Chapter 43: Not Alone Anymore
Inside the steamy warmth of the shower, the hot water raining down from above.
Riya and Rin stood side by side, both having uttered the same words: "Let's shower."
A brief pause passed between them before a mutual understanding sparked in their eyes, and without a word more, they agreed to bathe together.
Steam curled around them like a blanket as they stepped under the cascade of water.
The droplets kissed their skin, washing away sweat, grime—and restraint.
Their eyes met once more, and as if pulled by magnetic force, their lips found each other again, slow and tender at first, but growing hungrier by the second.
Their bodies pressed together, bare skin gliding under the water.
Hands explored with purpose, and Rin found herself pressed against the tiled wall as Riya guided himself into her again.
A gasp escaped her lips, drowned by the noise of the shower.
Flesh slapped against flesh, a heated rhythm matching their heartbeats.
They were locked together once more, and neither had any intention of pulling away.
The sound of their lovemaking mingled with the pattering droplets, creating a chorus of passion.
Their breaths were sharp, gasping in each other's ears, eyes half-lidded with desire.
Rin moaned softly, wrapping her legs around Riya's waist, whispering his name with every thrust.
Then—knock, knock.
"Oi, lovebirds!" Fergus's voice boomed from the other side of the bathroom door.
"We'll arrive at the third floor in an hour!"
Riya didn't slow down. "Got it!" he managed between movements.
"We'll be out in a few minutes!"
Fergus stood there for a beat too long.
Riya noticed it, but before he could react, Rin's tone turned venomous.
"If you don't leave, Fergus, I'll use a command seal to force you to have sex with another man."
A gust of wind might as well have been left in Fergus's place.
He vanished instantly.
Back in the shower, Riya and Rin continued their motion.
Her back arched, his grip tightened on her hips, and the building pleasure became too much.
As their movements reached their crescendo, they came together—loud, breathless, entwined.
Elsewhere—
Rani had already reached the third floor.
She stood still, observing the world around her.
It resembled Wonderland twisted through a fever dream.
Some buildings were upside down.
Floating clocks ticked erratically.
The sky shimmered with a color that couldn't be described by mortal senses—neither purple nor blue nor red, but somehow all of them at once.
The air buzzed, as if the entire place whispered secrets.
A Master came stumbling toward her.
His eyes were wide with terror, lips trembling, muttering nonsense.
He tried to form words, but fear strangled his tongue.
Then—he dropped dead.
Rani barely moved.
Her kill was as cold and calculated as ever.
The capsule behind her, which had just finished unloading her onto this floor, briefly shut down as if signaling her stay—but after the kill, it reopened its doors.
With no hesitation, she walked back into it.
She was moving on.
Behind her, hidden by the distortion of the floor's illogical geometry, a little girl with pale hair watched her go.
Her small voice drifted through the air like a breeze.
"I'm always alone."
Back on the capsule carrying Riya and the others, the group was just ten minutes away from arrival.
The Servants had gathered, discussing strategies.
Robin suggested setting traps, while Leonidas emphasized holding formation and protecting the Masters.
Cú Chulainn leaned casually against the wall, tossing his spear between his hands with a smirk.
Fergus, as always, had a cocky grin, offering more reckless ideas that involved charging head-on.
Richard remained mostly quiet, his golden eyes scanning a map projection of the floor as if already deciphering its patterns.
Meanwhile, Riya and Rin were curled up together on a couch.
Riya's head rested peacefully on Rin's lap, eyes half-lidded in post-bliss drowsiness.
Her fingers gently combed through his hair, and her thighs—soft and warm—offered comfort.
"Riya," Rin spoke softly. "Who are you? Why do you want the Grail so badly? And… what exactly are your powers?"
Riya had been expecting this.
He sat up slightly, still nestled against her.
"I'll tell you everything."
And he did.
He explained how he came from another world.
How Zelretch gave him a mission to fix the timeline in order to one day reunite with his family.
How his goal was to recreate Chaldea—but for that, he needed three Holy Grails.
He explained what Chaldea was, its purpose, and the looming danger.
Finally, he talked about his powers.
He didn't know who gave them to him—but he could form "connections" with female Servants through...sex.
Once connected, he could use their powers and Noble Phantasms for ten minutes a day.
Rin blinked as Riya explained, and a long silence followed.
Her grip around him slackened… just a bit.
"So let me get this straight," she said slowly, brows twitching.
"Your power… activates by sleeping with female Servants in your dreams?"
Riya nodded cautiously.
She stared, deadpan. "And this happens every night?"
"…Usually, yeah," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.
Rin looked away, clearly processing.
"Unbelievable… Here I was thinking you were just dense, but no—you're practically the Holy Grail's biggest playboy."
Her voice carried a teasing sting, but her eyes had that familiar Rin-glare.
"…And you didn't think to mention this before we—?!" She cut herself off, face suddenly flushed.
Then she sighed and ran a hand through her wet hair.
"…Whatever. I guess it's not technically cheating if it's for your mission.".
"Still…" She jabbed a finger into his chest.
"You better not be enjoying it more than what we just did, got it?"
Riya gave a sheepish grin. "...Not even close."
Rin huffed and turned her head, but he caught the tiny smile tugging at her lips.
But despite her words, something in his honesty must've reached her.
Rin's eyes softened as she pulled him closer, wrapping her arms—and her thighs—around him.
"Then let me help you," she whispered.
"You don't have to do it alone."
Her warmth, her promise, made him smile in a way he hadn't in a long time—soft, pure, full of hope.
But then something struck him.
He remembered something.
Last night—he hadn't met a Servant in his dream.
It puzzled him at first.
Every night, when no mission from a Servant was pending, one would appear to sleep with him or to test him.
But last night?
Nothing.
Then it hit him.
He was connecting with someone last night—in the real world.
Rin.
A loophole.
Somehow, that connection satisfied the rules of his power.
And yet…
He frowned slightly. It's kind of sad
I love meeting the Servants.
Each one of them is… amazing.
Strong, mysterious, beautiful.
Missing out on them, even for one night, feels like losing a part of my journey, Riya thought, his expression soft and distant.
Rin noticed the far-off look in his eyes.
There was something oddly cute about how serious he got when he was thinking.
Such an idiot, she thought, shaking her head with a tiny smile creeping onto her lips.
She then licked her lips as the thought of kissing him popped into her mind.
Before Riya could react, Rin suddenly leaned in and kissed him, her tongue slipping into his mouth with a boldness that caught him completely off guard.
Then, the announcement came—soft, robotic, yet somehow a reminder of the world they were in: They had arrived.
The capsule's door slid open with a soft hiss.
For a moment, neither of them moved, standing in the threshold as the weight of what lay ahead sank in.
Riya looked at Rin, their fingers still interlaced, his thumb brushing over her hand in a silent gesture of reassurance.
Rin squeezed his hand tighter.
The connection between them—quiet, simple, but unbreakable—felt like the most important thing in that moment.
Behind them, the servants followed, each of them stepping forward in their own way.
Hand in hand, Riya and Rin took the first step together, crossing the threshold into the third floor.
The servants followed suit, standing together, unified in purpose.
Riya's heart raced, the anticipation thick in the air.
His grip on Rin's hand remained firm, unwavering.
The noise of the capsule doors closing behind them was a distant echo, and the world before them stretched out into uncertainty.
But together, they would face whatever came next.
Together, they would fight to fix the timeline.
And with that, they all took their first step forward—toward their united goal.