Where even was this place? For Shirou it was difficult to tell, as it felt as if he was floating. He couldn't feel the ground, nor could he distinguish a general sense of direction. Different from being upside down in water where the direction of blood flow could allow the body to subconsciously tell up from down, this felt like space. There was no anchoring gravity to give a sense of direction, no forces at all.

This was void space; a realm of black. It was the common pathway between dimensions where nothing theoretically existed. One can't see, nor hear, nor feel within the boundary. Just as worlds started as specs in space, boundaries existed between them. In modern science terms, it's said that even now that the universe is expanding. The area outside the universe is what's considered the void space.

Most magi weren't scientifically inclined, but many did attempt to study the properties of worlds in order to reach the Akashic Root said to possess all knowledge. Those that reach the root are blessed with True Magic unable to be duplicated after seeing the truth of reality.

Now, Shirou knew nothing of the fundamentals of what just happened to him, but he didn't really care. He just wanted it to end. Hard as it was to believe, every second was feeling like an hour. By the time he regained a sense of stability, it was to find himself in an alien world bereft of all life and filled with grey dust and craters.

If anything, it looked like he was on the moon, and somehow breathing in oxygen. Regardless, there standing right across from him was a man in a tailored and high-collared black suit and tie. He wore an overcoat around his shoulder held together by a piece of woven rope fabric down the center. He gave off an air of nobility and mischievousness, but the manner in which he carried himself was reminiscent of a man who'd already experienced the highs and lows in life. All that was left was entertainment and recollection of what couldn't and could have been. The man's mane of grey hair and scruffy beard were almost iconic.

It was hard for Shirou to disregard the man, as other than himself, the man was the only other person around.

Again, Shirou was a third-rate magus who never really cared for the goal of reaching the Root, but it didn't mean that he was unaware of certain individuals never to associate with in the Clock Tower.

One name in particular was ringing true in his mind.

Zelretch, the Wizard Marshal.

Despite Zelretch's status as an undead and member of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors after his battle with Brunestud of the Crimson Moon, he was still an honorary member of the Clock Tower. Lorelei, the Queen of the Clock Tower barely tolerated his presence if at all, but this wasn't the point of contention.

Zelretch was known famously in the Mage's Association as the owner of the Second Magic, Kaleidoscope, the ability to freely access and harness the power of parallel worlds.

In short, he was a dimensional hopper who was well known to torment magi for his own amusement.

In Shirou's mind, he already understood that Nanoha was not one to randomly transport him through void space on a whim. She was the type who'd ask and make sure he was ready for such a thing to happen.

This left Shirou with only a single conclusion.

He'd drawn the attention of the Clock Tower's Wizard Marshal. He shuddered at the thought, but didn't let it get to him for long. Zelretch was already walking closer to him.

"I'd apologize for suddenly hurling you to a more private dimension if I was actually sorry, but I'm not." Zelretch shrugged, a gleam in his eyes. "You see, you've gotten yourself involved in a rather delicate situation that I'd rather not grow too complicated, Mr. Emiya."

Shirou wasn't even surprised that Zelretch knew of his name. In fact, there was hardly anything Zelretch did not know simply because of his Magic. If one world's you wouldn't speak, then what about another world's you? The thought itself was mind numbing, but this wasn't what mattered.

"What do you mean?" Shirou asked while steadying his feet so as not to fall. "I don't remember doing anything that should warrant any attention aside from ignoring certain protocols by the Clock Tower which I don't think you really care about."

It was true. Owners of the True Magic wouldn't care if magecraft as a whole were discovered by the general population. Their Magics were magics because they were all un-replicable, meaning that their effectiveness would never dwindle.

Zelretch narrowed his eyes, but soon grinned. "You'd be right if we were just dealing with matters of the home dimension, but you've just gotten yourself involved with a fairly troublesome organization called the Space-Time Administrative Bureau. In the many parallel worlds and dimensions that I have visited in my lifetime, only they were a constant presence."

Shirou did not miss the meaning of Zelretch's words. "D-Dimensions?" He stuttered out. "As in more than one, and not this one?"

Zelretch hummed whether in annoyance or wryness, Shirou didn't dare to confirm and simply waited for his answer.

"The Space-Time Administrative Bureau is an interdimensional security force from a civilization that has developed the magic to cross dimensions and worlds. They govern said worlds and restrict them with laws to uphold their form of 'peace,' while hoarding away relics of power from a lost magical civilization known as Lost Logia in their main dimensional hub." Here, Zelretch frowned. "They may believe that their actions are in the right, but from a different perspective, its like their removing any possibilities of a rival competitor rising up by taking away the weapons of a weaker dimension. This breeds the question of who's to stand against the STAB should they become corrupt? But that's not the current predicament. Sorry, I've been rambling. To a certain extent, you can think of the STAB as an advanced military organization equipped with my Kaleidoscope."

This statement alone already caused Shirou pause. If a True Magic could be replicated, then it would no longer be a True Magic. In a sense, he could see where Zelretch's concern could come from, but the man seemed too lax on the issue.

"Don't get me wrong, boy, but there's still a difference between my Magic and theirs. You see, they have the ability to jump between parallel universes, but my power oversee the operation of parallel universes." The distinction was a prominent one.

Zelretch's Jeweled Sword came to Shirou's mind. It was a sword that stored the boundless energy of parallel worlds and was able to launch it all out at once, utterly annihilating anything. Zelretch continued.

"The only problem is that I've made it a goal to keep the secret of magecraft away from the common knowledge of STAB to avoid a hassle. As far as they are concerned, our world is a magicless civilization. After all, nothing good would come with the discovery of magecraft in our home world. By the STAB's laws, the entire Mage's Association and its affiliates would be blacklisted for certain atrocities done by magi, and corrective measures would surely be taken."

Zelretch looked Shirou right in the eye. "This would mean war," he stated flatly. "If anything could unite magi, it's the shared dislike of anyone threatening their research. My motivations and some of the other Lords and rulers of the Clock Tower may differ, but in the end, we'd fight too. I can be lax, but I won't sit by as I still have a duty to the slumbering Princess of the Crimson Moon. If they come with the intent of subjugation, then they will see first hand the true power of our world, and that's exactly what must be stopped. The STAB do not know the existence of the Types, and conflict between dimensions may very well rouse them."

Silence permeated the area as Shirou contemplated what he'd just heard. He balled his hands into fists and thought not of the outcome of a battle between magi and the STAB, but of the causalities that would definitely be sustained. It wasn't an image he wished to dwell on, but one thing was still bothering him.

Since when did he come in contact with STAB? Wracking his mind for an explanation, he soon realized that there was only one variable that had changed about him as of late.

Nanoha and the mysterious jewel he'd picked up. With that in mind, he returned his attention back on Zelretch.

"I don't think you brought me here just to tell me about a hypothetical war," he surmised, brows furrowing together as he scratched the back of his head. "What is it that you want me to do?"

Zelretch was back to all smiles, his back straightening and gloved hands opening to reveal a small gem between his fingers. It was a familiar sight to Shirou.

"Recognize it?" Zelretch held up the particular azure gem to his eye level. "This is a Jewel Seed, and like my gemcraft, it holds a substantial amount of magical energy. This one in particular is nothing more than an imitation that I tried to recreate, but what you picked up was the genuine thing which STAB will definitely attempt to acquire. Coincidently, it has fused with you."

What? It was here that Shirou balked and immediately began running a diagnostic on himself. He found himself shuddering and feeling like he'd just been doused by a bucket of water at the revelation. Of the Twenty-Seven Magic Circuits within him, he became distinctly aware of an artificial 'twenty-eighth' that was abnormally large and pulsing with magical energy.

"Can't I just take it out somehow?" He asked to clarify.

"Do you really need an answer for that?"

True. He'd already checked the status of his body himself using Structural Analysis, and unless he could forcibly cut it out without killing himself, there was no way to remove it.

"Now here's what I need you to do," Zelretch got straight to the point. "That girl, Nanoha, works for the STAB situated in a dimension called Midchilda. Whatever you do, I need you to deceive her and keep the knowledge of magecraft in our world secret. Of course, this means that you should not agree to visit Midchilda lightly lest the more intelligent members see through any lies. How you intend to pull off this request is up to you, but you already know the alternative."

Shirou frowned. Despite the indifference Zelretch was giving off, he couldn't help but notice the amusement in the man's gaze for his situation.

Was he really going to be up for this task?

Knowing what was at stake however, it wasn't as if he could refuse. "Fine," he conceded.

Nanoha was stunned. No, she was flabbergasted. As a member of STAB, she'd long since been able to see the tell-tale signs of spatial displacement. The Administrative Bureau often used it when porting individuals or groups through worlds, and yet, Shirou's sudden disappearance clearly wasn't the work of her organization.

"Just to be clear," she radioed in with a magic receiver. "Nothing went wrong with the dimensional transfer, right?"

'Affirmative.' A familiar voice filtered in from the other end. It was Fate's voice, Nanoha's rival and best friend. 'Are you sure that everything's alright there, Nanoha? It's not like you to keep anything secret.'

"No, I'm fine really. The situation's handled and I've also found out the location of the Jewel Seed...well, sort of. Speaking of which, I found someone else like me." Nanoha's voice carried exuberance, her back straightening and a smile forming on her face. "Another Exceptional Earthling who can use magic."

'Is that so? You don't have to answer that. Just take care. I can send over a team if ever you need it.'

"Thanks," Nanoha ended her communications and got to the matter at hand.

Shirou along with the Jewel Seed had disappeared in what seemed like a dimensional transfer. Maybe if she inspected the magic still lingering in the air, she could determine where he'd been sent?

Humming to herself, she came to the abrupt observation, that Allen Miller, Shirou's associate of sorts, was just taking everything in stride. He was lounging over a chair while disassembling and maintaining his firearms. The shotgun was split into parts on a table as the man focused his attention on his assault rifle.

"Are you not surprised with what just happened?" She questioned.

"Should I? I thought dimension hopping was common." Allen was not much of a talker. He replied once and clearly looked as if he didn't want to be disturbed. However, there was something reminiscent that appeared in his eyes that caused Nanoha to give him a double take. The scars over Allen's left eye told of a story, but his hardened demeanor signalled that he wasn't one to speak lightly of anything unless they were friends. Last Nanoha had checked, Allen was not her friend. Why then did he bother replying at all?

"What do you mean common?"

Allen suddenly looked like he regretted his decision to speak in the first place. Unknown to Shirou, Nanoha wasn't the only dimensional traveler, but different from Nanoha, Allen no longer had a place to go back to. He was a crystal seeking dawn, the meaning of which no one had to know but himself.

Sitting up, Allen decided to forcibly shift the topic to one he knew would catch Nanoha's attention.

"Ever heard of mages?"

Nanoha blinked, and Allen simply spoke on, not knowing how much of a headache he was going to cause for his friend.

One moment Shirou was speaking with Zelretch, and in the next, he was being hurled back directly where he came from. The experience was harrowing, but fortunately, he'd gotten used to it a bit since the first time, and soon enough it was over.

He fell back into Allen's bunker with a noticeable bang, the sound echoing within the spacious interior now empty of its former residents. Sprawled on the floor, having failed to land on his feet, he used his hands as leverage and hoisted himself up into a seated position.

Expectedly, Nanoha and Allen were staring right at him.

"See?" Allen spoke up. "I told you it was common."

Nanoha looked like she didn't know how to respond.

Shirou knew that he was missing something here, but that didn't exactly matter to him right now. Getting up onto his feet as Nanoha approached him, he began reviewing what he'd been told by Zelretch, and contemplated how to complete the task at hand.

Distract her? How was he supposed to do that? It wasn't as if he was some sort of performer, but knowing Zelretch, the man definitely viewed his life as one big show. Therefore, he was a performer in a sense, and suddenly he began to understand why most magi hated Zelretch's attention.

Keeping himself steady, he prepared himself to be questioned about what had happened to him, or about the Jewel Seed in his possession. However, Nanoha true to her personality, did not act as expected. Instead, she threw him a curve ball.

Standing face to face with each other, she looked him right in the face and asked him a question that immediately rendered any logical plans he'd made utterly meaningless.

"What's the Mage's Association?" She asked.

For fuck's sake. How?!

Shirou suddenly recalled that Allen was nearby and gave the man a long stare. Aleen just blinked back, not knowing what sort of predicament he'd just landed Shirou in, and continued working on his guns.

When Zelretch of all people gives a warning, then it had to be taken seriously, and now he was starting the game of deception with a A-Class difficulty rating. Of course, it had to be him of all people stuck with this shit.

"It's a fancy golf institute." He said it with a straight face, and he didn't even know how. Something was dying inside of him, oh wait, never mind. It was just his sense of rationality. "Metal gauntlet Lorelei's always at the top of her game, and the senior most members are part of a Lord's group enabling them to VIP privileges. Aspiring young golfers everywhere come for the express purpose of being taught pro-level golf skills in classrooms run by professionals in their field. Don't bother searching for their names though. It's a high-level sports society that includes only those in the know and blacklists common golfers that learn too much."

Nearby, Allen looked dazed like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Actually no; it was more like he was never going to think about it again. He was a mercenary who'd experienced the worst and the best parts in life.

Allen knew that if anyone who Shirou just mention heard what he'd just said, someone was going to die for the sake of someone's smeared image, and preferably not him. Allen may have survived magic attacks before, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.

When Shirou glanced in Allen's direction for back up, Allen wordlessly turned away while mouthing a sentence that suspiciously sounded like 'Your funeral.'

"A golf institute?" Nanoha parroted suspiciously. "And you're part of it?"

How much did she know? Shirou felt like he was fighting an uphill battle.

"Yeah, it's in London," he tried to downplay the issue fully knowing that it was bullshit. What kind of golfer was he when Nanoha had already seen him in action during the Dead Apostle hunt? Denying it however, was better than admitting the truth.

Nanoha, bless her, didn't seem to press the issue. She decided to make it worse and play along.

"Sounds interesting, let's go."

L-Let's go? His mind momentarily ground to a halt.

Nanoha gave him a raised brow, a grin on her face as her optimism showed. Now that the matter with the ghouls was solved, and the people saved, she allowed herself to be more carefree. At the same time though, she'd come to accept that there were certain facets of her home world that even she didn't know and was definitely curious about.

The difficulty of his endeavours just shifted to EX-Rank. "Why?" He almost wheezed out, but managed to retain the calm in his voice.

"What? You didn't think I was just going to leave, did you?" Yes. Yes, he did. No, he hoped for it. Still did. "Well I can't until you come back with me since you possess something called a Jewel Seed and items called Lost Logia. As a member of the Space-Time Administrative Bureau, I can't just leave you alone."

Of course, she couldn't. That would be too easy.

"Besides," she stared at him cheerily. "We're more alike than you think as exceptional earthlings. Also, metal gauntlet Lorelei sounds interesting."

No. No she really isn't.

"Right."

He couldn't do this. There was no way he could do this alone.

Rin. Rin please have a method to solve this shit.

Thanks for reading!

Sorry for shorter chapter. There was another segment to this update, but then I went and did more research on Nanoha and found out I was screwing something up with Midchilda and had to just scrap a good third of the update and redo it.

Next update: TBA

P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious

Book link: Fatedlegacydark. ca

Summary of book:

Death. Grief. Ruin. Nothing was left unchanged after an unexplained tragedy led to the loss of millions across the world in key locations. Cities were reduced to wastelands of steel and concrete, and many were forced into migration. When events leading to the prior tragedy occur once more, Kevin Black was going to have to learn that sometimes mysteries were better left unsolved. Trapped with his friends in the world of a ruined city filled with monsters, the journey out would be far more perilous than the journey in.