"Master! Please, wake up!" The voice was urgent, tinged with worry, yet soft as a spring breeze. It belonged to a girl with lilac hair and lavender eyes, holding a massive shield she clutched like a lifeline.
Lucy stirred, her eyelids fluttering against the weight of exhaustion. Her fingers brushed against something cold and smooth in her hand—a glass vial filled with a shimmering golden liquid that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly light. She blinked, the haze of sleep clearing as she sat up on the cracked stone floor of what looked like a ruined flaming city, the air smelled faintly of ash and ozone.
"Huh… guess that wasn't a dream," Lucy muttered, her voice hoarse. She turned the vial over in her hands, its surface warm despite the air around her. Her mind raced, piecing together the fragments of how she'd ended up here.
---
Lucy's last memory of her old life was a blur of obsession and violence. She'd been a college student, coasting through life with a knack for art and enjoying a few gacha games as guilty pleasures. Then came Ayaka, her classmate-turned-stalker, whose affection had twisted into something dark.
"If I can't have you, senpai… no one can!" Ayaka's voice had been a venomous hiss, her eyes wild as she raised the gun. Lucy's attempt to talk her down had failed spectacularly. The last thing she remembered was a deafening bang, pain searing through her chest, and the cold floor rushing up to meet her.
"Still… she was kinda hot when she went full yandere," Lucy admitted to herself with a wry chuckle, even as the memory stung. Death had a way of putting things into perspective.
After that, there was only darkness—a void so vast it seemed to swallow thought itself. Then, a voice, deep and resonant, had echoed through the emptiness: "What is your greatest desire?"
Lucy, ever the dreamer, had shrugged (or at least imagined herself shrugging). "I like to create stuff… maybe have my own harem, if they're all cool with it? That'd be fun."
Silence followed, heavy and expectant. Then, a blinding light consumed her, and the world went black.
---
Now, here she was, sprawled on the ground in a world that felt both alien and eerily familiar. Lucy's gaze flicked to the girl kneeling beside her, her lilac hair catching the faint glow of some nearby fire.
"Mash?" Lucy asked, her voice tentative. The name tumbled out before she could stop it, recognition sparking in her mind. Mash Kyrielight. From Fate/Grand Order, the gacha game she'd sunk countless hours into.
"Yes, it's me!" Mash's lavender eyes lit up with relief. "Thank goodness you're okay, Senp—er, Master!" Her cheeks flushed at the slip, and she adjusted her grip on her shield, its metallic surface gleaming faintly in the dim light.
Before Lucy could process the implications of being called "Master," a low growl cut through the air. Shadows shifted in the distance, and three cloaked creatures emerged from the ruins, their forms humanoid but twisted, with glowing eyes glaring from beneath tattered hoods. Their growls sent a shiver down Lucy's spine, but Mash stepped forward, her shield raised.
"Master, your orders!" Mash's voice was steady, but her eyes flicked to Lucy, waiting for guidance. "We'll face them together."
Lucy's mind raced. She was in Fate/Grand Order? As the protagonist? Her instincts kicked in and she came up with a totally genuis command to give. Pointing at the nearest creature, she shouted, "Mash, kick its ass!"
Mash blinked, then nodded with surprising determination. "Understood, Master!" She charged, her shield slamming into the creature with a resounding clang. The monster staggered, its cloaked form crumpling under the force as Mash followed through with a precise strike, sending it sprawling.
As Mash dispatched the other creatures, Lucy's attention returned to the vial in her hand. A small parchment was tied to it with a crimson ribbon, its edges frayed but the text clear. She unrolled it, her eyes scanning the words:
---
Essence of the Sandbox: [By drinking this Essence, you can shape creation itself within 100 meters from yourself. This power can't ever be taken away, and you know how to fully use this power. Within your area, you have what many people would consider to be omnipotence. You can create any item, resurrect the dead, reverse entropy, or give out blessings and curses to any individual. You can decide if these are permanent or not once they leave your field. Within your area, your power is absolute. Your ability to warp reality is second to none and any being and thing that enters your field are yours to control and manipulate. The only being that is immune to this power is the Archdeity itself. The range of your field is absolute, so you can't increase the range in any way. Trying to increase your size through this Essence will not increase your range and it'll actually decrease the space you can work with. You can't give yourself and others any Essences from the CYOA this is from... You can't create beings, items, or places that go beyond your range. You can't directly affect things outside your field. You can, however, indirectly affect the world like giving yourself infinite strength and destroying a planet by punching it, creating a machine with infinite mass and using it to crush a moon, or shooting out laser beams with the intensity of the sun. You can't directly create or give yourself items, powers, and knowledge that go beyond 100 meters.
So you can't give directly yourself the power to control the multiverse, a box that can eradicate evil everywhere, or the knowledge of creating a machine that can simulate the entire universe. You also can't give or create a power that'll increase the range of any power, items, or knowledge. You can create portals to other places and dimensions, but you must know the places beforehand and concentrate a few seconds, and won't be able to use the portals to increase your range at all. You can create exact copies of powers, items, and people even if their powers go over 100 meters, so as long as they entered your field beforehand. However, you can't increase their power or range. If a part of a being enters your field, the entire being will be subjected to your powers.]
---
Lucy's eyes widened. "Holy shit," she whispered, her heart pounding. "If this is a dream, it's the best damn one I've ever had."
Without hesitation, she uncorked the vial and downed its contents in a single gulp. The liquid was warm, like honeyed sunlight, and it sent a tingling surge through her veins. The vial dissolved into motes of golden light, and a strange clarity settled over her. It was as if a generator turned on in her mind—she knew what she could do, the limits and possibilities of her new power etched into her being.
To test it, she glanced at Mash, who was locked in combat with the final creature, both well within her 100-meter range. With a dramatic wave of her hand, Lucy focused her will. The creature froze mid-lunge, its form warping and shrinking until it transformed into a Lego minifigure of itself, complete with a tiny cloak and made of plastic. It clattered to the ground, motionless.
Mash spun around, her shield still raised. "Master… did you do that?" Her voice was a mix of awe and confusion.
Lucy grinned, barely containing her excitement. Before answering, she conjured a hand mirror with a thought, the glass materializing in a shimmer. She studied her reflection and froze. Gone was her old body—her new form was unmistakably the female protagonist from FGO: short red hair tied in a side ponytail with an ahoge, and striking orange eyes that gleamed with potential.
"Wow… I like it," she said, smirking. She dismissed the mirror with a flick of her wrist, the glass dissolving into sparks, and turned to Mash. 'Time to lean into this.' "Well, Mash, it seems I've awakened some… dormant godlike powers!" She struck a pose, one hand on her hip, hoping it looked sufficiently heroic.
Mash's eyes sparkled and, bless her innocence, believed this. "That's incredible, Senpai! But… how?"
Lucy shrugged, playing it cool. "Beats me. Maybe something weird happened when we got zapped here." She gestured vaguely at the ruins around them, the air still thick with the scent of smoke and magic.
Before Mash could press further, a holographic screen flickered to life beside them. Dr. Romani Archaman's face appeared, his expression a mix of relief and urgency. "Mash! Thank goodness I've reestablished contact. You're in a singularity—something went wrong during the rayshift. Can you confirm your status?"
Mash quickly filled him in, explaining how they'd arrived in the singularity and fended off the creatures. As she spoke, she hesitated, her cheeks flushing. "Um, Senpai… I mean, Master… what's your name again? I… forgot."
Lucy paused, a grin spreading across her face. A new world, a new body, a new life—why not a new name? "Call me… Gudako," she said, the name rolling off her tongue with ease.
Dr. Roman nodded through the hologram. "Alright, Gudako, Mash—your priority is to locate the nearest leyline to stabilize our connection. Be careful; this singularity is dangerous."
As the hologram flickered out, Gudako felt a light weight on her shoulder. She turned to see a small, white creature with beady eyes staring at her. "Kyu! Fou, Fooou!" it chirped, its fluffy tail swishing.
"Oh, Fou! You came with us?" Mash said, her voice softening as she reached to pet the creature.
Gudako locked eyes with Fou, and for a moment, it felt like they were sizing each other up. Then, almost imperceptibly, Fou gave a tiny nod. Gudako nodded back, a silent understanding passing between them. Real recognizes real.
"Let's move, Mash," Gudako said, her voice brimming with newfound confidence.
---
The ruins of Singularity F stretched endlessly before Gudako, Mash, and Fou, their path littered with shattered buildings and scorched earth. The air was still thick with the that scent of smoke, and a faint hum of energy pulsed beneath their feet, guiding them toward the leyline. Gudako twirled a conjured stick in her hand, her orange eyes scanning the horizon for trouble. Mash walked beside her, shield at the ready, while Fou perched on her shoulder, his fluffy tail swaying like a metronome.
A sudden scream shattered the eerie quiet. Gudako's head snapped toward the sound, spotting a familiar figure cornered by three cloaked creatures. Olga Marie Animusphere, the director of Chaldea, was pressed against a crumbling wall, her coat torn and her expression a mix of defiance and fear.
"Mash, I choose you!" Gudako shouted, tossing her stick away and striking a dramatic pose as if summoning a Pokémon.
Mash didn't miss a beat. "Yes, Master!" She charged, her shield a blur as she smashed into two of the creatures. The impact sent them sprawling, their cloaks disintegrating into ash. The third creature lunged toward Olga, but Gudako was already moving. She pointed at it, forming a finger gun with a grin.
"Bang."
An invisible force erupted from her gesture, striking the creature's head with pinpoint precision. It collapsed in a heap, its body dissolving into black mist. Gudako blew on her fingers like a gunslinger, still savoring the thrill of her newfound powers.
Mash hurried to Olga's side, her lavender eyes wide with concern. "Director, are you okay?"
Olga brushed dirt from her coat, her composure returning despite her disheveled appearance. "I'm fine, Mash. But what's going on here?" Her sharp gaze flicked between Mash and Gudako, lingering on the latter. "You—the civilian who showed up late to my briefing! How did you become a Master? And… what was that just now?"
Gudako smirked, leaning casually against a broken wall. "Well, Director, let's just say I'm kind of a goddess now."
"Bullshit!" Olga snapped, her face full of indignation.
"I am! In a sense." Gudako's grin widened, her tone confident. She could feel her Essence thrumming within her, its power a constant hum in her veins.
Mash stepped forward, her shield clinking softly against the ground. "I don't know if Senpai is a god, Director, but they've definitely acquired some incredible power. As for the Master contract…" She blushed, glancing at Gudako. "I… kind of forced it. Let me explain."
As they moved toward the leyline, Mash recounted their chaotic arrival in the singularity, from the failed rayshift to Gudako's sudden awakening, and her being a Demi-Servant now as Olga noticed. Olga listened intently, her expression darkening as she pieced together the situation. "So, no other Masters survived," she concluded grimly. "It's just us—well, and Fou." She glanced at the small creature, who chirped indignantly from Mash's shoulder.
Using Mash's shield as a conduit, they established a connection using the leyline, and a holographic image of Dr. Romani Archaman flickered to life. His face was haggard, his usual cheer replaced by exhaustion. "Gudako, Mash,… Director?!—you're alive!" He gets to business after that "The situation at Chaldea is critical. Only a handful of staff survived the explosion. I'm doing what I can to keep the base operational."
Olga nodded, her voice firm despite the weight of their predicament. "Understood, Doctor. We'll handle things here. Stay in contact."
As the hologram faded, Gudako clapped her hands together. "Alright, team—let's get moving. We've got a singularity to fix and a world to save!"
Fou tilted his head. "Kyu?"
"Exactly, Fou. Let's roll out."
---
The group trudged through the ashen streets of Fuyuki, the sky above a swirling vortex of crimson and black. They'd been ambushed twice already, but Gudako's powers made short work of their enemies. Now, joined by a blue-haired Caster servant who'd aided them against a group of corrupted Heroic Spirits, they were heading to the singularity's core.
"Stop doing that!" Olga shouted, her face beet-red as she glared at Gudako.
Gudako raised her hands in mock surrender, a playful smirk on her lips. "It was just a compliment, Director. I only said you're cute when you're all flustered like that." She blew a teasing kiss, earning an exasperated groan from Olga.
Mash sighed, adjusting her shield as she walked beside the Caster, whose robes fluttered in the wind. He twirled his staff, and his sharp eyes studied the group with amusement.
"Is she always like this?" Caster asked, nodding toward Gudako, who was now dodging Olga's half-hearted swats.
Mash hesitated, her lavender eyes softening. "I… don't know. I've only known Senpai for a short time, but they seem like a good person. A bit… eccentric, but good."
Caster chuckled, watching as Olga's fists bounced harmlessly off Gudako's head while Gudako laughed. "Eccentric's one way to put it. I saw her summon a giant serpent that tore through an enemy servant like it was nothing. You lot barely needed my help."
Mash smiled. "It was still kind of you to assist, Caster. We appreciate it."
"Better than siding with those corrupted servants," he said, his tone darkening. "Something's wrong with this grail war. The Grail's energy is twisted."
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Olga's voice cut through the air, her face now a deeper shade of red. Gudako had apparently escalated her teasing.
"What? I just said you'd look stunning in a bunny girl outfit!" Gudako said, her orange eyes sparkling. "Picture it: you, strutting your stuff, rocking those ears—"
Mash hurried over, her expression a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Senpai, please stop teasing the Director."
Gudako turned to Mash, her grin softening into something warmer. "Oh, fine… I'll tease you instead." Before Mash could react, Gudako reached out and gently pinched her cheeks, cooing as Mash let out an involuntary squeak.
'My god… she's adorable,' Gudako thought, her heart doing a little flip. 'I'm… gonna keep her.'
Mash felt a sudden shiver, as if sensing the weight of Gudako's unspoken promise. Her cheeks flushed, and she glanced away, unsure why her instincts were screaming that Gudako's affection might become… overwhelming.
Clearing her throat, Gudako stepped back and raised her hand before snapping her fingers. With a flash of light, a sleek, modern RV materialized in the middle of the ruined street, its chrome finish gleaming improbably against the desolate backdrop. A robotic driver, looking like a butler sci-fi droid, sat at the wheel, its head turning to nod at Gudako.
"Hop in, team!" Gudako announced, gesturing grandly. "We're taking this baby to the grail in style."
Caster let out a low whistle. "Not bad, Master. Not bad at all."
Olga grumbled under her breath but climbed aboard, her arms crossed. Mash followed, Fou still perched on her head, chirping happily. "Fou, Fooou!"
Gudako grinned, ruffling Fou's fur. "That's right, Fou. This is the start of a beautiful relationship."
As they settled into the RV, the robot driver started the engine with a smooth hum. Gudako leaned back in her seat, humming off-key. "Makin' my way downtown, drivin' fast, faces pass—"
"No singing!" Olga snapped from the back, her voice muffled by her hands covering her face.
Gudako just laughed, the RV speeding through the ruined city as the team prepared for the coming conflict.