Shinji Matou at Your Service

What does it feel like to enter a fictional world from reality?

Every young person living in modern times who yearns for fictional worlds has fantasized about this, and Shinji is no exception.

He had several hypotheses:

For instance, his vision goes black, and when it returns, he finds himself in a completely new world.

Or perhaps various lines intersect before his eyes, gradually evolving into different data, with his consciousness swimming in a sea of data, eventually finding a glowing gap and passing through it to reach a new world.

But after experiencing it for real, he found all his fantasies were wrong.

It was a brand new feeling, neither good nor bad. Unlike the grogginess of parallel world travel, Shinji's consciousness was very clear.

He could see the blue crystal deep within his soul emitting special waves, constructing a passage between Earth and the Moon.

He could distinctly feel his soul being tugged by a special force, pulled out of his body and continuously reshaped. It was stretched, squashed, or turned into various strange shapes that couldn't be accurately described with words.

This was an inspection and a transformation of his existence, making his soul more suitable for the unknown realm he was about to enter.

It was also a form of sublimation, at least that's what Shinji believed.

No color, no sound, no taste—everything perceived through the body was nonexistent, leaving only the most primitive, purest soul sensations. For Shinji, who had stepped into the realm of the Third Magic, it was an unprecedented experience, one that granted him deeper soul insights.

Unknowingly, he became even more expectant of the legendary Full Dive Virtual Reality.

He didn't know how much time had passed—it could have been a minute, or maybe an hour. In the world of the soul, Shinji lost track of time, only knowing that after the final adjustment, he had finally regained all his senses.

The tactile feeling of the wind brushing against his cheek, the auditory sensation of leaves and grass swaying and rustling in the wind, the unique olfactory and gustatory sensations of plants and soil dampened by dew, and the visual sight of endless greenery stretching across the landscape.

Everything was indistinguishable from the real world—no, it was even more vivid than reality. Shinji could even clearly see the veins in the leaves and grass, fully appreciating a beauty starkly different from anything artificial.

"Is it the change brought by the soul's sublimation? Or is the world created by Mooncell inherently higher in level than the real world?"

Just as he was seeking further answers, familiar cheers reached his ears.

"This is the new world—hmm, it looks like a lot of fun! Yaaahoooo~~~"

Out of caution towards the unknown, Shinji wanted to stop Arcueid from shouting, but for some reason, he felt it unnecessary, as if another voice was telling him this place was safe and there was no need to worry.

He closed his eyes and let his perception spread.

Something strange happened—places his perception swept over appeared in his mind as miniature projections. Although somewhat rough compared to what his eyes captured, this comprehensive, wide-range detection method was unmatched by the five senses. Through these projections, Shinji also concluded that there was no danger around.

"Confirmed, it's a change in the soul. Indeed, it's a great gift."

The deeper he understood his changes, the less dissatisfied Shinji felt towards someone. After all, it's hard to bite the hand that feeds you—the more you receive, the softer you become.

"Whoa—"

Arcueid's voice again, this time tinged with surprise.

"What is it? Why are you making such a fuss?"

Shinji opened his eyes just in time to see Arcueid circling him and even reaching out to grab his hair.

"Shinji, you've suddenly grown bigger."

"What do you mean, 'grown bigger'? This is called growing up, dummy."

Casually brushing off Arcueid's hand, Shinji realized he had reverted to his adult form. This was only natural; Mooncell is a world of spirit particles, reading soul data, and the conclusion it reaches wouldn't be a 12-year-old.

He stretched lazily towards the sky, enjoying the feeling of not needing to look up at Arcueid anymore.

Arcueid was quite envious of this change, repeatedly asking, "Hey, hey, how did you do it? I want to try it too."

"This is my special ability, usable only here. Besides, I don't think you need this ability because you are already perfect as you are now, no need for any changes."

Golden height, golden proportions, a dual princess of Earth and Moon—she was the very definition of perfection.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Hehe."

Arcueid laughed, a very happy laugh. "I've changed too. Did you notice?"

Shinji walked around Arcueid once, finally shaking his head—she was still wearing the same clothes they bought at the store, so what changed?

"Shinji, you're so dense. I've become something called a 'Servant' now, and you are my 'Master.' Haven't you felt the connection between us?"

Shinji's expression changed as he quickly began checking his state. Soon, he discovered a new bond between himself and Arcueid, along with three red markings on his hand.

"I see, so this is Gaia's method."

It was expected. In the world line of Fate/EXTRA, Arcueid seemed to have entered Mooncell using this method.

Was Gaia employing this method to have Arcueid watch over him, to make him Arcueid's suppressor, or perhaps both?

Regardless, the fact that they had become intertwined was already established. She couldn't shake him off, and he wouldn't abandon her. Together, they would explore this unknown world, supporting each other.

But before the official exploration—

"Arcueid, let's run some tests first."

"What kind of tests?"

"To see what differences there are between here and Earth, and how we've changed. Come on, let's start with a run to test our speed."

"Okay!!!"

Immediately, dust flew and grass leaves scattered.

The two, immersed in the new world, didn't realize that after their consciousnesses left, new visitors had entered the cargo hold. This person didn't trigger Shinji's protective and alert magic, nor was detected by Arcueid's fantasy.

He simply stood not far from them, quietly observing their two sleeping faces leaning against each other. After a while, he nodded slightly and said in an old yet vigorous voice:

"It seems to have succeeded… I never thought you would make such a choice. Here's a piece of advice: don't harm this child if you hope for a different future."

After speaking, the visitor's figure became increasingly faint until it vanished.

Simultaneously, the quietly sleeping princess suddenly opened her eyes, gazing at the spot where the visitor had disappeared.

Her eyes were still beautifully red but were replaced by profound transcendence and detachment.