Where Stars Go Mad

N/A: Hory shiet, ngl I had been planning this for like since the start of the novel. While I feel like some of it might have been rushed, overall I think I'm happy with the progression and it was a lot better than my previous fic. 

"Father recognise me!" A furious red knight stormed into the throne room in fury. Tianzun watched in the guise of Merlin with a gentle smile. It was quite unfortunate, but this had to be done in order to ensure the overlap would be flawless. 

The changes must be subtle in nature yet leading to different outcomes. 

Mordred's rebellion was unfortunately non-negotiable so he never influenced any of Artoria's thoughts regarding the aspect of renouncing Mordred. 

Tianzun's gaze reached into the realm of the real world where an exact same situation was happening. Both Artoria's had refused Mordred's claim to the throne with a cold tone that left no negotiation. 

Meanwhile Merlin's suspicions were increasing in paranoia as he desperately searched and searched with no leads. Until one such citizen described a vision of various colors and a place where everything was strange. 

Merlin immediately pinpointed the location with a sigh of relief. Someone was operating within the spirit world. It made sense honestly, firstly not many mages could reach the spirit world easily. 

And not many dared to touch it as it was the source of all divination and a large amount of mysticism. The last person to enter and return described it as a place that holds contracted creatures, a place where directions are non existent, time and space a warped. The past, present and future are all contained in this place, a sea of infinite knowledge and illusions compressed together. 

Many theorised that the spirit world was a location that was closest to the Akashic Records in a sense of what they were searching for. Many attempted to enter, and many succeeded. But they failed to realise that due to the lack of direction, they were often stranded inside. 

A few only made it out alive due to the kindness of a few creatures within the spirit world. 

Merlin was one of the few who had developed a way to travel within the spirit world. He could return back so long as he had an anchor in reality recording his coordinates. 

It was at this moment that the rebellion had begun and Merlin was no longer needed, his role was finished. The kingdom would fall and he could focus on trying to catch this strange phenomenon. 

Tianzun grinned from above the grey fog as within the spirit world contained a certain earth mother spirit. It was quite surprising honestly, she could even be a faceless considering that she managed to pull off three roles in order to accommodate the roles that had been thrusted upon her. 

Morgan, the kind caring older sister of Artoria, Morgan le Fay the evil witch destined to throw Britain into chaos and bring the fall of Camelot, and Vivan the fairy of the lake. Except she was restrained by fate. 

Yet her thread of fate had ended the moment the rebellion started. The role of Morgan le Fay was no longer needed, all the remained was both Vivan and Artoria's kind older sister. 

Tianzun adjusted his monocle as he would allow Vivian or Morgan to take revenge on Merlin. A saying emerged from the back of his mind, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," and scorn was what Merlin did. 

~~~~

Morgan/Vivian:

I still remember the moment Camelot's fall had begun. In that instant Morgan le Fay had disappeared. There was no more need for that virtual personality. 

All that's left is regret and sorrow. Both regret for inflicting pain on my younger sister and regret for ever coming into contact with that worm, Merlin. I know there was no escaping this fate. However, I can only do what I can to make things better. 

Soon I will carry Artoria to Avalon. 

One day, while playing as Vivian, a strange man cloaked in yellow and black approached the lake and called out to me. 

He offered me a deal I couldn't resist. A way to get back at Merlin and make a wish within the bounds of certain miracles. 

I knew that this was no ordinary mage, no this was somehow a deity despite all odds. His premise was simple, he wanted Merlin out of the way after the rebellion and I wanted revenge on Merlin as well. 

It was a win-win scenario. So I shook his hand and opened my eyes to find myself within the spirit world. Many contracted creatures roamed the space. Yet non even dared to touch or go near me.

It dawned on me that, they were afraid, not afraid of me but of the man beside me. 

He made one last remark before leaving, "When you take Artoria to Avalon, wait a bit until I give the signal. That is my only post-rebellion condition." 

I nodded as he soon disappeared with a flash of grey fog. 

Meanwhile the spirit world flashed a myriad of colors as someone had entered, all contracted creatures observed the man for a bit before going back to their own activities. I walk through the barrier of grey fog as the man stills for a moment. 

"Vivian... Or should I say Morgan? Long time no see?" He chuckled sheepishly while scratching his head. 

I glare at him before responding, "Both, Morgan le Fay is gone, there is no need for her to exist now. All that's left is Artoria's older sister and Vivian. Both of whom you've wronged. And you dare scorn me?" 

Merlin immediately ran as spells began to pour onto him as I continue to chase, a swirling color of lights emerged from space as he attempted to exit. I follow him only to find that we've emerged in Avalon. 

In that moment I understood why he said to go ahead with building my trap. Merlin would come here unknowingly. 

I don't know how, but that god had somehow connected that exit to the entrance of the Tower of Avalon. I grin in satisfaction as Merlin is trapped here for all eternity. It was a strange suggestion but I'm glad I listened. 

Just trapping this bastard wouldn't be enough. The tower would occasionally strike bolts of lightning onto him every time he acted strangely. 

Yells and howls of pain and complaints graced my ears as a weight was lifted off my shoulders. 

I emerge from Avalon to observe the real world, where I would carry Artoria's body with me. Camelot was burning in ruins and knights had formed a group of rebellion, nothing had changed. 

The end of Camelot was in sight, both Mordred and Artoria were locked in a battle to the death. Avalon the sheath had been taken away by Morgan le Fay before. With only Excalibur and Rhongomyniad in hand Artoria already gravely wounded fought desperately. 

It pained me but this was fate. 

In that moment where the spear pierced Mordred and Clarent pierced Artoria, a sudden stillness in the world occurred. 

From the sky emerged a sudden rush of grey fog, a grey fog I was familiar with. That man was making a move. 

My eyes must have been deceiving me because at that moment I had seen an overlap, reality itself was shifting between two scenes. 

The scene I had seen before and a different scene where the two relatives had reconciled with Artoria standing as the winner in a duel to the death. 

The two scenes continued to shift with neither taking the advantage in duration. 

What was happening? 

In that moment of reality emerging, a second Artoria had emerged and had been pierced instead of my sister. Artoria herself had been enveloped in grey fog while the Artoria I had seen was kneeling on the hill alone. 

Mordred soon fell down as the Artoria? I knew soon disappeared and the wounds appeared on the Artoria covered in grey fog. 

Both history and fate had been fooled. 

~~~~

Artoria was meant to die by Mordred's hand. So he stole Artoria's fate and identity and gifted it to the fake Artoria marionette in the fake Camelot. Before grafting the real Artoria herself to the fake Camelot's fate. All this was done with a split second concealment.

The fake Artoria became Tianzun as he made it the real body. Because this had to ensure that the premise Artoria was killed must conflict with something else. Fate must believe that Artoria had been killed. 

At the moment before concealment, the world had noted that Artoria had been killed. There was no doubt about that statement. Yet after the concealment, what was killed was not Artoria but Tianzun. 

History had a conflict with both Camelot surviving and falling while fate believed that Artoria had perished in that moment, oblivious to the threads emerging from the grey fog. 

In that moment Tianzun felt it, a rush of power had returned to him. He returned the expired fate of Artoria back to her. Morgan watched as the real Artoria suddenly fell despite being perfectly healthy. 

Morgan watched holding Artoria as the grey fog descended. 

The Fool should have been born, but what happened instead was a moment of gravitational collapse. The curtain of yellow and black collapsed inwardly as a blue door appeared in a spiral vortex of worms and amalgamations.

All of the world had their intelligence lowered for a moment, before it surged in even greater effect. People started disappearing and reappearing the familiar places. Doors would fail to open and rules malfunctioned. 

Magecraft ceased to work properly, some people suddenly became quick witted. Time had halted and the grey fog receded gently to reveal a man cloaked in yellow and black.

Sinister slippery tentacles emerged from under his robes as he nudged his monocle back in place before spinning his signature star studded rod. His usual smile donned on his face as he looked at the sky, peering into the unknown.

In that moment, the gods of old hiding within the reverse side of the world shivered. The outer deities who had their gaze on earth averted their "eyes" and retreated in silence.

The Lord of Mysteries was born. 

The ruler of the spirit world had returned. 

//Next Chapter: The Horror of a Great OId One//