Ow… My head…
Why'd it feel like someone stabbed my brain with a steel rod and just left it there? Fucking hell, it's a bitch of a migraine. I needed a glass of water.
Keeping my eyes closed, I reached out to the side to grab my glasses. But instead of the familiar metallic frame in my hands, I touched what felt like cold stone.
Come to think of it, the floor felt oddly gritty beneath my cheek, a cold, rough surface nothing like my familiar mattress. A dull throb pulsed behind my eyes, each beat echoing the bizarre silence around me. Where was the usual hum of my PC? The distant drone of city traffic? All I heard was...nothing. Only wind.
Curious. Very curious.
Have I been kidnapped?
I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by a blue sky and the glaring sun. It took my still aching brain a while to comprehend why I was seeing what I was seeing, and when it clicked, I only had one question.
What the hell happened to the ceiling?
Something was definitely afoot.
I slowly pushed myself upright. I was on the top floor of a building, though most of the roof was blown off or missing. As I was taking it in, a holographic screen popped up in front of me like something out of a VR game.
I rubbed my eyes.
Still there.
Either I was concussed, in a coma, or finally living my dreams. If this was a dream, I wasn't about to waste the tutorial.
[Greetings, Kayden Drake! Thank you for filling out our form and choosing to participate in the Interdimensional Transfer Program! Your requested powers and abilities were reviewed and, after careful consideration, it has been decided that your following requests will be granted:]
My blood ran cold, then immediately flushed with a giddy rush. Oh, you have got to be kidding me. The name hit like a wet slap, but the context hit like a full-body surge of adrenaline.
Kayden Drake. That was me. And I knew exactly what this was referring to.
The random link that popped up in my browser.
If my guess truly was the case, this wasn't "oh no," this was "Oh hell yes!"
For a split second, though, a different thought pierced through the adrenaline. My old life. My apartment, my bachelor's degree, my part-time job, my... well, that was about it, wasn't it?
There was a pang, a brief, sharp sense of loss for the familiar world I'd left behind. But it was washed away just as quickly by the sheer, overwhelming reality of the blue text in front of me.
A world of adventure versus a world of bulking meals, law school, and rent payments? Yeah, no contest.
———
- Celestial Inventory: A power that grants an infinite extradimensional vault containing every "item" across the omniverse—mundane, magical, conceptual, metaphysical, anything. I can summon items via precise designations (name), descriptive intent, or vague need, and instantly use each and every one with absolute mastery. All usage limits, restrictions, and side effects are bypassed. Items auto-adapt to local physics and can be fired like a Gate of Babylon on the most potent form of supernatural steroids.
I instinctively know each item's functions, risks, and best uses. Dangerous or sentient artifacts are subdued or fully bonded. Biological, technological, magical, and aesthetic implementations and integrations are seamless and controllable. A mental interface lets me tag favorites, auto-replenish lost gear, and I can store anything—objects, creatures, buildings, even gases—in timeless stasis. No cooldowns, no cost, no nonsense.
———
My jaw dropped.
"Omniverse... summon any item... absolute mastery... no side effects. No cooldowns, no cost, no nonsense?" I whispered, a wide, disbelieving grin spreading across my face.
This was the entire developer console, unlocked. Infinite goodies from across the multiverse? The "multiverse's next cosplay god" joke I made while typing these in was about to become a very real, very terrifying prophecy for anyone who crossed me. Or just for my own amusement.
Probably both.
———
- Complete instinctual, intuitive, and conscious control over all of my powers/abilities.
- The automatic, innate power that would make all of my powers, abilities, and "items" harmonize and synergize in the most optimal ways.
- Singularity: All of my powers/abilities cannot be nullified, reverse engineered, copied, suppressed, mimicked, stolen, drained, negated, weakened, controlled, reproduced, sealed, etc. by all external parties without my (Kayden Drake's) non-coerced willingness.
———
"Oh, I thought of everything," I chuckled, a manic edge to my voice.
No power nullification? No one stealing my cool stuff? This was the best anti-bullshit clause. Every time some bad guy tried to pull the "your powers are useless now!" card, I'd just laugh in their face.
My own abilities would always work perfectly together, too. This was better than I'd even dared to dream.
Then came the quality-of-life upgrades.
———
- Blindspot: Powers, technology, and such designed to gather info about me will provide no results without my non-coerced willingness. This includes on a grand scale that would take me into account, and specifically targeted on me to discern my identity, motives, abilities, status, weaknesses, location, and actions, whether that be in the past, present, or future.
- Invictus: Immunity to any form of mind control, mental attack, memory removal, soul manipulation, forced sleep, hypnotism, possession, madness inducement, emotion alteration, etc. Attempts to control my senses, such as directly mind affecting illusions and anything that would unnaturally override or influence my behavior, likewise fail. A mind unshakeable by pain, trauma, torture, suffering and most other psychological conditions. I can still feel emotions, but the weighted stress of living for a thousand years cannot destroy my will, nor will experiencing extreme or long periods of discomfort, like torture or isolation.
———
I let out a low whistle.
"So it's basically top-tier privacy insurance and a rock-solid mind. No one's going to find me unless I want them to, and no one's getting into my head."
This a privacy and mental health package I definitely needed. No angst-ridden mind breaks or being manipulated by silver-tongued villains. I was in disbelief at the sheer number of plot devices I'd just bypassed.
———
- Inviolate: Immunity to any effect that directly targets my internals/stability, or works inside out, such as a telefrag, a portal cut, telekinetic spine severing, time warping, gravity alteration, creating items inside my body, physics distortion, biology control, forced teleportation, matter erasure, instant death, etc. I also resist any hostile transformation, transmutation, polymorph, and the like. I no longer need to breathe, drink, eat, or pass waste. I can still perform these actions if I choose, but do not require them to sustain himself. I am also immune to any form of foreign poison, toxin, corruption, virus, etc.
- All previous safeguards listed may be controlled and suppressed by my own conscious, non-coerced will.
———
"Holy crap," I breathed, reading the last one. Inviolate.
I couldn't be instantly killed by some cheap shot, couldn't be turned into a newt, and didn't even need to eat or breathe. The ultimate convenience package for an interdimensional traveler.
And the best part? I could turn these safeguards off if I ever wanted to experience something normally, or just for kicks.
Right. This really was from the 3AM form. I remembered now.
I had filled it out half serious, half shitposting, figuring it was another CYOA-style site, the kind that fanfic nerds like me filled out for fun. Next thing I knew, I had hit submit, made a dumb joke about being the multiverse's next cosplay god, and passed out after eating my last bulking meal for the day.
And now I was… here.
[Please remain still while your requests are implemented.]
Oh great. Let's hope it wasn't going to feel like a colonoscopy from God.
Bracing myself for pain, I clenched every muscle I had.
Instead, warmth flooded my chest. Gentle. Inviting. A golden shimmer enveloped me, pulsing with my heartbeat. It wasn't a painful surge, but a profound, almost luxurious integration.
The migraine that had been hammering at my skull moments ago simply… dissolved. It vanished, leaving me feeling utterly invigorated. Every cell in my body was bursting with energy.
[Implementation complete. Enjoy the experience!]
Huh. Okay. That was… kinda nice.
I flexed my fingers. No pain or grogginess. Just clarity. As if someone swapped out my tired body for a hyper-efficient, perfectly tuned one, my vision was sharper than it had ever been, the distant city lines were crisp and defined, and every color was vibrant. My breathing was steady and my balance was unnaturally perfect, as if I was rooted to the earth.
The fact that I didn't need glasses with prescription anymore was already a big plus in my book.
Time to test the goods.
"Inventory."
An ethereal chime rang out as a portal opened beside me, rippling like blue diamonds melted in zero-G. A rip off of a certain King of Heroes' own vault of goodies.
Inside? Power. Potential. Madness. I could sense them. Not see, not hear, but sense. Countless presences waited for my call. Weapons humming with untapped power, artifacts pulsing with magic, tech more advanced than any sci-fi novel I'd read. All catalogued, all accessible, all mine.
I focused on something iconic first. A real "cool factor" item.
Lightsaber. Standard hilt, blue blade.
A metallic hilt materialized instantly in my outstretched hand. With a satisfying snap and hiss, a beam of pure, crackling azure energy erupted from the emitter.
"Hell. Yes. Hehehe!" I giggled like a maniac.
The hum it emitted vibrated through the air, a comforting, powerful thrum. It felt perfectly balanced, an extension of my will. I twirled it once, the blade cutting through the air with a faint, almost musical whine, leaving shimmering afterimages. This was the real deal.
A mischievous grin spread across my face. I aimed the glowing blade at the broken concrete floor beside me and, with a casual push, plunged the tip into the solid stone. It sliced through the material like a hot knife through butter, a faint sizzle accompanying the effortless cut. It left behind a clean, glowing incision.
I deactivated the lightsaber, the azure blade retracting with a sharp hiss. I admired the metallic hilt in my hand, catching my reflection in its polished chrome surface.
"Oh yeah! I don't know how I'll do it, but I'm definitely getting Force powers later!"
Mark my words, I would become a Jedi. Or Sith. Both were cool.
I dismissed the lightsaber, returning it to my Inventory. This time, I focused on something basic. A change of clothes.
Stylish casual outfit.
In a blink, my comfy pajamas and hoodie were gone. In their place was a perfectly fitted set of clothes. Black crew-neck. Grey suede bomber. Slim black jeans. Clean white sneakers. Leather watch. Silver pendant. All that combined with my good looks and I looked like a K-pop star.
"Okay… definitely real. And definitely fucking awesome."
Grinning, I took a moment to bask in the absurdity of it all.
Ever since I was a kid, I daydreamed of going on an adventure. Not a backpack-through-Europe type deal, but a real one. The kind with dragons, giant robots, anime logic, and absurd power scaling. I wanted to be there and experience key events of a story in person, just to know what it felt like.
Always thought that those daydreams of mine would remain daydreams and nothing more.
But now? The universe finally gave me the green light. A green light as big as the sun.
I walked toward the edge. The city below stretched out beneath me. It was familiar, yet distinctly foreign.
Buildings packed together. Clean, narrow roads. And far off in the distance was a river, separating the two parts of the city.
Wait… no.
I recognized this skyline. I shouldn't have, but I did. The last time I watched the anime or played the visual novel was at least a year ago. Plus, how could I recognize a skyline I only saw on a screen? The one reason I could think of was whatever brought me here was a bit more generous and let me know somehow. But regardless of why, I definitely recognized this skyline, and I knew what city I was in.
Fuyuki City.
As in, Fate/Stay Night Fuyuki City.
The place where teenage romance, heroes from myths, and morally questionable magi collided in a Holy Grail War, all for the chance to have their wish granted. A city where getting groceries was a high-risk activity if your surname was "Tohsaka."
I blinked, then double-checked the distant architecture, my jaw tightening as a cold breeze brushed against my skin. A familiar bridge caught my attention.
My fingers dug into the rusted railing. "Fuyuki. Of fucking course. God damn it, Kayden. You put 'Random' for your destination because you thought it'd be hilarious."
It was hilarious. Until I remembered that half the cast in the entire Fate franchise could annihilate skyscrapers or nuke entire cities with a chant and a glare.
But hey, silver lining—I didn't show up empty-handed. I had the cosmic cheat of a superpower known as Celestial Inventory.
I sighed, calming myself down and cracking my neck.
"Well, isn't this just perfect? Of course, I'd end up here. Right." A deep, calming breath settled my nerves. "Let's get my bearings first."
I needed information.
What point in time did I arrive? Before, during, or after the 5th Holy Grail War? I needed to know what events were yet to happen before deciding on what to do. There were a few people I already planned on having a "conversation" with—mostly bad apples, aka horrible people that would probably get the death sentence and worldwide media coverage if everything they've done was revealed to the public.
Opening my inventory, I summoned a scrying orb from some random, high-fantasy setting. It hovered beside me and blinked to life, scanning the city for beings with magical signatures.
Dozens of magical signatures popped up, from barely noticeable to significant. Though it didn't really tell me much, so I focused on one of the signatures to get a better view. The face I saw was unfamiliar to me, but their physical traits gave their identity away. It was a teenage guy around my age with short auburn hair and golden-brown colored eyes walking in a school hallway, wearing a brown academy uniform.
"So that's what Shirou Emiya looks like in 3D? Interesting," I said, my eyes narrowing. Seeing them like this felt.. surreal. "What about the others?"
One by one, I checked out each significant magical signature in the area. Nearly every one of the characters I knew about was present. But referring to them as characters didn't feel right anymore since they—to my new understanding of reality—were as real as I was.
Putting that aside, there were a few important pieces of information I gleaned from this scouting session.
The only Servants summoned so far were Lancer, Berserker, and Caster. Lancer's original Master, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a magus sent by the Clock Tower, seemed to be out of commission already. His new Master was Kirei Kotomine, the priest overseeing the Holy Grail. Kirei was one of the people I planned on having a nice chat with soon.
Meanwhile, both Illya and Berserker were staying at the Einzbern estate. Caster was still serving her original Master.
The remaining Servants—Rider, Archer, Assassin, and Saber—were yet to be summoned by their respective Masters, but I didn't know for how long that would continue to be the case.
I leaned against the metal railing, letting the info settle.
"So I'm in early."
That was good. Early meant options. Early meant I could choose who to ally with, or at least, who to mess with for fun and/or tactical superiority before the war began.
A vague plan formed in my head.
Step 1: Hijack and derail the Holy Grail War.
Step 2: Make sure none of the original trio fucks up and dies. 95% of the original visual novel's endings were bad endings, so there probably was a good chance of them finding themselves in one of those endings if left to their own devices.
Step 3: Definitely save a few people.
"If I'm joining this war, I'm doing it my way. Pure, unfiltered bullshit power fantasy with a side of flair. No bad endings, too, especially for the good ones. Sakura deserved better, Rin deserved some breathing room, and Shirou... well, Shirou is a disaster waiting to happen if left alone, but a well-intentioned one."
Now I just had to pick my approach.
---
A/N: Wrote this for the hell of it since I haven't really seen a story go all in on the wish-fulfillment in this way. But I don't really know where to go with the story just yet. Might even change the title, synopsis, and cover a few times in the process. Heck, I might even rewrite entire parts of this chapter if I think it needs some touching up.