[A Fictitious Return] - Whydunit

Fake Rhongomyniad...

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It's not just Rhongomyniad. This whole Singularity is about to collapse.

Looks like the Chaldeans have already picked up and left...

You!

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...I just had a dream. ...A wonderful dream.

Who are...? Ahh, I see. You must be the memories my other self was protecting.

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What are you talking about? You have a whole other self?

Well, I suppose it would be more accurate to say she's still me, but with a different perspective.

After I woke up, we spent quite a lot of time arguing back and forth.

I was originally intended to serve as a means to watch over Master.

But, I was divided as to whether I should perform my role according to spec, or whether I should take a more...proactive approach.

I prevailed in our disagreement, and relegated the part of me that wanted to operate to spec in a kind of solitary confinement.

I've confirmed that my other self escaped while I was stealing Master's memories.

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I'm not completely sure. But I can make an educatedthat is, a calculated guess.

As she has no means of escaping me in this Singularity, she very likely fled to the Rail Zeppelin.

...Yes, I can easily calculate what my other self would have done at the time.

I finally...made it...

I'm out on the fringe of the Singularity... My haywire self...can't reach me here...

Did you...guide me here...?

This is where Fujimaru's true memories are being kept. But I'll never be able to protect them like this.

I'm operating at barely three percent capacity.

So, then...

Infusing the memories with personality...complete.

Output falling... Thirteen minutes until complete system failure...

Did I do it? Did I live up to your expectations for me?

...No. This won't work. It's just not enough. He needs someone to protect him.

But, I don't have the necessary magical energy left to summon any

...Wait. Yes, I do. I'm still here. I'm still at 2.7 percent of my original capabilities.

Initiating search for Servant summonable under current environmental conditions and resource restrictions. Searching... Searching... One match found.

Activating Heroic Spirit pseudo-summoning system, Fate.

Seventy-three-percent ritual output deficiency detected. Sixty-one-percent magecraft precision deficiency detected.

Initiating deconstruction of Autonomic Observational Existence Verification System Mnemosyne to assist with summoning.

Pseudo-system activation, stable. Initiating summon.

My Servant...please keep Master safe.

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To protect youFujimaru's true memoriesmy other self gave you a personality and put you on board the Rail Zeppelin.

Unfortunately, I'm almost completely certain that's what happened. I am speaking about a part of myself, after all.

And she turned out exactly as our creator intended.

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So then, the reason I remember my past summoning is

Because I'm mixed in with you.

My other self used her own body to compensate for the shortfall of magical energy.

That means the formulas that created me are embedded in your Spirit Origin.

I was created to preserve memories and to be a sleepless sentry, regardless of world or timeline.

Consequently, I expect you'll always retain your memories, so long as you are summoned by Chaldea's own summoning system.

As long as I'm summoned by Chaldea, huh... Well this is weird.

Must be why I'm this bizarre class. I might look like myself, but it's more like someone else wearing my identity.

I can't even be called a Faker. I'm an outright Pretender.

Hmph. No wonder I couldn't leave this guy to fend for himself.

As for you...

I thought you wouldn't have any further need of them, so I came to collect.

Hahaha, I see. The Rail Zeppelin is everything I imagined and more.

My creator gave these to me, but you're right; I don't need them anymore. Go ahead. take them.

Thank you. Acting Manager, if you would?

And there we are. Thank you for your generosity.

It's no problem. Here, take these, too.

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Right!

Those are the Mystic Eyes Doctor Heartless used in my world. Chaldea ended up with them in this world, huh.

So you were tuning those Mystic Eyes to your own so you could use them all at once. I never would have thought to try that.

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They were one of my primary mediums, yes. Director Marisbury procured them for me.

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In our world, Lord Marisbury obtained them at auction.

The one right here on the Rail Zeppelin, huh? So that was the connection you used to come to this Singularity.

And you came here for the Mystic Eyes, then. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from the Mystic Eyes Collection Train.

Anyway, this Singularity's going to disappear soon. You should contact Chaldea and have them come pick you up.

Fujimaru!? What's wrong!?

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Dammit, you're starting to disintegrate. We need to get you back to Chaldea. Fast. You're not gonna last much longer.

Are you sure you need to send him back?

Remember, that clone there is just a small part of the true Fujimaru.

People are made up of a mind, body, and soul. These memories are nothing more than a fragment of Fujimaru's mind.

Fujimaru will be fine even without them.

In fact, based on what data I have, he should be almost fully recovered by now.

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That doesn't make it okay for any part of Fujimaru to disappear.

Come on, stand up. Stand up, dammit, or I'll drag you up!

I formed a contract with you, remember? You! No one else!

So stand up, Fujimaru!

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There you go.

Why are you doing this?

The only memories Fujimaru will lose will be of the Rail Zeppelin.

And that was only experienced by a tiny fragment of his mind.

Even if reabsorbed, all the true Fujimaru will feel is a slight sense of déjà vu.

He'll just think it was a dream.

It's all just so unremarkable. Chaldea didn't see it, so it won't even be recorded in its database.

So what's the point of going to all this effort just to bring those memories back to him?

"What's the point"!?

You already know, Mnemosyne. You don't need me to tell you.

You think of the dead Da Vinci and the new one as different people too, right?

...

It doesn't matter if most of their memories are the same.

If THIS part of him disappears, something irreplaceable is lost.

Even if nobody remembers? Not even Fujimaru himself?

But you already said it yourself. I'll remember.

The next time I'm summoned, I'll remember all of this.

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It doesn't matter if this all seems like a dream, or just something he imagined.

What matters is that he gets back where he belongs.

This is just like a dream we all shared. A silly dream in which we all see the endless sea.

It's okay if the dream shatters. He still has to bring back the fragments.

...

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...It looks like I made this sacred lance a little too much like the genuine article. Go on. Get out of here.

Chaldea may have left when this Singularity began to repair itself, but Rhongomyniad is still undergoing one last transformation before it finally falls apart.

At this point, even I can't control it, and I have no way to calculate what may happen.

Fujimaru, Faker, we wouldn't have come this far if not for you showing us the way.

I think it's time I returned the favor. Please, get on board the train.

Don't worry. My Rail Zeppelin can make it outside this Singularity.

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Thank you for your concern. But I'm afraid I cannot leave.

I'm tied too tightly to this Singularity, even if I created it to use for observation.

If I tried to force my way out now, I'd disappear, just like my other self did.

It's all right. It was a wonderful dream, and I enjoyed it very much.

Come on! We need to go!

Hurry, Fujimaru!

Please, go on ahead.

May good fortune find you on your journey.

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Rail Zeppelin, all aboard!

What is that?

Rhongomyniad is transforming again!

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The sacred lance's defenses must have kicked in. Dammit, Mnemosyne, you did too damn good of a job copying it!

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As far as I know, the true Rhongomyniad is tightly restrained.

But...what if Rhongomyniad didn't have any sort of restraints?

And what if ALL of a Holy Grail's magical energy got poured into it right before those restraints were lifted?

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That lance is an anchor used to hold this world's textures in place.

But it also has the potential to become a network capable of modifying those textures.

I bet a chain reaction like that could only happen in this Singularity.

Remember the memory we caught a glimpse of? The one that said memories are a highly potent source of energy in this Singularity?

That huge mass of memories Mnemosyne accumulated must have affected Rhongomyniad somehow.

It's not just a Fake Rhongomyniad anymore. It's like a chaotic doublea Nega Rhongomyniad!

Emergency! Emergency! Hostiles are massing on the tracks ahead!

This is very bad. They're blocking the whole track.

Not even the Rail Zeppelin can force its way through that many monsters.

They've gotta be doing it on purposeeh, probably more like instinct. They're desperate to keep us here.

They must've decided everything in this Singularity exists to serve as magical energy for them.

These enemies came from falsifying the textures acquired from Mnemosyne's records.

They may leave us alone if we don't try to escape, but that will leave us caught in the Singularity's effort to repair itself.

Ugh, dammit! C'mon, Fujimaru! Let's go get rid of these things! I'll lead the way in my chariot!

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It'll consume a lot of my magical energy, but we haven't got much choice! Now, follow me!

Here we go! I can definitely release my Noble Phantasm out here!

O Hecate, bless me with your guidance.

My name is a lie. My body is a shadow.

But these falsehoods are my pride. Once more, I hold these reins in my hands!

Shatter them! Hecatic Wheel!

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Get in!

Out of our way, weaklings!