Fate: Gremory [Remake] (ENG)

Chapter 1

The sky of the Underworld stretched in dark and reddish hues, tinged with an eternal twilight that never gave way to day or night. From the windows of the home, the dim lights of torches and the glow of magic crystals illuminated the hallways with a warm amber light, contrasting with the gloomy landscape outside. Esdeath made her way down the hallway, her light blue hair gleaming dimly in the golden light of the lamps.

With a firm step, she stopped in front of the wooden door that led to her mother's office. She gave three soft knocks, which echoed in the silent room, and from within Serafall's cheerful voice answered:

"You can come in."

Turning the knob, Esdeath entered calmly. The office was filled with shelves filled with grimoires and antique scrolls, with a dark oak desk covered in documents. The atmosphere, although solemn, was welcoming due to the warm lights that contrasted with the reddish hue of the sky outside. Serafall looked up and frowned, confused at the sight of the young woman with light blue hair and red eyes who had just entered.

"Hmm? Who are you?" asked Serafall, bowing her head. She didn't recognize the young woman in front of her, but those red eyes were familiar.

Esdeath smiled with amusement. "I am your daughter," she replied calmly. "I dyed my hair."

"Akane?! Really?!" Serafall nearly jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide open in surprise. "I can't believe it! What happened to my little daughter?"

Esdeath let out a slight laugh, reveling in her mother's reaction. "I don't want to be Akane anymore," she explained. "That name belongs to someone who no longer exists. I've changed, mother. Now I'm Esdeath."

Serafall was silent for a moment, watching her daughter with a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. She rose from her chair and walked toward Esdeath, studying every detail: the light blue hair that cascaded over her shoulders and the red eyes that now glowed with icy intensity.

"Esdeath..." she repeated, testing the name on her lips. "It's a strong name, suitable for you. But I can't help but feel like I've lost my little Akane."

"I will always be your daughter," Esdeath said, taking her mother's hand gently. "But I've changed. My power has grown, and with it, my identity. From now on, I'm Esdeath."

Serafall squeezed her daughter's hand, a gesture full of love and acceptance. "I understand," she replied in a soft voice. "If this is the path you have chosen, I will support you. Although... it will be hard to stop calling you Akane."

"You may call me as you wish," Esdeath replied with a slight smile. "But to the rest of the world, I'm Esdeath."

Serafall let out a sigh, regaining her typical playful smile. "My powerful daughter with a new identity! Even if you change your name, you are still my adorable girl."

Esdeath let out a brief, defiant laugh. "We'll see how much you still think that when you find out how much I've really changed."

"I hope to see those changes," Serafall replied, picking up some documents from her desk. "But tell me, what brings you here today? I'm sure it's not just to show me your new look."

Esdeath's face became serious, and her red eyes flashed with a cold flash. "You are right," she said as she folded her arms. "I want to talk to you about a recent meeting. I saw Rias Gremory... and a young man who accompanied her."

"A young man?" asked Serafall, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Who was he?"

"They called him Sengo," Esdeath replied, remembering the boy with white hair and deep red eyes. "But then I discovered his real name: Senji Muramasa."

Serafall's face lit up with unexpected excitement, like a little girl receiving a gift. "Senji-chan! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed in a voice full of joy. "You found it! What did you think of your father in this little encounter? Is he as handsome as I remember her? Did he tell you something exciting?"

Esdeath remained impassive, with a slight smile on her lips, although inside she felt a mixture of contradictory thoughts. She knew how much this man meant to her mother, and how much she had idealized him in her mind. However, she decided not to share the cold response she had received from him.

"It was a very brief encounter," Esdeath replied calmly, choosing her words carefully. "We barely exchanged a few words."

Serafall didn't seem to notice the caution in her daughter's voice, or perhaps she ignored it on purpose. In her mind, she was already creating a romantic image of the reunion. "I'm sure I was as surprised as you are!" she said, with a melodious laugh that filled the room. "He was always a little distant, but I'm sure deep down he must have felt something special when he saw you. You're his daughter, after all!"

Esdeath nodded, hiding Sengo's true answer that echoed in her mind:

"Oh? Have you come to receive some brotherly love from me? I'm sorry, but I have no interest in doing such a thing... even if you were my daughter."

The coldness of those words had left a slight mark on her, but she wasn't going to let her mother know. Serafall's smile was too radiant to destroy with the reality of this encounter.

"Perhaps," Esdeath said, shrugging. "Who knows what I was thinking at the time?"

Serafall took a small leap, approaching her daughter and holding her hands. "Oh, Akane! I'm so excited to know that you found it. Isn't that amazing? Fate is giving us another chance to get together as a family!"

Esdeath gently withdrew her hands, keeping her expression serene. "Maybe. But I'm not going to jump to conclusions by a mere chance encounter," she said, bowing slightly. "If it doesn't bother you, I'll go to my room to rest. It's been a long day."

"Of course, my dear!" exclaimed Serafall, smiling broadly. "Rest, and don't forget to think of something nice. Maybe next time you can give her a hug from me!"

Esdeath merely nodded, turning toward the door. As she walked out of the office, she felt her mother's loving gaze on her. She closed the door behind her and paused for a moment in the hallway, looking up at the dark, reddish sky of the Underworld through a nearby window.

"Even if you were my daughter..." she thought to herself, repeating Sengo's words. Is this the kind of man my mother fell in love with?

However, she did not let that doubt turn into resentment. She was not the innocent child who sought the approval of an absent father. She was Esdeath Leviathan, and she would forge her own destiny, no matter what past bound her.

With one last glance toward the horizon, she headed for her room, leaving behind the echo of her mother's memories and fantasies.

The next day...

The dark, reddish sky of the Underworld watched Alexander Gremory and Esdeath's training. In the Gremorys' private courtyard, the two clashed, with Alexander holding his katana firmly, while Esdeath looked down on her from a distance, her red eyes shining with an intensity that reflected her excitement.

"I hope you're ready, Alexander," Esdeath warned, raising her hand. At that instant, her eyes began to change color, transforming into a luminous azure blue, a sign that she was using her ice magic.

Without warning, Esdeath conjured a flurry of ice stakes, which formed in the air like sharp spears, glowing with an icy glow. The stakes flew towards Alexander at an impressive speed, like a shower of crystal arrows.

Alexander concentrated, his violet eyes following each projectile precisely. He raised his katana, making precise slashes that shattered every stake of ice on contact. Shards of ice fell around him, creating an icy haze in the air.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of steel cutting through the ice echoed throughout the courtyard. The katana in his hands stood firm, showing no signs of wear. Alexander moved forward, dodging and cutting off every attack without missing a beat.

Esdeath, sitting cross-legged on the floor, watched him with an amused smile, her expression showing a hint of satisfaction. Her eyes kept shining with that light blue hue, demonstrating the power of his magic.

"You're doing well, Alexander," she commented in a complimentary tone. "Your reflexes have improved quite a bit since the last time we trained."

Alexander landed softly after dodging one last attack, maintaining his guard stance. He took a deep breath and then cracked a small smile. "Your ice attacks are more powerful than before," he admitted. "It's a good challenge, although your smile is the scariest thing of all."

Esdeath let out a light laugh, showing a gleam of pride in her eyes. "You haven't seen anything yet, Alexander. We're just warming up."

While the training continued in the Underworld, in the outside world, exactly in Takamagahara, a completely different battle was being fought. Under a clear blue sky, a sacred field had become the training ground for a young woman with light blonde hair. Her golden locks fell in soft waves that shot out in all directions, and her violet eyes flashed with a defiant flash as she looked at her opponents.

The young woman was Izayoi Saigou, a girl of monstrous strength who faced the Shinto gods themselves without showing signs of tiredness. Each of them fell before her, one after the other, as if they were mere obstacles in her way. A god in golden armor attempted to attack her with a divine spear, but Izayoi intercepted it with her bare hand, shattering the weapon into pieces with a smile.

"Is that all the gods of this world have?" asked Izayoi, with a mixture of mockery and disappointment in her voice. Her movements were swift and precise, as if she anticipated each attack with ease. Her strength was so overwhelming that even the most powerful gods trembled when confronted with her.

From a corner, under the shade of a tree, Senji watched the spectacle with his arms crossed and an expression of satisfaction on his face. The wind was billowing his white hair as his red eyes followed Izayoi's every move. A smile full of pride and fun was drawn on his lips.

"I expected nothing less from you, Izayoi," he thought to himself. The young woman's strength was a reminder of the wild and overflowing nature of her spirit, something that had always fascinated him. For him, watching Izayoi crush Shinto gods wasn't just entertaining; It was a sign that this girl was destined for something much bigger.

"If it continues like this," Senji muttered to himself, "soon there will be no divine being or monster that can stand against it."

Izayoi finished knocking down the last of her opponents, a god who tried to ram her in a last-ditch effort. The young woman simply dodged her, and with a swift movement, sent her flying through the air, smashing her to the ground. Izayoi stretched, rolling her shoulders as if she had only completed a warm-up.

"Senji," Izayoi called, turning to look at her mentor with a bright smile. "Who's next?"

Senji let out a light laugh and walked towards her, shaking his head. "You have left the gods speechless, Izayoi. Maybe it's time to look for more interesting challenges."

Izayoi crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "More interesting? If you have anything in mind, tell me at once."

Senji looked at her with an enigmatic expression. "Oh, of course I do," he replied, his eyes shining with a flash of mystery. "But you will find out in due time."

Side Story: Do you want to be my Queen?

Senji walked through the streets of Kyoto in a light rain that soaked his cloak. The sound of water hitting the pavement echoed in the calm air, as the dim lights of the lanterns reflected the humidity of the day. It was an ordinary afternoon, until something made him stop.

A presence. Senji turned his head slightly, perceiving the figure of a woman walking beside him, right behind him. At first, he thought it was another passerby, but then he noticed that she didn't seem to rush like everyone else. The woman wore an elegant kimono that combined dark blue and deep red, adorned with a subtle four-petal pattern on her left shoulder. Her black hair, precisely pulled back in a low bun, contrasted perfectly with her serene bearing.

She was staring at him. Senji frowned, feeling the intense gaze on him, and at last, the woman broke the silence.

"… You're strong," she said quietly, almost whispering, as her eyes swept across his chest.

Senji raised an eyebrow, completely taken aback by the comment. He was not used to someone describing him that way, even less so an enigmatic woman. He turned completely to face her, his curiosity growing.

"Do you want to be my Queen?" She asked the question as calmly as she had used to speak of his strength, but this time the words seemed to fill the air with an unexpected charge.

Senji's face transformed into a mixture of confusion and surprise. What kind of game was this?

"What?"

The woman, without losing her composure, simply looked him in the eye, waiting for an answer with an amused smile.