Part 34: Dawn Arc - Warpath

Warpath


Attila

...In the first set, the Umbral Star forged me into a weapon and deployed me here. "Anti-Civilization". "Anti-World". A killing tool and nothing more... I demolished every sentient being in sight, and all their life's work with them. That's the reason I existed at all. But...I do have a few blurry memories of my life before all that began.

Obviously, her most prominent role was as a weapon of mass destruction. But what was she like before she became one?

Well, I can't tell you much about my origin, but I can say... My core is based on an amalgamation of data from other worlds Velber previously harvested.

That...surprises me. In a way, she's the last survivor of an alien race, or maybe several. Does that mean I made First Contact? The thought of that comes as a shock....but on another level, it feels natural. Maybe because we've been through so many battles together, and I still feel like I'm already used to her. She really is a stranger in a strange land, even after all this time. And here I am in the middle of that. Close to what might be the end of her journey, she ends up meeting me. I wonder what that says for both of us.

Ages ago, when I was made...no, awakened into a weapon, I came to this system aboard a fragment of the Umbral Star. When the Umbral Star discovers a civilization of sentient begins, it sets a rendezvous course and slowly moves into orbit around it. To the people of Earth, that orbit may have looked like a comet, splitting the heavens. The Umbral Star arrived here in the Sol system, sending that fragment out as it circled the Earth. That fragment, with me in it, stabbed the Far Side of the Moon, thereby infiltrating the Moon Cell. In a digital form, I connected to the Moon Cell's photon network and carved out a section of SE.RA.PH for the Umbral Star. Then... The rest is as I told you before. I destroyed much of the Moon Cell's interior, and at the same time I sent my clone to Earth. ...But I wasn't able to achieve complete destruction. I lost both on the Moon and Earth, and the Umbral Star moved on to the next galaxy. Its last order was to "wait for the next round". So I waited here for the Umbral Star's return. 100 years in the cavern. 1,000. 10,000. And then, a few centuries after that... I saw a dream. I witnessed the life of an Earth hero, the champion of her people. The courageous life of "Attila".



...My offshoot. My twin. The hero who lived on Earth for me. That's my second set of memories.

Attila. That's the name of the leader who founded one of Earth's greatest empire. A descendant of the Xiongnu, she was the ruler and war chief of the Huns. In the fifth century, she conquered a vast stretch of land from West Asia to Russia, Eastern Europe, and Gaul. I'd like to know more about how she and Altera tie together.

On Earth...in the Sahara Desert, specifically, they discovered her. 14,000 years ago, I revealed myself on the edge of the continent and began to head toward the center, leaving a trail of defeated gods and humans alike. But on that warpath, a human hero defeated me. I continued to stagger through the desert, until finally I crumbled into ruin. But my remains held a secret...a backup, you might say. A kind of brain, preserved in the rubble, retained the memories of Sephyr...and encased it in the artificial body of a young human. She slept there for many, many years.

A backup. Sounds kind of like a Heroic Spirit's core, in a way. ...Then that was...

...Yes, that was "me" on Earth. A mock human, born by accident. The elders of the Huns deciphered the ancient warning about Sephyr. They found the "Giant God's" remains. Inside, they found the backup. By then, her memories had decayed. She didn't remember her name or where she came from. The elders gave her the name "Attila" and welcomed her to the tribe of the Huns. She was perplexed, but she accepted her new self. More than accepted it. Her heart swelled with happiness to be among those who welcomed and loved her. She lived on Earth as if she were a human, defining her life on her own terms. ...By her time, the destruction I'd wrought had long since been rebuilt. She saw a world of strength and beauty. And I saw it too. She lived as her own independent being, but her life is still deeply connected to mine. ...On a fundamental level, she and I were still the same. Different sizes, of course, but she trampled other civilizations just as I did. But unlike her, I was wrong. The difference between us was that she had her own goal. As the leader of the Huns, Attila fought and destroyed other clans and nations for the prosperity of her own. Many humans today would consider her deeds atrocities. ...And they'd be right.

To harm others for your own benefit...humans would call that pure evil. To eradicate others by the thousands, just to seize what they built for yourself...

...So then what does that make me? I destroy for the sake of destruction. Not for any other purpose. It's my one guiding principle. There's no reasoning there. And that's why I don't consider it evil.

I can understand where she's coming from. There's no motive, no self-interest, behind what she does, and I don't think there's any malice behind it either. She thinks of herself like a natural disaster. She was a force of nature, with no free will or ill intent. That's her truth.

If all these hands can do is destroy, then I can live with that. But...it's not what I want. I want to leave something meaningful behind. Like a human would, from the moment they're born. Like a civilization would. Attila could run through those beautiful fields. She had a tribe she could relate to. And she found something to believe in. To live on, even in ugliness or evil... And one day...return to that land...



Over all those thousands of years, this killing machine has rusted and broken down. That's...what I am now.

You know, it's weird. The above was an optional scene, but there's so much character stuff and worldbuilding in extra scenes, you'd miss a *huge* chunk of the plot without viewing all of them. For a game that allows you the option of completely ignoring them, yet there is a lot of plot, it's a bit strange. Continuing to talk with Altera...

By the way, I haven't told you about my sword yet, have I? The concept of a sword, of course, comes from ancient times, back to the first primitive cutting tools. This one belonged to the God of War, one of the 12 original pillars of nature. You might have heard him referred to as Ares or Mars.

Right. Ares was his Greek name, and Mars was his Roman name, if I remember correctly.

I don't think that's *exactly* how it works. The way I understand it, the Romans had their own pantheon of Jupiter, Venus, Mars, etc., that they "identified" with the Greek pantheon. As in, they're not exactly the same individual, it's just the Romans going "Hey, your Zeus is a lot like our Jupiter". At least that's the way I've heard it.

Yes. Like the other gods of his day, he was the personification of a concept - obviously "war", in his case. And 14,000 years ago, I faced him in battle. He was the greatest enemy I'd ever fought. And when I defeated him, his sword became my trophy. SE.RA.PH noticed that I'd become a sword wielder, and by its terminology, changed my class accordingly. As a result, I gained the power to manifest the Sword of Mars at will. It's a little known fact that Attila had the same power. She could hold any object and transform it into the Sword of Mars, just as I could. ...In a way, the moment I picked up that sword was the moment I started becoming who I am today. It's that important to me.



Not the only Heroic Spirit who can transform everyday things into powerful weapons. Lancelot, manifested as a Berserker, can grab anything that could even conceivably be a weapon, and thanks to his reputation as a peerless knight, instantly master all its functions and use it as an extremely powerful weapon.

Also, remember this stuff about the Sword of Mars. Altera doesn't talk about it much, but hey, just put it under your hat for now. Regardless, it is certainly true it's a nice sword.

Thank you very much. Hearing you say that makes me very...happy.



In spite of how much territory we already control, such things can be deceiving. We'll be facing three of Nero's generals: Cu, Nameless, and Li Shuwen. Prepare well.


Another path?

The perfectly fused Regalia will have full authorization to the Moon Cell and becomes a universal functionality code key... It's like holding the Moon Cell in your hand. It was created as as special case, to prepare for the recurring 14,000-year threat. For that reason, the Umbral Star wants it destroyed.

I understand that, but it seems like there might be more to it. If the Regalia does give its wearer that kind of power, why not use it rather than just destroying it?

...Good question. But the Umbral Star doesn't care to use anything that came from the Moon. The Regalia must be completely destroyed. That's the order, and it's crystal clear. Long ago, the Umbral Star wounded the Moon Cell by driving the Ark of the Stars deep into it, hacking away at its data. All the Moon Cell could do was create a dead zone within itself to quarantine the infection. That's the Zero Dark. To the Moon Cell, the Zero Dark is like a gaping hole in its body. Imagine what that would feel like to a human. Even if it didn't hurt, wouldn't it be intolerable?

...Not unlike if a part of your body turned to stone, I suppose. I could see how that would be irritating. But if the Moon Cell did indeed successfully quarantine Altera...

...Yes, that was basically a draw. But it wasn't the end. The Moon Cell struck one more blow, out in space. ...By sealing the coordinates to the solar system. It deployed a jammer powerful enough to cover the entire galaxy. Even after all this time, the Umbral Star is still flying blind because of that. So as long as the Moon Cell continues to function normally, the Umbral Star can't sense the whereabouts of this system. Conversely, if the Moon Cell were to lose functionality, the Umbral Star...

...would be able to find this system and fly here at light speed. If the full Regalia gets destroyed, there's no other outcome. I see. It sounds like she was giving me the rough synopsis, but it does make sense. And since it's coming from her, I believe it.

...? Are you not upset? My main priority is to continue my original mission. To destry everything on the Moon and the surface of Earth, and to complete the Harvest. No matter what we say to each other, or how much time we spend, it all ends the same way. I will burn and devour all the works of mankind, all the history of mankind, even the history of this planet's journey through the stars. Everything your people know will die. I'm still your enemy. Your archenemy. Everyone's archenemy. So... It's okay. You don't need to hold back. You can be angry. Scream at me. Call me anything you want. You won't hurt my feelings. When we first met, and you tried to run...you had the right idea.

Pretty heavy stuff...also good to know that Hakuno's sitting on Altera's giant shoulder again.

No, I won't get upset. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything. Altera's never hidden who she is or what she'd here to do, even if she didn't always spell it out for me. So part of me has always been cautious and afraid of her. I don't really know what to say to her right now.

Well... I know what you mean, but...

*nod* Right. Altera's been consistent from the start. Guarding the Zero Dark, restoring the Regalia, it's all for the sake of shutting down the Moon Cell. Restoring me to my former self just happens to be a side effect of her actual goal.

...You're...right... In the end, I'm...just the Umbral Star's...

It's okay. I understand that she had no choice. She can't go against the Umbral Star. Even if she didn't have a Master, she still would have wanted to restore the Regalia. Same result either way, so there's no use getting mad about it now. I tell her not to make that face. When she gets sad, I do too.

...! You never change, do you? And here I was, so nervous about what I was saying...

She told me the gist of things in the beginning, and I just wanted to confirm it. What matters now is not in the past, but up ahead. With that in mind, there's one other thing I want to know... Hypothetically... What if, just for argument's sake, the Umbral Star didn't exist? What would she want to do?

...If...? ...That question is... I'm sorry, but all I can say is that there's no use thinking in thinking about it. Even now, the Umbral Star is searching for this place beyond light speed. There's no chance of it going away. ...But even without the Umbral Star, I'd have the same existence. I will obtain the Regalia and take over this world. Destruction and domination is in my nature. But...



If the impossible could be made possible... If any monster's wish...could be granted...I... I dreamed of Earth, where it wasn't dark...where I could stand underneath a blue sky, with my feet in the soil... I want to live, and leave something behind.

It was like a weak echo. It was as if she was talking to herself more than answering the question. We all have the kinds of hopes that the world doesn't allow. That's what dreams are. Altera's wish. Her dream. Ironically, she's about to conquer the Moon's Holy Grail, which is supposed to grant any wish from anyone, and I think she might be the one exception to that. So even the enemy of the Holy Grail harbors a wish. Well, who doesn't? Nothing wrong with that.



But I won't tell her that yet. For now, I'll keep quiet about it. Okay. First, we need to restore the Regalia and gain the Royal Authority. Once we have that, I'll search the Moon Cell's databases for possible methods on severing Altera's connection to the Umbral Star. Supposedly, the Moon Cell has virtually infinite amounts of information, so there must be something there.

Ah, so there's Hakunon's plans. It's...a little dangerous, to say the least. The biggest problem, of course, would be Altera. If the Regalia were really fully united (something we've only seen very briefly, from the opening scene with Archimedes up until the point where Hakunon split her Mind, Body, and Soul apart), how would she react? Don't think Hakunon truly has it in her to stand up to the Scourge of God.

Next problem is any interference Archimedes / Elizabeth may run. Archimedes seems the only dude on the Forces of Destruction (himself, Elizabeth, and Altera and her lieutenants) who is 100% focused on the goal. For god's sake, he's traveled across more than one timeline to reach the timeline where a fully united Regalia could be destroyed. Those two are something to watch out for.

Finally, there's always a chance there *isn't* a way to sever Altera's connection with Velber (curiously, I don't recall Altera ever using its actual name when talking about the thing). The Moon Cell is a supercomputer created by a very ancient alien species, and periodically sends out observational pulses of the Earth, and it stands to reason, data in outer space. So complete is the database that it has recorded every event and possibility on Earth. But just like dividing by zero or going further south than the South Pole, some things are just impossible to accomplish. Let's hope this isn't one of those things...



...I'm sorry. I've been talking to myself. I'm not usually like this. But I suddenly... Did I scare you?

*shakes head* All I can tell her now is that I'm ready to fight to my heart's content. Empty body or not, amnesia or not, this goal is enough to keep me going. I'll fight for Altera's wish. But just to keep her from guessing that, all I give her for now is a bittersweet smile.

...? Oh, you made me smile too. What are you thinking? Did you think of something amusing? ...Is that so? *giggle* I would like to hear what you remember that was so entertaining. But before that, I'll prepare my special meal. It has outstanding healing effects... It-It fully restores your spirit. I studied it. I searched through volumes of information... I've learned the value in that kind of studying. Ummm... Well...I can't really go into detail... There's an enemy program that automatically spawns in the Zero Dark, similar to a certain mythological monster from Earth. I used a bit of that, and... Hello? Is something the matter?

I think it would depend on the monster, to determine how big a problem this is... Best not to ask questions. How much could a digital meal do to us?



*alarm chimes*

The time has already come... The Umbral Star is calling. It's time to go into battle. The Tear of the Star is crying for us to obtain the last fragment of the Regalia and the Royal Authority. There's no ignoring the sound of that bell. We are up against the Red Saber. Your... Your former main Servant. One of the two Servants who fought beside you in the Holy Grail War. The one who stood by you the longest.

There's actually no strict limit on the number of Servants that be contracted to a single Master. Ignoring Grand Order, since that summoning system operates on different rules, the only thing limiting the number of contracts a Master can have is the Master's ability to supply mana to a Servant. Normally, a Master's mana isn't anywhere close to enough to support a Servant, but the Holy Grail (in the Moon or the Fuyuki Grail War, for instance) accounts for the difference, up to a point. The Moon's Grail War is a bit more generous than Earth-based ones, so that's how Hakuno, an average at best magus, was able to contract with Nero and Tamamo at the same time.

Of course, that relies on the Master finding a stray Servant, that has no Master and is about to disappear, and making a new contract. A truly outstanding Master, like the Sakura Matou of stay night fame, has such staggeringly high mana output she can maintain a Servant's physical body without needing the Grail. Such a thing would be far beyond Hakuno's ability.

Let's go. I've already decided my fate... With this remaining Body, with this consciousness that may fade at any moment. Besides that, I'll need to work for the meals you've prepared.



...Please return safely. My Master.



I think I have the gist of what the other Altera discussed with you. I'm the dream that the mainframe dreams. I can't think like my mainframe does, and none of the mainframe's memories could ever be transferred to me. But I understand how you feel. Right now, even existing as this avatar feels....warm inside. I don't think that will last. But it's nice for now. ...Let's go, Master.

*nod* She said she didn't think it would last. Not long ago, I wouldn't think this Altera would have any interest in such feelings at all. At the same time, I caught a little tremor in her voice when she said "for now". Maybe she thinks things will change between us soon. I can't help but laugh to myself. They really are both Altera. How could I feel any differently about a woman who's so open like this? *teleported into ring* Hang on. Maybe I should have asked this sooner, but I do want to say one thing before we go into battle.

What?

I tell her, if the other party wants to talk like Caster did, I want her to listen. If at all possible, I want less bloodshed this time.

...All right. Understood. I promise. But only if they negotiate in good faith. If not, then only destruction awaits. We'll fight them, we'll crush them, and the final piece of the Regalia will be ours.