Section 1: The Future, From the Distance

...Can you hear me?

...

Hello? Can you hear me, visitor from a distant land?

？！

Oh good, it looks like it worked.

Let's see now... Ahem, ahem.

I am a priestess from a far, far-off land of light.

A land that is now in danger of being swallowed whole by the Dark Blight.

Essentially, we're facing an existential threat.

That is why I have been searching for a powerful championone strong enough to turn the tide in our favor.

And the champion I finally managed to find is...

That's right! You!

Ta-daaa! Congratulations!

Now, before I officially summon you, I just need you to honestly answer a few questions.

Do you possess the strength to move mountains and split the seas?

？！

You don't!? I-I see. Okay, next question.

Can you breathe fire, cloak yourself in storms, and call down lightning with a snap of your fingers?

？！

Huh? Th-that can't be right...

Um, okay, how about this then!?

Can you command ancient beasts, or call upon gods to do your bidding?

？！

Aha! So THAT'S where your power comes from.

Good, good. I've been looking for someone just like you.

Now, which one was I looking at again...? Ah, here we go.

There!

All right, I will now link my mirrors to your world.

Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Really, I promise.

Worst case is a bit of dizziness. Ooor your body breaking apart and your soul scattering to the winds. Nothing to worry about.

？！

Oh, it'll be fine. I've always had good luck.

Anyway, we don't have any time to lose, so just relax and close your eyes.

...That's it.

...

The me over on that side might not yet know...

...everything that's about to happen, or has already happened...

But that's okay. It can be a mystery for now.

All I need you to do is see with your own eyes, feel with your own senses, and do what you think is best.

Okay, see you again in the far future's distant past...

...boy from the future.

Come on, wake up.

Wake up already, will you?

Oh man, don't tell me he DIED?

Good question. It looks like he's still alive, but...

Hmm, what to do, what to do...? Got any bright ideas?

Now that you mention it, I think I've heard you can pound on a drowned person's chest to get them breathing again...

Oh, yeah! I've heard that too!

Okay then, let's give it a shot.

Whoa, whoa, not so fast, Sister. With your brute strength, you could end up crushing his entire ribcage if you aren't caref

This might hurt a bit, but bear with it, okay?

Haaaaaa!

？！

Oh, you're awake now?

Hehe, what a relief!

Ho ho ho.

That was close. Any more and you'd have shattered like the bones Sister uses for divination.

I'm glad you're awake! It'd be really sad if you'd died.

Oh, I do apologize if I surprised you. Then again, this is all very surprising for me as well.

？！

Hey, where'd you come from? What's your name?

Oh! Hang on. I just heard something.

Excuse me for a moment.

...

？！

My sincere apologies, but I must ask that you be patient for a short while.

Trust me, this will actually save us all a good amount of time.

...

Aha! I've got it!

You came here from the distant future, didn't you!?

And you also, um...

...live in a building made out of really hard stone?

Ummm, a place called...Chaldea?

？！

Hehe, that's right. I'm really good at this kind of stuff.

I can basically figure most things out by taking a nap.

Pretty creepy, isn't it?

...

？！

Huh?

I-I mean, I know I'm amazing, but aren't you kind of, you know, weirded out by this sort of thing?

Ho ho ho. This is quite the surprise, isn't it, Sister?

It seems this strapping young man is just as eccentric as you.

Hey! Who're you calling eccentric?

Oh, sorry about that, Futuro.

？！

Well, I heard you came here from the super distant future...

...so I decided to call you Futuro! Nice nickname, no?

Ho ho ho. I do beg your pardon, Lord Future.

Once Sister's made up her mind, there's simply no changing it.

Oh, right, I almost forgot. My name's Himiko!

？！

So you already knew who I am? Well, I guess I AM pretty famous.

Oh, and this tortoise here's my little brother!

Huh!? Wait, tortoise!? What happened to you, Little Brother!?

When did you turn into a tortoise!?

You're only asking that now?

I suppose it's just like you to get all caught up in your own things and forget about me.

Oh, yes, I do beg your pardon. I'm Queen Himiko's little brother.

I know not what made me this way, but for the time being, I'd ask that you address me as Nameless Tortoise.

Oh well, these things happen.

Besides, we did also come back from the afterlife for some reason.

Indeed. I expect that black haze around here means something has happened in our fair kingdom.

？！

Oh, you mean you didn't already know when you got here, Futuro?

I see. In that case...

Welcome to Yamataikoku!

Wow, Futuro, it sounds like you've been working really hard in this Chaldea place.

So these Servants you summon are spirits of people from throughout history you call on to fight for you?

Sounds like you can do some pretty amazing stuff.

Hey, does this mean I'm a Servant, too?

What do you think, Little Brother?

Hard as it is to believe, the very fact that I'm speaking to you as a tortoise would seem to lend the notion credence.

Plus, I'm pretty sure I already died when I was a queen, so if I really am back now, that's gotta be what's happening.

Oh, right. I forgot to mention something I heard earlier.

The short version is that I think the people who are looking for you are over this way.

I've never seen anything else like it.

I too would love to know what it is.

？！

Anyway, let's keep going. Trust me, I know we're gonna find something if we keep heading this way.

I know how awfully convenient that must sound, but more often than not, what Sister says does turn out to be the truth.

I hope you will place your faith in her, Lord Future.

What do you mean "more often than not"? I always solve eeevery problem we come across!

Of course you do, Sister.

All that aside, I do recall there being a village around these parts, so there should be no cause for concern.

Oh! Speaking of which, there it is now. Great timing, I was just getting hungry.

Let's go check it out and have them cook the clams we gathered by the beach!

Look, we got some really big ones!

Oh, don't worry, Futuro, there's plenty for you, too!

It seems the clams will have to wait, Sister.

？！

Uh-oh. I can tell there's going to be a battle soon!

And with that black haze here, this is all kinds of fishy.

Ugh, this sort of thing almost never happened when I was queen. Whatever happened to my Yamataikoku?

Well, I'm here now, and as long as I'm around, I'm not going to let my people fight amongst themselves!

Here I gooo!

Aaaaaah! P-please, help us!

All of you, over here! Quick!

S-Sister's still nowhere to be found! Wh-what do we do!?

Right now, we need to get the villagers to safety! Can you do that, Nobukatsu!?

O-okay, I'll do my best! Ugh, dammit! Those guys would be a piece of cake to take out if only Sister were here!

Hurry, Nobukatsu!

O-oh, right!

Aah! Watch where you're going, moron!

...Huh? It's you!

？！

S-Senpai! I'm so glad I finally found you!

Oh! So you're friends of Futuro's? I knew it!

Not that it's any surprise, of course. My divinations have a ten out of tenNo, a hundred out of a hundred success rate.

A-are you a Servant?

I'm not entirely sure myself, but I think so!

What's with this chick...? Well, never mind her, is Sister not with you?

P-please, help us. S-some of the children are still in the village!

We can talk later, Senpai! Right now, these people need our help!

O-oh, right! Hey, Sister's Master! Hurry up and take those guys out, would you!?

Hahahahaha! Soon, this village will be under our command!

？！

Yes, Senpai. This time, our enemy...

...is the Shinsengumi!

Khh! They're so strong, and there's so many of them!

Huh? That's weird.

I can usually knock guys like this all the way to the moon with just one punch.

R-really? That far!?

Hey, you! What're we gonna do!? There's still a ton of these guys left!

Hmph. Pathetic weaklings.

We are the Shinsengumithe strongest and most loyal soldiers in all of Japan.

The likes of you could never hope to defeat us.

Now give yourselves up and swear your allegiance to our lord and master, Lady Iyo.

I-Iyo? Did you say Iyo!?

What do you mean!? Explain yourselves!

Stand down, girl. Lady Iyo has bestowed incredible power upon us.

Thanks to her, the Shinsengumi is now invincible!

Like hell you are.

Wh-who're you!?

Some invincible force you turned out to be. Seems to me you're all bark and no bite.

？！

Let's save the chitchat for later, Saito. Help those kids out for now.

I know, I know, Mr. Yamanami. You don't have to tell me twice.

Hey, you guys. Stand back so you don't get in my way, will you?

Don't worry, he's just one man! Go on, get him!

Fair warning: now's your best chance to run for it if that's what you're thinking of doing.

Not that I'm going to let any of you get away, of course!

That ought to do it. You guys okay?

Uh, y-yes, thank you...

I have to say, that lot had some nerve, going around telling people they're Shinsengumi with such pathetic skills.

Oh yes, forgive our late introductions. I'm Yamanami Keisuke, and this is

Saito Hajime. Feel free to just call me Hajime.

Actually...don't.

Oh, you've heard of the Shinsengumi before?

What'd I just say!?

I might not look it, but I used to be a captain in the Shinsengumi.

？！

So, you two are from the same Shinsengumi as Okita and Hijikata?

Oh my, you know Okita and Vice Commander Hijikata?

Great, that'll save us some time. So where are they now?

Well, um, we're actually trying to find them ourselves.

It would seem these people are in the same boat as us, Saito.

What do you say? Would you be willing to hear us out?

？！

Are you sure we can trust these guys, Sister's Master? They look awfully shady to me.

Huh? Who you callin' shady?!

Eep! I-I wasn't talking to you!

Dammit! If only Sister were here now, you guys'd be begging for your lives!

Why don't we hear what they have to say, Senpai?

So it's settled then?

Don't worry. They seem like good people to me, and I've always been a great judge of character.

I know it may be hard to believe, but I can assure you, Sister has never once been wrong about someone?

So, why don't we find somewhere we can relax and talk? We should hear what the villagers have to say, too.

...Hey, Yamanami?

Yes?

Did you know tortoises can talk?

Not until just now. Goodness, who knew there were so many surprises left in the world?

Perhaps we should have opened our eyes to them sooner.

Queen Iyo has ruled over Yamataikoku for a long time. Until recently, it's been a land of peace and prosperity.

But one day, all of a sudden, a black haze called the Dark Blight came and swallowed the land whole.

Ever since, we've been completely cut off from the outside world, our sunlight has grown dim, our water has turned foul, and our crops can just barely support us.

What's more, anyone who gets swallowed up by the Dark Blight loses their mind and starts attacking anyone they see.

And now, we have these warriors calling themselves the Shinsengumi and claiming they serve Lady Iyo.

They've been going around destroying villages throughout the land, making off with our supplies...

...and we've been powerless to stop them.

Wha...

What in the world are you doing, Iyoooooo!?!?

？！

Yes. She was my disciple.

I trusted her to take care of Yamataikoku after I died. I never thought she would ever do anything like this...

Senpai, do you think something might have happened to turn this Yamataikoku into a Singularity?

A Singularity? What's that?

It's what we call a place that has deviated from how it should be according to history.

I see. Maybe that's why we were summoned here as Servants; we have something to do with what's happening in this Singularity.

That's probably why, yes.

In which case, it would seem this Dark Blight thing is probably what's causing these differences.

All that aside, I'm amazed we're actually in Yamataikoku right now. Even in our time, it was no more than a fable from the distant past.

And you guys said you're also acquainted with Okita and Vice Commander Hijikata?

That's right. But Senpai, myself, and Nobukatsu were all caught off guard when we were summoned to this land, so...

I'll say. I still can't believe Sister and I were separated. It's like my worst nightmares come to life.

Um, anyway, I'm afraid I can't say whether Okita and Hijikata are here as well or not.

Oh, don't worry about that. I wasn't looking to see them again.

I always found the Vice Commander in particular kind of off-putting, if I'm being honest.

...

So, what are we going to do now?

It seems like we won't be able to get anywhere unless we figure out what to do about this Dark Blight and these Shinsengumi warriors.

About that... I'm afraid it's only a matter of time until the Dark Blight swallows our village, too.

Wait, really!? Why didn't you say so sooner!?

Where's this Dark Blight stuff coming from!?

It's flowing out from the village shrine, but we can't get close to it what with the patrolling haniwa.

Haniwa? You mean, like the one we found earlier?

That's right. It has an odd look to it, and attacks anyone who gets too close.

So, this haniwa...moves?

Have you ever heard of a moving haniwa before, Saito?

Please don't ask me things like that, Mr. Yamanami.

You know as well as I do that if you don't know about it, there's no chance I do.

Anyway, I think we should see this shrine for ourselves. Would you show us the way?

S-sure, of course. Follow me.

...

That's definitely a haniwa, Senpai.

？！

That face! It looks just like the haniwa I found that was shaped like Sister!

Like your sister? So your sister looks like a haniwa?

How do you know she isn't actually one?

Shut up! Hey, Sister's Master! That's the same kind of haniwa we saw back in Chaldea, right!?

T-true, it does look just like that glowing one. Difference in size notwithstanding...

Ever since that haniwa showed up, the shrine has been mired in the Dark Blight, the nearby river turned black, and our crops keep getting poorer.

True, I can sense some form of magical energy leaking from that shrine. What should we do, Senpai?

Would it even understand us?

That might be the fastest way to resolve this.

Um, Sister, I don't think that's

？！

...!

...Hanyobbu!

It spotted us, Senpai! And it's really, REALLY fast!

So we just gotta destroy that thing, righ Damn, you weren't kidding!

Hanyobbu! Hanyonyonyo!

H-hanyonyobbu!

Damn, this thing's tough! The hell's it made out of!?

Even my katana's getting all nicked up!

Saito is right, Senpai! That haniwa is incredibly tough!

Fortunately, we managed to pin it down, but my shield doesn't seem to affect it at all.

If even Saito can't destroy it, I don't know what we can do.

Hmm... I guess I have no choice.

Stand back, everybody. I'll handle this.

Huh? What're you talking about?

Good idea, Sister. You shouldn't have any trouble dealing with a creature of this sort.

Haaaaaaaaa!

Senpai, look! Himiko is emitting some kind of incredible magical energy!

This magical energy is really something... I guess she's no ordinary Servant.

Behold the power of the queen who founded Yamataikoku! Here goes!

Is she going to use her Noble Phantasm!?

Himiko Puuunch!!!

？！

Waaaaaah!

S-Sister! Help meee!

...I-I thought I was done for.

...Hurk!

O-Okita!?

Senpai! Okita was somehow inside that haniwa!

Th-this is quite the surprise, isn't it, Senpai?

I never would have thought you could destroy that incredibly tough haniwa with your bare hands...

Hehe. Not bad, right?

Well done, Sister. The brute strength you acquired from your bone divination practice is as impressive as ever.

Goddamn, that was freaky. Who the hell are you, anyway?

I'm Himiko. What about it?

Umm, hello? Isn't anyone worried about me?

Wait. Mr. Yamanami? Mr. Saito?

What are you two doing here!?

Hey there, Okita. Long time no see.

Heya. How you been?

Actually, hang on. The hell were you doing inside a haniwa of all things, Okita?

I'm not sure. All I know is, when I came to, I was stuck in that haniwa. I couldn't even move!

It wasn't until that, um, punch just now that I was finally able to break out.

A-at any rate...

I never thought I'd get to see you two again.

...I think our story can wait until later. Take a look at the shrine.

Now that the haniwa's gone, that black haze seems to be lifting.

Ooh, look, Sister. The river water is clearing up, too.

I guess that takes care of that.

So, what do you think of the first queen of Yamataikoku's power, Futuro?

Hehe, pretty impressive, right?

Right?

Hey, why the qualifier?

？！

What's so amazing about it? It's just plain old brute strength.

A-ah...

See? It freaks this lady out, too.

...!

Huh, she just ran off all of a sudden. I wonder what that was all about?

Ahh, now I understand.

Come, everyone, let's go back. The queen has officially made her return.

I-it's Lady Himiko... Lady Himiko!

I can't believe it, it's really her!

Lady Himiko? So that's the Lady Himiko you're always telling us about, Grandpa?

That's right. That's the very same Lady Himiko who saved Yamataikoku during the war. We owe her our lives.

Look, Senpai! All the villagers are gathering around us!

Oopsies. Oh well, I guess it was just a matter of time until I was found out.

That's right. I am

So that's really THE Lady Himiko?

The one who beat a serpent bigger than a mountain to death with her bare hands and split the ground with her feet to make rivers and stuff?

Huh?

That's right. She's the legendary queen who literally tore all of Yamataikoku's would-be invaders to pieces...

...and piled them up until they formed an enormous mountain of corpses.

Ahh, thank you, Lady Himiko! Thank you!

Wow, Lady Himiko sounds awesome!

Huh?

Ho ho ho. It seems the tales of your exploits have been somewhat exaggerated over the years, Sister.

Of course it wasn't!

Textbook? Is that different from a regular book?

？！

Anyway, I get the gist of what's going on here now.

Basically, this Dark Blight stuff is pouring out of shrines around the land and corrupting my poor Yamataikoku.

Right. And when you destroyed the haniwa defending the shrine near here, it also cut off the flow of Dark Blight...

...the river cleared up, and the weakened villagers regained their strength.

Well, that makes things simple. All we need to do is find and destroy more of those haniwa.

From what Okita said, those haniwa are probably meant to serve as guardians of these shrines.

So there are probably more Servants who've been made into haniwa and forced to fight against their will, like I was.

Well, don't worry. Now that I've got the hang of purging Dark Blight from Servants, I'm sure I can help them, too.

Does that mean you weren't just hitting Okita's haniwa as hard as you could then?

Oh no, I definitely was.

Oof...

But it's not just my raw strength, you see! I also have the power to exorcise nasties like that.

It's called kidou, and... Hmm, it's kind of hard to explain in words.

Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Only Iyo and I can use it, anyway.

That's all well and good, Sister, but we also need to rebuild this damaged village.

Yeah! My sister always said that logistics were key to waging war, so we're going to need a base for supplies.

Then I think our initial goals should be to help rebuild this village, look for more haniwa at other shrines, and keep exorcising that black haze.

How does that sound, Senpai?

Of course, whether we like it or not, it doesn't look like we'll be able to leave this place until we've gotten rid of the Dark Blight, so...

？！

There's also the matter of those soldiers calling themselves the Shinsengumi.

I think we should stay and help these people for the time being. What do you think, Okita and Saito?

I was planning on doing that anyway, since I'm Master's Servant and all.

But, um, are you sure you two won't mind doing the same?

I'm fine with it. Not like we've got any other leads to follow, anyway.

Besides, I wanna know what the deal is with those "Shinsengumi" bastards just as much as he does.

Well, there you have it. Would it be all right if we helped out alongside Okita?

？！

Oh yes, we'd love to have your help!

Wonderful. Thank you for having us.

Sheesh. Never thought I'd see the day when you and me would be drawing our swords side by side again, Okita.

I'll be counting on you out there, Mr. Saito.

Say, since it's been so long and everything, why don't we have a little sparring session?

No thanks. I got no interest in taking on that sword style of yours.

Aww, come on! That's the same thing you used to say whenever you refused to help me train before, too.

Hmph.

Then it's settled! Okay, everyone, let's all work together to get Yamataikoku back the way it should be!

Yeah!

Ooh, is that Lady Himiko?

Yup! She might not look like much, but she can smash a whole mountain with her bare hands!

And she breathes fire too, right? Wooow, that's amazing!

I do NOT!