In the midst of absolute void, a soul floated. The place was silent, with no time flowing, no physical form—only darkness enveloping everything. For the soul trapped there, everything felt... lost. No direction, no purpose, only emptiness slowly eroding its consciousness.
But whether by fate... or maybe luck, a presence was watching that soul. An eye, unseen yet somehow real, stared at it from afar.
"Hey… are you conscious?" A voice echoed—gentle but firm—as if it touched the very core of the soul's awareness.
"Uhh... where… am I? Why can't I see… and why can't I speak?" the soul thought, confused.
"Hey... don't ignore me," the voice spoke again, now closer.
"Is... someone talking to me? Hello? Can you hear me?" He tried to speak, but no voice came out. Only his thoughts whispered in the silence.
"I can hear you," the voice replied. "You don't need to speak. I can understand what your mind is thinking."
"So... you can read my thoughts? Impressive. In that case... can you tell me where I am? As far as I remember... I should be dead."
"Hmmm… an interesting soul. Even in this place, you still retain your consciousness and memories," murmured the voice with a curious tone.
"So… am I going to heaven or hell now?" asked the soul, slightly curious—though of course, he hoped to go to heaven. Who the hell would be dumb enough to want to enter a place of eternal torture?
"Hahahaha!" The voice laughed loudly, mockingly. "You've truly entertained me with that question."
"...I don't find that funny," replied the soul.
"Hmm... how should I explain it?" The voice sounded thoughtful. "Simply put… heaven and hell are merely dreams for the dead. When your soul arrives here, you're not supposed to ever awaken. No consciousness, just an eternal dream."
"Then… what's going to happen to me?" asked the soul, starting to feel uneasy.
"Since you've entertained me… I'll give you two choices," the voice said, now in a more serious tone.
"First: you can go back to sleep. This time, I'll make sure you never wake up again. You'll drift into a peaceful eternal dream... yeah, R.I.P."
"Second: you can go… to another world. A new adventure. You must've heard stories about reincarnation—people coming back to life in fantasy worlds like in novels, right?"
"Yes… I've heard of them. Mainstream stories, about those who weren't satisfied with their fate and got a second chance."
"So, what's your choice?" asked the voice, as silence once again surrounded them.
"Hmmm..." The soul paused. Two choices lay before him, each offering a different kind of ending. He knew he couldn't choose based on wild imagination—this time, he had to think clearly, logically.
"Have you decided?" the mysterious entity asked, a hint of curiosity in its voice. This time, it deliberately chose not to read the soul's thoughts. For the first time, it wanted to hear the answer directly—this made it genuinely interested, not knowing someone's desire ahead of time.
"Yes… I've made my decision."
"Oh?" The voice sounded eager. "So? What's your choice?"
"I choose… the first option."
The entity fell silent for a moment. "Ooh? I thought you would choose the second option. Can I ask... why?"
The soul sighed—or perhaps just imagined doing so. "Isn't it obvious? I'm already dead. And I think that when someone dies, it's their chance to rest… peacefully. R.I.P."
He paused for a moment, then added, "I'm just too lazy to start another adventure in an unknown world, only to live and… eventually die again."
"Huh? But if you chose the second option, I would've given you powers—a system, cheats, the kind of stuff protagonists have in those stories. Not even a little interested?"
"Nope. I'm lazy," he replied flatly.
"Hey, listen! You could even choose which world you want—anime, movies, TV series… anything! Fantasy worlds are limitless, even multiverses! You could become anyone!"
"Thanks, but no. I'd rather sleep forever."
The entity began to lose its mysterious and calm form, shifting into something that resembled... an otherworldly salesman. It coaxed, persuaded, even started sounding like a devil whispering into the ears of the desperate. It mentioned all sorts of tempting things—eternal life, unlimited power, building a harem, becoming a hero, even becoming a god.
And yet...
"My answer is still the same," the soul replied firmly.
"I choose the first option."
"To Rest. In. Peace (R.I.P)."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Really sure?"
"Yes."
"Are you absolutely, positively sure?"
"Yes, I'm absolutely, positively sure."
The soul looked tired, but its determination didn't waver.
"WHY?!"
The entity asked in a loud voice—though she wasn't angry. Her tone still carried the softness of a woman.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm already dead. Shouldn't I be allowed to rest in peace?"
"Alright then. Enjoy your sleep."
"Thanks."
The soul prepared itself for its eternal rest.
"Hehe, sorry. Actually, I can't let you sleep. I was planning to erase your soul if you chose reincarnation," the entity said in a calm, reassuring voice.
"You're joking, right…? Come on, I just want to rest."
"Sorry, but my decision is final. I'm sending you to be reincarnated. And yes, that world is pretty dangerous, so I'll give you something to help. I hope you use it well. Bye-bye~"
Right after that, the soul felt itself being pulled—like a fish caught on a fishing line...
He really wanted to curse that entity.
Because it honestly felt like it was being toyed with for no reason at all.
....
That's all I remember before I was reborn—and now, I'm just a baby…
Other than that, I don't remember anything.
All I saw were parents who didn't really care about me, and only a nanny who fed me...
Time kept passing, and now I'm five years old. It's already 1989.
I honestly had no idea what world I'd ended up in.
But when I learned my name was Allen Barthomeloi, I thought it sounded kind of weird—especially since I was living in London.
But then I remembered I had an older sister—seven years older than me—named Barthomeloi Lorelei.
That's when I finally realized...
I've been reincarnated into the Type–Moon world.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I cursed loudly every time the memory came back to me.
Then suddenly—BANG!!—the door slammed open.
"Allen! Come on, let's play! This time I want to go hunting in the forest, so you're coming with me!" she shouted excitedly.
"Ah–Ahh… Can you please stop slamming the door every time you come in, Sis? And what do you mean by hunting? There's no forest around here. You're probably just trying to go out and hunt Dead Apostles again."
I sighed, rubbing my head. "Hey, I'm only five years old, okay? My magic circuits haven't even activated yet…" But it was as if her ears were deaf—she completely ignored me and started dragging me out of the room by force.
"Don't worry! This is a family tradition, and as a Barthomeloi, you have to be ready for this!"
With his feet being dragged across the floor by his older sister, Allen could only surrender to his fate... a single tear slipping from his eye.
"Hey... can't I just have a peaceful life?"
...
After that, his sister dragged him to the hunting grounds she was talking about.
Right now, Allen was inside a helicopter, flying 200 meters above the ground, accompanied by Lorelei and several Magus Unit soldiers armed with guns. His sister was holding an M16 rifle and suddenly handed it to him.
"Use this. Since your magic circuits aren't active yet, this gun should be perfect for you..."
Allen, unable to hear anything over the deafening roar of the helicopter's engine, could only shout, "Ahhhhh! I can't hear you! What did you say!?"
"I SAID USE THIS TO KILL THEM!" she yelled, pointing out the window at a village below—one that had just been massacred by a Dead Apostle, and was now swarming with the undead.
"I can't even lift this damn thing—how the hell am I supposed to shoot it!?"
But of course, his sister didn't hear a word. She had already jumped out of the helicopter without a parachute.
Allen watched her drop like a rock, and a vein twitched in his forehead.
"Mother fucker..."
He glanced at one of the guards, handed the rifle to him, and muttered, "Here, you take it."
Allen didn't know the guy's name, and honestly, he didn't care.
Then his eyes caught the minigun mounted by the chopper door. He walked over, sat down in front of it, grabbed the controls, and started firing down at the horde below.
That was my life back then. Now I'm ten years old, and I just received news that the Holy Grail War will soon begin in Fuyuki City. I contacted a broker, and we agreed to meet in a week.
After that, I returned to focusing on my magecraft training—which, at this point, felt as natural to me as breathing. I was considered a High-Class Magus, possessing 77 Magic Circuits, almost the same as Lorelei. We even shared the same elemental affinity: Average One.
But there was one thing that set me apart.
I could manifest things that magecraft could never create. I could bring into existence things that had never even existed. And not only that—I possessed an unlimited amount of prana within my body. After studying it more closely, I realized something terrifying:
I wasn't just a magus… I was a True Magic user.
And not just one—I had access to First MagicandThird Magic.
Damn, what a plot twist.
Still… at least I get to live a chill life with all this.
"Hey, Allen. Are you really sure about moving to Japan? I heard you're planning to stay there for a while," Lorelei asked, walking into my room—as usual, without knocking. She sounded suspicious, maybe even a little concerned.
"Yeah, I'm sure," I replied casually. "Besides, if I stay here, you won't ever get the chance to become the head of the family. Some people have been pushing me to take the position, but I know what they're really after. Especially those from the branch families—just waiting for a fight over the Magic Crest. Not that I care about it at all."
She stepped closer and kissed me on the lips. I'd gotten used to it by now. At least she wasn't like when we were kids—dragging me around to hunt Dead Apostles. She's become a graceful woman now… a bit more mature.
"Thanks for everything," she said quietly. "I promise, once I'm done receiving the Magic Crest, I'll come back and take you with me. Even if you don't want to… I'll drag you back by force."Lorelei smiled, almost like a yandere.
"Yeah, yeah... So, have you spoken to the Tohsaka family about that little girl? I hope Sister took care of it for me."I was planning to adopt one of the Tohsaka children to make her my future bride.
"Oh? So you're more interested in that Tohsaka girl than your own big sister, huh?" she teased, pouting. "Don't worry, they agreed. You can pick her up once you arrive in Japan. Sorry I couldn't bring her to you myself—we're being watched by the Elders, as you know."
"I understand... See you next year. Good luck with the Crest operation. Try not to die before I'm grown up."
Lorelei chuckled. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?"
A week later, in a dimly lit bar, Allen was in disguise, wearing a cloak that altered his appearance to look like an adult. He was speaking with a man carrying a suitcase.
At his side stood one of the homunculi created by the Einzbern family. Allen had named her Justeaze, simply because he couldn't think of a better name. Though all homunculi looked identical, this one had developed her own sense of self and was fiercely loyal to him—willing to die for her master without hesitation.
"This is the finest relic we have. It comes from Greece," the broker said, opening a box to reveal a dagger and an arrow.
"Good… I'll take them both. Name your price," Allen replied. He didn't particularly care what kind of Servant he would summon; his goal was purely to have some fun.
"Four hundred US dollars in total," the broker said, quoting a steep price. But Allen didn't care—money was nothing more than numbers to him.
He signaled for his maid to hand over the money and prepared to leave. However, before walking out, he turned back.
"I hope these are genuine. If they're not… I'll be back for you," he said calmly.
Hearing those words, a bead of sweat rolled down the broker's forehead. He knew all too well that this customer was not someone to be trifled with.