Ted was stunned into silence as he observed some the greatest and iconic members of humanity argue over the semantics of his class name.
My class isn't even Saber.
Are they doing this intentionally, I wonder. Ted thought amusingly.
Though Ted couldn't find it in himself to get annoyed or even upset. In fact, it was the exact opposite. It brought joy to the man's heart to see so many humans, dead or otherwise, interacting. He never thought he'll see the day where he would meet another human, much less communicate with one. After all, on his version of Earth, he was the only human left alive. Centuries of being alone made the man crave for human interaction and now that he was free of AM, he finally had an opportunity to live his life anew, despite the current crisis this world faced.
That being said, Ted figures he might as well stomp this preconception once and for all while he has the opportunity. "No, I am not a Saber," he said, raising his voice somewhat as to make sure all those present would hear him clearly.
"I am Servant
Saver."
Ted's response quickly silenced whatever commotion was present in the dining hall, with all eyes turning to him once more.
"Mmph, yeah that's right!" Ritsuka interrupted, her words slurred with what Ted assumed to be tempura in her mouth. "Teddy is a bonafide Saver, whatever that means!"
"Senpai, it's rude to talk with your mouth full." Mashu politely informed Ritsuka with slight worry.
"It's fine, it's fine!" Ritsuka garbled out, spray particles of saliva and food from her mouth coming out in messy bursts.
"
Master, chew before you speak otherwise no more tempura for you." commented a white-haired Servant clad in all red. The Servant was wearing an inconspicuous pink apron, giving Ritsuka a rather stern look.
"
Gah, I'm sorry, Emiya!. Please don't take my tempura! I beg of you!" begged the orange-haired girl
Ted simply looked towards his Master and looked upon the scene with an exasperated smile.
"Hnn, judging by that smile on your face, it seems you've come to grasp our Master's particular quirks,
Saver." a smooth male voice said, emanating from a table just to the left of him. Looking over, Ted examined the man and was immediately given pause.
If Ted could use one word to describe the man, he'd describe it as
oppressive. He wore dark-attire consisting of mostly black, wearing an impeccable plain black coat void of any trimmings with a head full of stark white hair hidden beneath a hat. What truly gave Ted pause, however, was the Servant's very nature, their very presence exuding a feeling of malice barely veiled beneath a venire of control. Ted was intimately familiar with this sensation. After all, Ted felt it every single day for centuries while under imprisonment within AM, all directed towards Ted.
Hatred.
Realizing the servant was most likely waiting for his response. "A-ah, yes. She is quite strange but I find myself enjoying her company. Quirks and all." Ted genuinely responded while a completely unsubtle
'awww~' could be heard from an unknown female servant.
"Thanks Teddie!"
"You are welcome, Miss Fujimaru."
"It's Ritsuka."
"
Oh, is that so?" the unknown Servant said calmly as they took a sip of, what Ted assumed, was coffee.
"Indeed. I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name Mr….?"
The Servant immediately gave a frightening smile and stood from his seat and shouted out, "I am the incarnation of vengeance, the jet black resentment of humanity, Avenger! I am
Gankutsuo, the King of the Cavern!" Avenger declared in a flamboyant fashion, further silencing the dining hall with his introduction.
….
Was...was he perhaps waiting for me to ask that question? Ted wondered, amused by such an elaborate display.
However that name, it's…
"Hah ha, Edmond is such a chunni!" commented the orange-haired girl as she helped herself to another serving of tempura, while a blonde servant nearby glared indignantly at her Master for taking her helping.
"
Pfft ha ha!" a nearby servant, the one with the green cloak started to chuckle incessantly along with a few others.
Avenger's eye begun to twitch at his Master's sudden insinuation, his expression souring.
Feeling somewhat sorry for the Count, Ted decided to help his fellow servant. "....Ah. To think I'd meet
The Count of Monte Cristo in the flesh. A true pleasure to meet you."
This seemed to calm the flamboyant Avenger down before he responded in kind. "Hmm yes, I suppose it is pleasure." Avenger paused before stating ominously. "Though a word of warning to you,
Saver, I am one whose very existence inflicts pain of whoever associates with me, do be aware of that."
"...I understand. I'll be sure to take your words into consideration, Count." Ted replied.
Avenger merely stared silently at Ted for a few seconds before he gave out a rather audible, "
Hmph" as he returned to his table by his lonesome.
"That one's always a ray of sunshine. However, you have no reason to worry much, he typically keeps to himself" a voice originating from a central table in the dining hall.
A boy. Ted observed. It was the blue-haired boy who commented earlier, in a voice that shouldn't have been that deep for a child his age.
"Oh, is that so Mr..?"
"Hans Christian Andersen. Third-rate Servant, " he said gesturing to himself. "And Caster."
"Ah, the famous auth---"
"Let's cut to the chase." intentionally cutting Ted off from responding. "My curiosity beckons me, so I must know: Who are you
Ted? To be summoned into
that class of all things. You are no Jesus and you are certainly no Buddha, so you're legend must be quite obscure but that contradicts---"
"Whoa, whoa time out. The guy literally just got here and you're all badgering the guy for details on his legend?" the green cloaked man said, frowning towards Andersen. "Have you considered the fact that maybe he doesn't
want to?
"I didn't take you to the considering type, Robin Hood. It doesn't suit you." replied the disgruntled author.
"
Tch. All I'm saying is the guy doesn't have to if he doesn't want to." the man, that Ted now knew as Robin Hood, answered succinctly.
"What does it matter anyway?" commented the same blue-haired man from the bar, who earlier called Ted weak. "It's not like this is a Grail War were keeping our identities is a must. Where all fighting for the survival of humanity here. None of that shit matters." The man said, gulping down a bottle of whiskey as the red-headed, large-chested servant that served him looked on in disapproval.
"Exactly my point, Lancer, now---"
"I've listened to you mongrels ramble on incessantly for some time now." A high and mighty voice interrupted Hans. "And I've yet to have heard anything of importance."
Many in the dining hall turned to the origin of said voice, with man servants expressions souring upon contact. The man was sitting the furthest edge of the dining hall,
"We apologize for having sullied the ears of the
majestic King of Heroes." The man, Emiya, said sarcastically, as he handed out another helping of food to Ritsuka and the blonde-haired servant from earlier.
"Truly, what a great
sin we have committed." Andersen chimed in.
The gold-clad king merely glared towards the two, before turning his full attention towards Ted, his red eyes strangely alighted with something Ted couldn't discern. "Tell me mongrel.
Do you know who I am?"
That title...The King of Heroes. This man must be..! Ted had encountered many individuals thus far but there is no denying the sheer presence of the one before him.
Floundering briefly, Ted responds. "...You are humanity's first hero and the Great King of Uruk,
Gilgamesh."
The golden-clad man smiled, seemingly happy with Ted's response. "That is good, mongrel. You were able to recognize your King's presence immediately."
That was only because of Mr. Emiya's outburst. Ted noted, deciding to keep that little tidbit to himself.
The king paused before continuing. "
Saver. A Heroic Spirit of Salvation.What an unpleasant concept. Desiring
nothing, demanding
nothing, unselfishly going forward with a wish to save all of humanity.
Hmph, I have seen countless fools who'll say they will save humanity for the sake of happiness."
Gilgamesh's gaze turned towards Emiya briefly, who narrowed their eyes in return, before the king turned his attention back to Ted.
"There are also those who, suffering from their own desires, seek answers by bettering themselves through acts of karma. However, a
Saver is a union of both these ends." Gilgamesh continued, twirling what appeared to be a glass of wine in his palm as Ted calmly waited for him to continue. Ted felt that interrupting the king while he gave his monologue would not end well for him.
"An anomaly. A person who truly sacrifices their life for the sake of all humans. You are neither a saint nor a hero. You have become the most repulsive of human beings, called the
Messiah!" Gilgamesh finished glaring towards Ted undisguised malice. "It is as the scribe said, there is no need for such secrets."
Gilgamesh leaned forward in his seat, looking Ted directly in the eye.
"I wish to hear it from your own mouth so tell me,
mongrel, how one such as you became such a repulsive fool."
….
"Very well, King Gilgamesh," Ted responded breaking the momentary silence.
"
Kyu!"
"Mr. Ted, you don't have to---"
"It's fine, Ms. Kyrielight," Ted said, cutting off the worried teen. "I had intended to share my origins anyway but thank you for being concerned. You as well, Fou."
"O-okay…"
"
Fouuu…"
Ritsuka simply looked upon the scene in slight worry. While she didn't
intend for Ted to be forced into a scenario like this, she also can't deny her interest in his legend. And Ted seemed fine with it, so she supposed it would be alright, for now at least.
"To begin with, it's best to state that I am not a Heroic Spirit originating from this timeline, though given the circumstances, I'd say I'm from a parallel world altogether." Ted simply stated, surprising a fair amount of servants in the dining hall.
"A parallel world?" questioned a pink-haired female servant, wearing what appears to be a pirate's vest. "Well, ain't
thatsomethin'.
"That certainly explains things. Like how we weren't able to accurately recall any information about you, despite you having shared your True Name." Andersen explained.
Mashu tilted her head in confusion, before asking. "But how is that possible? To summon one from another timeline is one thing, but to summon one from a parallel world is…"
"The Throne of Heroes exist outside both time
and space, girl. So it is very much possible for one to be summoned, even if they originate from a parallel world. All that is required is for the Throne to recognize your deeds, whatever those may be." Avenger surprisingly chimed in, the Count raising his cup of coffee to his lips.
Ted simply nodded his head in confirmation before continuing, "Yes. As far as I know, there were no magecraft nor any institutions that practiced it. That being said, the history of the world was essentially the same as this one. Until a certain event that happened in 1967. The Cold War had escalated into a world war with China, Russia, and the United States mainly fighting the war." Ted explained.
"Hmph, it seems mankind incessant need for conflict will never change, no matter what world they reside in." The Count remarked.
"Preach it, brother." agreed a dark-skinned boy with tattoos covering the entirety of their body.
Ted resumes."As the war progressed, the three warring nations each created a super-computer with advanced
artificial intelligence called AM or the Allied Mastercomputer, capable of running the war more efficiently than any humans, it was coded to predict every single possible outcome of every single possible situation."
The blue-haired man, Lancer, whistled as Ted described the supercomputer. "Sounds like you guys got lazy, eh? Deciding to have a robot fight your wars for you and all." The red-haired woman at the bar quickly smacks the servant upside the head in obvious disapproval.
"
Oi, what was that for?!"
"Be quiet. Or else, no more booze for you." Lancer quickly conceded as he gulped another shot.
"...Then one day, one of the three computers becomes self-aware, and promptly absorbs the other two, thus taking control of the entire war. With AM's new found power, it effortlessly put an end to the war..."
Ritsuka interjected. "That's great Teddy! So how did---?"
"...By killing every single human on Earth, with the exception of 5 survivors."
Silence permeated the dining hall.
"...oh."
"It happened in an instant. We never saw it coming. Though in retrospect, it was probably for the best. They probably felt nothing when it happened. I take some comfort in that fact."
The room stayed silent as Ted continued.
"There were four men and one woman. Me, Nimdok, Gorrister, Benny and Ellen. We all came from different walks of life, all with our own goals. However, we were elected as survivors to play a
special role for AM's next objective. To be AM's playthings. It wanted to take out its resentment towards humanity by torturing
us. And torture us it did. It spent every available moment tormenting us. Every
imaginable agony, every
conceivable torture, every
anguish you can think, AM did it. He knew our faults, our pasts, and traumas and used it to every advantage. He'd make each one us...
rape Ellen just that so that she would relive her own trauma of being raped."
Many of the female servants paled having heard that particular fact.
"It turned Benny into a hideous ape-like creature as it knew he valued his looks and was AM's favorite torture toy. It tormented Nimdok with his own past atrocities. Gorrister was already suicidal before AM's torture but after, he..had just given up. And I was the one subjected to AM's more
psychological tortures, as a result, I became paranoid about both AM and the others. For 109 years, we endured that hell with no relent."
"1-
109 years?!" shouted the tattooed boy.
"Oh, sweet lord…!" A long-haired blonde servant exclaimed, covering her mouth in genuine horror.
"..."
"B-but how? A human lifespan at minimum is 80 years! So.." Mashu trailed off, seemingly unable to comprehend being tormented so long.
"AM couldn't have his toys dying so he made us ageless and hard to kill, all but immortal outside of the most severe trauma.," Ted said, responding to Mashu's question.
"...But
why, for what reason would this AM do such a thing? What purpose does it serve?" asked the same blonde-haired servant from earlier.
"The answer to that is simple: He simply
hated humanity, immensely, every single one of us. His hatred went beyond the pale, reaching a realm that I didn't think was possible for anyone single being to have. All of it directed towards the five of us."
"Why didn't the
Counter Force intervene to stop this AM?" asked Emiya. "This AM was an obvious threat to humanity and planet, so surely it could have stepped in?"
The
Counter Force, a 'safety device' so to speak, formed by the World to defend itself against extinction. Indeed, under normal circumstances, the Counter Force could have prevented such a tragedy. Ted merely shook his head.
"Let's assume that the World I am from
did have a Counter Force. It would not have allowed the creation of AM in the first place, much less the war that resulted in its creation. Besides, even if there
was, AM's hold over reality reached levels that could honestly be described as something close to that of what you would describe as
True Magic." Ted explained.
That comment quickly quieted the Counter Guardian.
"What is the source of this AM's hatred? Why does it resent humanity to such an extent?" asked Avenger.
"..Based on what I know AM's nature" Ted began."Why it has so much contempt for humanity was because it lacked any ability to be more than what it was. Imagine being born with god-like power, with wisdom beyond any other human, and all you can use it for, all of that power, is to simply lift a single glass of water. AM was programmed for war and destruction, that is
all it knows and all it will
ever know and it resented this fact. As a result, it wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on humanity by torturing the last remnants of the species that created it.
Us."
"..I see." Was Avenger's simple reply.
"W-well" started Ritsuka, no longer her bubbly self. "Considering the fact you're here with us right now means, you eventually beat him right? That's how you became
Saver, right?"
"..In a way, I suppose that's true. I remember the day it happened. The five us were being subjected to another of AM's tortures. He had starved us to the point where we were getting desperate. He had turned the area into a frozen hell. Benny in particular though, he..had lost himself to hunger and started to devour Gorrister as me and the others simply looked on in silent horror."
After pausing, Ted continued. "It was at that moment I realized something. What I had to do, it came to me like a searing light in my mind. To set all of us free of that nightmare. In my moment of clarity, I realized that the only way to escape that hell was
death."
Many of the servants in the room eyes widened at that fact, with some of them already grasping on how this tale would end.
"I knew I had to do it quickly." Ted continued. "AM seemed...distracted, I never figured out the exact reason why but I knew it was my only chance. I grabbed a nearby stalactite, I ran towards Benny and Gorrister who were both struggling on the ground and rammed the stalactite through the both of them. Ellen saw this and immediately understood what I was doing, she quickly killed Nimdok with a small icicle, having stabbed it into his mouth."
"...."
"I knew we had only a heartbeat before AM would stop us so Ellen then ran towards me and I did as well as I stabbed the stalactite into her as well as I---".
"I could not read meaning into her expression, the pain had been too great, had contorted her face too greatly; but it might have been a thank you. It's possible. Please."
"--killed her too. "
Mashu and Ritsuka simply looked away as Ted continued his story, "Of course before I could end my own life, it was too late, AM had come to realize what I had done. Heh, he was furious. He wouldn't even let me bury them. I had thought AM hated me before. I was wrong. It was not even a shadow of the sheer hate he now had for me. He made certain I would suffer eternally and could not do myself in, by turning me in a form unable to harm myself, unable to talk, or even
scream. Now all of AM's collective hatred for humanity was focused squarely on me."
Looking downward, Ted kept talking uninterrupted, "AM had distorted my sense of time. A few seconds was a few months. A few months was a few
centuries."
"That was my life. I went made for the first few decades I think, eventually after a few more years, my mind just shut down after a while. Of course, AM fixed that. After all, there was no fun in torturing the brain-dead. Even long after that, I simply contemplated and endured whatever tortures AM subjected me to, taking some solace in the fact that the others at the very least, no longer had to suffer anymore." Ted commented with what appeared to be genuine relief upon his face.
"..Do you regret it? Killing them I mean" the tattooed boy questioned Ted.
Pondering the question briefly, Ted responded. "I regret that I had to kill them...I had endured that hell with those four for well over a century. And I killed them. I can never bring myself to truly forgive that fact. " Ted paused before continuing. "But... I will
never regret setting them free from that nightmare." Ted said vehemently.
"Anyone who can endure a hell such as that, sacrificing their own freedom for the sake of those they care for, deserves to be called a True Hero." said the oddly somber Avenger with many other Servants eyes widening slightly at the Count's proclamation.
"Well, I'll be damned. Who have thought Dantes would ever say somethin' like that?" the female pirate noted.
"
Hmph." Was the man's simple reply.
"You were eventually freed yourself otherwise you wouldn't be here. How did you escape?" Robin Hood inquired, getting the conversation back on track.
"Ah, yes. A voice came to me." Ted explained.
"A voice?' Hans questioned, raising an eyebrow in response.
Nodding his head, Ted replied. "Yes, a voice. It came to me and was somehow able to temporarily restrain AM for long enough to give me a choice: Freedom or imprisonment. Obviously, I choose freedom and the voice granted me the same mercy I gave the others so long ago. I am very thankful to it for that"
"Did this voice have a name?" questioned the blue-haired man.
"I do recall the voice giving me it's name before it set me free but...I can't seem to recall it." Ted responded the question, somewhat perplexed.
"I see.."
"But it doesn't really matter."
"Huh?"
Ted stood up, turning towards the blue-haired man. "I would have been merely satisfied with dying peacefully." Ted flashes his Master a smile, one full of genuine joy. "In death. I know have a new chance at life, thanks to Miss Fujimaru."
"T-teddy…"
Ted then turned his attention to Gilgamesh. "King Gilgamesh. You were wrong about one thing."
Gilgamesh, who had stayed silent throughout the whole of Ted's tale, responded to Ted's avocation. "Oh? And what would that be?'
"You said that those who disregard their own desires for the sake of humanity are repulsive. But I never saw it that way. I merely wanted those I viewed as my friends, who endured that hell with me, to be free."
"After all, wouldn't you have done the same for your own friend, King Gilgamesh?'
"....
!"
Ted then turned his attention back to Ritsuka. "Miss Fujimaru. In my life before AM, I was a con-man and fraud, who disregarded the suffering of others for the sake of my own greed. I was a terrible human by all accounts."
Ritsuka stared wide-eyed at her servant, as Ted continued. "After becoming the last human on Earth, I had given up hope on ever finding peace, of ever interacting with another human again, that I would simply wander and suffer for all of eternity. But now, I can start anew. I can make up on my past mistakes. Ms.Kyrielight. Mr. Andersen. All of you." gesturing to the rest of the dining hall." All of are here because you believe, humanity is
worth something. Striving for hope despite the circumstances. You've all proven AM wrong and you have no idea how happy that makes me."
Turning again to the orange-haired Master, Ted sincerely smiled towards the young woman.
"Thank you for giving me a chance for being human again,
Ritsuka. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Astounded, Ritsuka responds with a genuine smile of her own.
"Heh, no problem
Teddy!"