduct related experiments, Alaric's theoretical studies still made progress.
Whether by coincidence or fate, Alaric embarked on this journey. During this time, he never encountered the widely known yet hidden ritual—the Holy Grail War. The misalignment of time, differences in location, and barriers of information ensured this.
Fully focused on his studies, Alaric did not seek out more from the outside world. As a result, he remained completely unaware of those things that had become common knowledge in the mystical world.
While researching and traveling, Alaric decided to use his limited time to attempt a journey to Fuyuki. He wanted to see if the man-made artifact that reached the domain of the gods still existed.
Unable to confirm whether this world still hosted the ritual known as the Holy Grail War or the artificial relic of the Greater Grail, Alaric set Fuyuki as merely a waypoint in his journey, hoping for a bit of luck.
This routine continued for a long time until one day arrived—
To Alaric, it appeared as an accidental encounter.
Not long after entering Hungary, with nothing specific to do, Alaric wandered through the city streets. Hearing the sound of a church bell, he followed an instinctive urge and arrived at the city's only church.
Inside the holy church, there were few believers—only a young man dressed as a priest.
His pure white hair drew attention, while his bronze skin signified a healthy body. Beneath the black priest's robe was a slender frame, but his posture alone suggested he was well-trained.
The young man, seemingly a priest, noticed Alaric's arrival and greeted him politely with a smile:
"Good morning, sir. Are you here for worship?"
The moment Alaric saw the young man's face, he froze.
That appearance—he had seen it before.
A Servant summoned in the Seventh Singularity, Mesopotamia, in response to the Heroic Spirit King Gilgamesh. A man born in Japan, with great aspirations but never formally recognized as a Saint.
"My name is Shirou Kotomine. Sir, it seems you recognize me?"
The young man, calling himself Shirou Kotomine, still wore a gentle smile. His genuine demeanor made it difficult to feel any hostility toward him.
Shirou Kotomine...?
Memories buried deep in Alaric's mind began to surface until they became clear.
"Is it? Could it be? It is!!!"
Having realized the identity of the man before him, Alaric burst into laughter, clutching his face:
"Hahahahaha!!!"
There was still one year until the Holy Grail War began.