002 - Fate/Half Astral

"I'm really sorry for disappearing, and I will never do it again!"

"Say it one more time," Olga's voice came sternly from Fujimaru's bracelet.

"I'm really sorry for disappearing, and I will never do it again!!!" Ritsu shouted loudly, her voice echoing.

The moment Ritsu appeared, Olga began scolding her relentlessly, berating her for disappearing without a word and causing panic among the Chaldea staff.

"You scared everyone! If you're ever going to leave again, you must tell us beforehand. Do you understand?" Olga's stern voice carried through the communicator, ensuring Ritsu felt the weight of her actions.

"Yes, ma'am! I promise!" Ritsu replied sheepishly.

While Ritsu endured Olga's lecture, the two Jeannes stood silently, staring at each other.

"Who are you? How can you look exactly like me?" Jeanne Alter asked sharply, her golden eyes narrowing as she glared at the other Jeanne.

"I am Jeanne d'Arc," the other Jeanne replied calmly.

"You? Jeanne d'Arc? Don't make me laugh. I'm Jeanne d'Arc!" Jeanne Alter's voice rose, filled with defiance. But as the words left her mouth, she froze.

Her mind echoed with what Ritsu had told her earlier: "You're not Jeanne d'Arc, beautiful nee-san."

"I'm not... Jeanne?" Jeanne Alter murmured, her eyes widening in shock as the realization struck her.

"Are you okay?" The original Jeanne asked, concern etched on her face as she watched her counterpart's sudden change in demeanor.

"I'm not... Jeanne... Then who am I...?" Jeanne Alter whispered, her body trembling as she stared down at her hands, her expression filled with confusion and fear.

"Hey, are you alright?" Fujimaru stepped forward, concern evident in his voice as he cautiously approached her.

"Don't come near me!" Jeanne Alter screamed, her voice filled with anguish as she instinctively released a surge of mana into the air, forcing Fujimaru to stop in his tracks.

"No... Gilles told me I'm Jeanne... But this is also Jeanne... and Ritsu said I'm not Jeanne... Then the memories I have..." Jeanne Alter's voice faltered, her hands gripping her head as her internal conflict escalated.

Jeanne Alter kept muttering to herself, her hands clutching her head, her voice trembling with uncertainty. The others watched, confused and unsure of what to do. They had no idea how to handle this strange behavior from her.

Meanwhile, Ritsu, who was still being scolded by Olga, suddenly felt the overwhelming surge of mana emanating from Jeanne Alter. She paused, glancing toward the source.

"Beautiful nee-san? What happened?" Ritsu stood up, ignoring Olga's voice, and quickly approached Jeanne Alter.

Jeanne Alter continued muttering, gripping her head as if trying to piece together fragmented thoughts. Ritsu could clearly hear her repeatedly whisper, "Who am I?"

"Is this what Mommy Djeeta called an identity crisis? She told me Papa had something like this a long time ago," Ritsu murmured to herself, tilting her head as she observed Jeanne Alter's trembling figure.

Seeing her distress, Ritsu made a decision. Without hesitation, she stepped closer and wrapped her small arms around Jeanne Alter's waist. Then, with a faint shimmer, two dark wings unfurled from Ritsu's back.

The wings gently enveloped Jeanne Alter, their soft feathers wrapping around her like a cocoon. The warmth and soothing presence from the wings seemed to radiate comfort, calming the storm of emotions swirling inside Jeanne Alter.

"It's fine, it's fine, beautiful nee-san. I don't know what's going on, but everything's going to be okay," Ritsu said softly, her voice tender and reassuring.

Though Ritsu was only nine years old and much shorter than Jeanne Alter, her embrace around Jeanne Alter's waist, combined with her large wings, was enough to cover and comfort her. Jeanne Alter's trembling began to subside as she slowly sank into the warmth and solace offered by the little girl.

------

"Are you okay now?" Ritsu asked Jeanne Alter, looking up at her with concern.

"Yes... I'm fine," Jeanne Alter murmured, her hands gently stroking the wings that had been wrapped around her. She couldn't deny how soft and comforting they felt, soothing her turmoil.

Wait... wings?

"Huh? What is this? Are these wings? How do you even have these?!" Jeanne Alter suddenly asked, her tone a mix of surprise and curiosity as she continued running her hands along the feathers.

"Hahaha, stop rubbing my wings like that! It tickles!" Ritsu giggled, squirming slightly.

"Ah..." Jeanne Alter quickly withdrew her hands, stepping back while keeping her eyes fixed on the wings.

Ritsu let her wings vanish, the dark feathers dissipating into nothingness. She took a deep breath to calm herself from laughing. "These are my wings. My papa is an Astral and a Primarch, so I inherited Primarch wings too," she explained with a proud smile.

"Primarch? Another race I've never heard of..." Jeanne Alter muttered to herself.

"Umm, sorry to interrupt, but I really have no idea what's going on," Jeanne d'Arc interjected, raising her hand awkwardly.

"Yeah, same here," Fujimaru added.

"Me too," Mash agreed.

Ritsu then explained everything that had happened since her arrival in the Singularity—from her first encounter with Jeanne Alter to their journey here.

"That's really dangerous! You walked straight into the enemy's base all alone?!" Mash exclaimed, her voice filled with worry.

"It's fine. This beautiful nee-san isn't an enemy. She's just confused," Ritsu said casually, waving her hand.

"Confused? What do you mean?" Jeanne asked, glancing at Jeanne Alter.

But when Jeanne Alter noticed Jeanne looking at her, she quickly turned her head away, avoiding eye contact.

Before Ritsu could answer, Draco suddenly materialized beside her, emerging from her body. "That's because she's just a copy," Draco said bluntly.

"A copy?" Jeanne, Mash, and Fujimaru repeated in unison, their voices filled with surprise.

"This Jeanne is basically a copy of you," Draco continued, pointing at Jeanne Alter. "So she's a fake, and you're the real one."

"A fake?! I'm not fake! That Jeanne is fake!" Jeanne Alter snapped, her voice trembling with frustration.

"Nee-san... what Draco said is true," Ritsu said gently, shaking her head.

"When I fixed your Saint Graph and the Grail inside you, I realized you're not the real Jeanne d'Arc. You're something the Holy Grail created—a kind of fanfiction, like my mama called it. The Grail can grant wishes, so someone probably wished for you to exist."

"What? Someone created me?" Jeanne Alter froze, her expression shifting as realization dawned on her. She knew exactly who that someone was—the person she first saw when she opened her eyes. The one who whispered in her ear, urging her to destroy France and Orleans.

"Gilles..."

"Gilles? You mean that Gilles?" Jeanne d'Arc asked, her voice tinged with shock.

"I see. From your reaction, Gilles is the one who created you and triggered this Singularity," Olga's voice emerged from Fujimaru's bracelet.

"Then we need to find him to put an end to this Singularity," Mash said firmly.

"Wait, Ritsu, did you say you can feel the Holy Grail inside that Jeanne?" Da Vinci's voice chimed in from the bracelet.

"Yup," Ritsu nodded.

"Then we've already found the Grail we need to resolve this Singularity," Da Vinci said.

"Oh right! That's why we're here—to fix the Singularity and retrieve the Grail," Fujimaru said, recalling their mission.

"But if we pull out the Grail, what will happen to this Jeanne?" Mash asked, her voice laced with concern.

"She'll disappear," Draco answered nonchalantly. "Since she's powered by the Grail and has no real historical foundation, when she dies, she'll disappear for good. No Throne of Heroes, no coming back."

"What!? That can't be! If I die, I just disappear forever and won't exist anymore!?" Jeanne Alter screamed in panic, her voice trembling.

"Yes," Draco answered without hesitation.

Jeanne Alter's day had gone from strange to outright disastrous in mere minutes. First, she met another version of herself, and now she was being told that her existence was entirely dependent on the Grail and she'd vanish forever if she died.

"Calm down, nee-san! All you need to do is not die... Wait! You can just make a contract with me!" Ritsu suddenly suggested, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"A... contract?" Jeanne Alter asked, confused.

"Yeah! You can just rely on my Mana instead of the Grail to exist! I still have my command spells, and Chucu hasn't shown up yet, so I can make a contract with you!" Ritsu explained enthusiastically.

"Rely on your Mana...?" Jeanne Alter murmured, trying to process what she was hearing.

"Or, I can use another method I just thought of!" Ritsu said, her voice brimming with confidence.

"Another method? What is it?" Jeanne asked, frowning in confusion.

"I can ask Papa to rewrite history and make nee-san your big sister or something. That way, she'd become part of proper history and could appear in the Throne of Heroes!" Ritsu said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Fujimaru, Mash, and Jeanne all shouted in unison, completely taken aback.

"I see, that could work. Rei can definitely do that," Draco said, nodding as if the suggestion was entirely reasonable.

"DEFINITELY NOT!" Olga's voice erupted from Fujimaru's bracelet, loud and panicked. "The history is already chaotic as it is, and now you want to rewrite it!?"

"You don't need to worry, woman," Draco replied coolly. "Rei's ability to rewrite history isn't like Goetia's method. When he changes history, the future adapts to the new history he creates. No one would even realize their entire lives had changed."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

"Are you serious?" Jeanne asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm pretty sure she's serious," Olga said reluctantly. "I've seen what Ritsu's father can do."

"Well, that doesn't matter right now," Draco interjected, changing the subject. She turned to Jeanne Alter. "So, what are you going to choose, Avenger?"

"My choice..." Jeanne Alter muttered, her expression dark and contemplative. She was furious at Gilles for lying to her and manipulating her into this situation. She was confused, conflicted, and unsure of what to believe anymore.

Suddenly, Ritsu clapped her hands, breaking the tense atmosphere. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Enough with the heavy stuff, nee-san! You can think about that later. Let's do what we came here for in the first place!" Ritsu said cheerfully.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Fujimaru asked, blinking in confusion.

"Of course, we're going to burn some people!" Ritsu declared, her face lighting up with a mischievous grin.